Dog Sense
How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet
by John Bradshaw
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Dog Sense
Dogs have been humanity’s faithful companions for tens of thousands of years, yet today they are regularly treated as either pack-following wolves or furry humans. The truth is, dogs are neither—and our misunderstanding has put them in serious crisis. In Dog Sense, John Bradshaw uses the latest scientific research to show how humans can live in harmony with—not just dominion over—their four-legged friends.
In the first half of the book, Bradshaw reveals that, although dogs are constructed from wolf DNA—the two animals share 99.96% of their genes—domestication has altered their minds and behaviors substantially. For example, dogs have an almost uncanny ability to guess what humans are about to do, because of their extreme sensitivity to body language, but they are also trapped in the moment, incapable of pondering the consequences of their actions. We also examine the underlying principles that breeders should be following, seeing what it is about pedigree breeding that directly affects dogs’ well-being.
In the later chapters, Bradshaw looks at how science can help dogs adjust to 21st-century life. “As dog owners and dog lovers,” he writes, “we need to think constructively about how to breed dogs whose primary purpose is not to herd sheep, retrieve game, or win prizes at dog shows but, rather, to be rewarding, obedient, happy family pets.” How popular will dogs be at the end of this century? As Bradshaw shows, addressing the twin pressures of misguided breeding and poor understanding of canine psychology is crucial to ensuring that they remain a significant part of human lives, as they have been for the past 10,000 years.
Dog Sense offers extraordinary insight into the question of how we really ought to treat our dogs.
Hardcover : 352 pages
Publisher: Basic Books Inc. ( May 10, 2011 )
Item #: 13-399440
ISBN: 9780465019441
Product Dimensions: 6.125 x 9.25 inches
Product Weight: 20.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
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