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    Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet
    Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet
    Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet
    Audiobook10 hours

    Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet

    Written by John Bradshaw

    Narrated by Michael Page

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Dogs have been mankind'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.

    What dogs really need is a spokesperson, someone who will assert their specific needs. Renowned anthrozoologist Dr. John Bradshaw has made a career of studying human-animal interactions, and in Dog Sense he uses the latest scientific research to show how humans can live in harmony with-not just dominion over-their four-legged friends. From explaining why positive reinforcement is a more effective (and less damaging) way to control dogs' behavior than punishment to demonstrating the importance of weighing a dog's unique personality against stereotypes about its breed, Bradshaw offers extraordinary insight into the question of how we really ought to treat our dogs.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMay 10, 2011
    ISBN9781452672038
    Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet
    Author

    John Bradshaw

    Ex US Army Officer, Ex State of South Carolina SITCON team member, 2nd degree Black Belt, private pilot, married, 3 sons, business owner.

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    Reviews for Dog Sense

    4/5

    79 ratings9 reviews

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    • 5/5
      The book I should have read instead of "Be the Dog."

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      A must read for anybody interested in animals, not just dogs.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      John Bradshaw, dog owner and biologist, breaks down what we know of dogs scientifically to explain their behavior, learning, emotions, senses, and more.This book doesn't address dog training per se, but the scientific information that Bradshaw provides could be a great jumping off point for dog owners and enthusiasts who want to have a good sound basis for their methods. In particular, Bradshaw dismantles that dogs are much like wolves, and that as pack animals they're always seeking to dominate (in fact, that was a little annoying repetitious in the beginning). He then breaks down other aspects of dog biology, in accessible and clear language that also addresses alternate explanations for scientific studies' results and where more research needs to be done. Though it didn't address training specifically, I did get some insights that improved my dogsitting - in particular, noticing that the dog I was watching pays very close attention to where I am, and the more attention I pay to him the better behaved he is. Another I had only once that showed what I thought was very dominating and aggressive tendencies, I'm now reinterpreting as fear and wondering what kind of specialized retraining would be necessary for him. I'll definitely have this in the back of my mind as I seek out more direct training manuals.
    • 3/5
      John Bradshaw has written a rather interesting distillation of many scientific experiments dealing with how dogs think, what they can learn, how to best train them, etc. He specifically debunks the idea that because our companion dogs are descended from wolves that they are eager to be the leader or "alpha" of any pack. He believes they have just been dependent on humans too long to want to upset the applecart, and that they respond best to positive reinforcement rather than any kind of punishment.He also discusses the problem of "pedigreed" dogs: how breeders over the years have done so much inbreeding, or breeding to develop a specific aspect of a breed's appearance that all too many breeds are a mere shadow of what they were 75 years ago. And then there was this thought, which I found fascinating: "The more responsible the owner of a dog, the more likely that dog is to be neutered. In short, many of the most carefully selected and nurtured dogs, those who fit the companion niche perfectly, almost never pass on their genes to the next generation. Filling their place in the population are puppies produced more or less by accident by irresponsible owners, many of whom are attracted to ...[dogs like pit bulls and Dobermans]...While all dog owners are rightly encouraged to neuter their pets in order to reduce the oversupply of dogs, doing so unfortunately works against the goal of creating a more companionate population of dogs." (One could add that this applies to humans as well!)Truthfully the author spent a little too much time describing the various experiments, but the conclusions he drew are thought-provoking. Worth reading!
    • 4/5
      I'd recommend this book to all dog owners. It is a serious yet readable attempt to explain the current understanding of the behaviour of dogs by a scientist who has been studying this area for the last twenty years. And it seems that popular ideas of what motivates dogs behaviour are frequently wrong, in particular the idea that dogs are striving for a dominant position in the family, echoing a wolf's striving for a dominant position within its pack. The problem with this is that in the wild wolves apparently don't struggle for dominance within the pack: the dominant pair maintain their position for the simple reason that they are the parents or grandparents of the other wolves in the pack which is actually a fairly harmonious affair. So what appears to be dominant behaviour can actually just be the amalgamation of behaviours that dogs have found to get them what they want.Bradshaw has very firm views on the problems being created by the increasing focus on pedigree dogs which are bred primarily for show rather than for the purpose of becoming family pets. And not just for those particular breeds that are known to have health problems. Here he describes the issue of the lack of genetic variability within breeds:'Mongrels maintain levels of variability that are similar to those found globally in our own species. In many individual breeds however, the amount of variation within the whole breed amounts to little more than is typical of first cousins in our own species. And we humans know that repeated marriages between cousins eventually lead to the emergence of a wide range of genetic abnormalities, which is why marriages between close relatives are taboo in most societies. It is astonishing that the same consideration has not been given to dogs.'Altogether a very thought provoking and interesting book.
    • 4/5
      How is it that you can start a book so enthusiastically and then it turns into the hardest slog? A unique point of view on man's best friend. If you love dogs then it's worth wading through this horribly dense language to be exposed to these alternate theroies on why dogs act the way they do.
    • 3/5
      a bit too technical to skim as I often do with non-fiction works; not a book for dog training tips although there were some there more of a who dogs are personality-wise; worth the visit
    • 2/5
      Where oh where was the editor here? There was apparently no editor, as the book was quite repetitive. The author said the same thing so many times, one wondered if there even was an editor. Sometimes after reading a chapter, I'd go back a chapter just to be sure I wasn't imagining that Bradshaw had already told me the same thing the chapter before, and then I'd wonder about why there was no editing. No, I'm not exaggerating.

      Arghhh. This would have made an absolutely fascinating feature article. The amount of padding, speculation, and outright repetition makes it one of the more frustrating books I've tried to read this year. And I LIKE dogs.
    • 4/5
      Well written and accessible examination of the domestic dog. Starting with the evolution of canis familiaris (and examining archeological and genetic evidence), the author examines the likely processes by which proto-dogs became the first animals to be domesticated. He then examines the dog's intellectual abilities and emotional life, relying heavily on both the senses through which the dog's reality is perceived and on scientific evidence. This leads to a discussion of training methods and ethical issues. I found the book both informative and thought provoking.