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    The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter than You Think
    Unavailable
    The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter than You Think
    Unavailable
    The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter than You Think
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter than You Think

    Written by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods

    Narrated by Fred Sanders

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Brian Hare, dog researcher, evolutionary anthropologist, and founder of the Duke Canine Cognition Center, and Vanessa Woods offer revolutionary new insights into dog intelligence and the interior lives of our smartest pets.

    In the past decade, we have learned more about how dogs think than in the last century. Breakthroughs in cognitive science, pioneered by Brian Hare have proven dogs have a kind of genius for getting along with people that is unique in the animal kingdom. 

    Brian Hare's stunning discovery is that when dogs domesticated themselves as early as 40,000 years ago they became far more like human infants than their wolf ancestors. Domestication gave dogs a whole new kind of social intelligence. This finding will change the way we think about dogs and dog training -- indeed, the revolution has already begun.

    Hare's seminal research has led him to work with every kind of dog from the tiniest shelter puppy to the exotic New Guinea singing dog, from his own childhood dog, Oreo, to the most fashionable schnoodle. The Genius of Dogs is nothing less than the definitive dog book of our time by the researcher who started a revolution.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateFeb 5, 2013
    ISBN9781101604410
    Unavailable
    The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter than You Think
    Author

    Brian Hare

    Brian Hare is Associate Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University, where he founded the Duke Canine Cognition Center. His research on 'dognition' has been published in the leading journals. With his wife Vanessa Woods, he cofounded the new dog intelligence testing and training company Canines Inc. To find out more, visit the Dognition website.

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    Reviews for The Genius of Dogs

    4/5

    57 ratings10 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This book is loaded with a history of reasearching dogs. All kinds of interesting facts from the beginning of time.
    • 5/5
      Scientific approach, language everybody can understand and humor. Enjoyable and practical. Bravo!
    • 3/5
      I'd give it 3 1/2 stars if he had mentioned how your librarian could help you track down all the (oddly referenced) literature he cited. Instead he just tells you to try Google Scholar or sending a note to the author. Another academic who doesn't use his library, I'm guessing.

      Oops, I got distracted there. I did enjoy learning more about dog behavior.
    • 5/5
      *book received through GoodReads giveaway*

      I can't be the only person out there who, despite greatly enjoying reading books dealing with science, often has a hard time trudging through them because of the dense argot that they employ. On the flipside, it is very easy for a book like this to turn into an anecdotal portrait of the author's dog extrapolated onto the canine group as a whole. Count your blessings: this book belongs in neither of these camps. John Grogan put it best when he said it is "thoroughly researched and written in the voice of a brainy scientist sitting at your kitchen table".

      Among other topics, Hare discusses the unusual relationship between man and wolf, the lineage of the dog, Belyaev's fox-breeding experiment, the importance of intraspecies cooperation in the survival of a species, the extraordinary ability of dogs to read the intentions of humans, the minute genetic differences between the vast majority of dog breeds, the poor treatment of dogs in many societies (in the USA and abroad), and the interdependence of dogs and humans. All of these topics are bolstered with numerous references to studies and thorough (yet not exhaustive or overwhelming) analysis.

      Hare does include anecdotes, but they are not meant to be "the last word" on any aspect of dog intelligence, so much as a way of relating to the facts that you read by adding a personal touch and coloring the path that the author took. For every anecdote in the book, there are references to about ten studies. The information he presents is not merely telling people what they are likely wanting to hear; in fact, there's a whole chapter devoted to a list of skills that have been dulled during the wolf-to-dog transition.

      As an animal lover and an inquisitive person, I really picked up a lot from this book and appreciated the vast amounts of research and dedication that went into it. I didn't always agree with the conclusions that the author drew, but he still gets full marks because he was quick to tell that they were just opinions and not unequivocal.
    • 5/5
      A terrific book for dog lovers (or for those interested in evolutonary biology)! Hare and Woods take the reader on a tour of how dogs developed as a species, but more specifically how and why they, and not other animals, became our "best friend."There is a little dry description of some of the tests and experiments with dog cogntion, which slows the book down very slightly but definitely does not detract from the enjoyment,Hare personalizes the book by including anecdotal information and stories about his own dogs, including Oreo, the very first one he ever owned.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed this though it took me awhile to get through. I found the chapters on wolves & domestication interesting, but felt it could have taken up less of the book. While the history of Russian biology was interesting, I'm not sure all of the detail was essential to the book. Definitely a fun and enlightening read for any dog owner.
    • 5/5
      An amazing book written by my professor ?
    • 4/5
      The authors, both scientists of canine cognition, explain the results of scientific testing about how dogs make inferences and solve problems, and they also share interesting research and theories about the effects of domestication. The findings are presented in an entertaining way and provide lots of background on wolves versus dogs, as well as interesting insights into what your dog is really “thinking.”Some highlights:Perception and projection skew our assessment of dog characteristics. For example, “…contrary to popular belief, there is no experimental evidence that dogs experience the feeling of guilt or that they have a human-like concept of guilt. Currently we only have evidence that dogs react to their owner’s frustrated behavior.” That is, the dog may understand you are stressed, and this in turn will stress the dog, but it is too much of a leap to identify this response as guilt.Pit bulls are blamed for most dog-bite-related incidents, but many people incorrectly identify aggressive dogs because of their preconceived beliefs about pit bulls. One study found that people blamed pit bulls for “a notable proportion” of 84 dog bites in children, even though the actual rate was only 13 percent. Yet another study showed that, when shown pictures of an identical dog appearing in one picture with a scruffy looking owner versus another with a nicely dressed owner, people were more likely label the first dog as the aggressive one, even though they were looking at the very same dog. Even adoption agencies can’t be relied upon to tell breeds apart; in one study they were asked to identify a series of dogs. Then blood samples of those dogs were sent for DNA analysis. The breed was misidentified two-thirds of the time. Domesticated dogs and foxes, as well as bonobos (similar to chimpanzees but much less aggressive) are different from non-domesticated close genetic relatives both in terms of their social skills with each other and in the nature of their interactions with humans. In addition to a less aggressive demeanor, other traits seem to have accompanied domestication, such as smaller body size and sometimes floppy ears and curly tails. It is believed that bonobos domesticated themselves; the authors speculate that early humans might have gone through a similar process. Maybe it wasn’t the smarter people who had the survival advantage, but the friendlier people - those most apt to cooperate with others. Cooperation can lead to better food, better protection, and more knowledge sharing, all of which would help contribute to higher intelligence. As the authors suggest:"Before humans could become ultra-cooperative, we had to become ultra-tolerant. This tolerance preceded the evolution of more complex forms of human social cognition. Inferential reasoning, planning, and skills for coordination do little good in planning for hunting or finding shelter if no one can tolerate engaging in group activities or even listening to what others have to say. … [S]elf-domestication may have … catalyzed an evolutionary chain reaction leading to the evolution of completely new cognitive abilities…”At the end of the book, the authors reverse the focus of the book and include a small section on how humans react to dogs. Evaluation: This book will interest ethologists and dog-lovers alike.
    • 5/5
      This fascinating book rounds up the author's, and other scientists', recent researches into how dogs think. How is it that neither wolves nor chimpanzees can understand when a human being attempts to point out where a treat is hidden, but dogs can? The author's thesis is that dogs have adapted themselves to be a partner to human beings, and given themselves a certain kind of genius. As a former dog owner, this went a long way to explaining what was going on behind my dog's dark eyes. Worth reading whether you're a fan of dogs or simply fascinated by the subtlety of evolution.
    • 2/5
      Interesting so far, but I'm having a bit of a hard time sinking into it.