Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

by Justin on Jul.26, 2010, under Pets

:Dogs, Inside, Know, Smell

10 Comments for this entry

M. Carterette
July 26th, 2010 on 11:24 pm
Review by M. Carterette for Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
Rating:
After having read this book weeks ago (advanced copy), I was left a little unsatisfied. I’d give it 3.5 stars if could.

It’s more of a cursory glance at canine cognitive ethology rather than a definitive volume, but if you’re looking for a good introductory to canine cognitive ethology, this would be a great starter. The anecdotes are sweet and the science is pretty good, and written in a way that the regular Joe Dog Guardian can read it without breaking his brain.

HOWEVER. There is one VERY glaring “scientific” experiment that I feel she used for a bad conclusion, a conclusion whose inclusion of the flawed scientific experiment betrays the entire premise of the book itself.

In the section on “Hero Dogs” (dogs that have responded to emergencies and saved the lives of their owners and people in general), Horowitz details what she calls a “clever experiment” with dogs where

“owners conspired with the researchers to feign emergencies in the presence of their dogs, in order to see how the dogs responded. In one scenario, owners were trained to fake a heart attack, complete with gasping, a clutch of the chest, and a dramatic collapse. In the second scenario, owners yelped as a bookcase (made of particleboard) descended on them and seemed to pin them on the ground. In both cases, owners’ dogs were present, and the dogs had been introduced to a bystander nearby–perhaps a good person to inform if there has been an emergency.

In these contrived setups, the dogs acted with interest and devotion, but not as though there was an emergency…

…In other words, not a single dog did anything that remotely helped their owners out of the predicaments. The conclusion that one has to take from this is that dogs simply do not naturally recognize or react to an emergency situation–one that could lead to danger or death.” (pp.239-240)

I really don’t understand how she could have come to this conclusion after having written over 200 pages on how a dog sees, smells and relates to its world (the “umwelt” of a dog). She didn’t consider that the dogs knew that their owners were faking? She wrote herself that a dog can sense the most minute changes in a person’s own body chemistry, right down to sensing cancer and other things like an increase in heart rate or adrenaline. A person faking a heart attack isn’t going to have the same body chemistry/physical changes that a person having a REAL heart attack is going to have, so in a sense–there is no faking a heart attack around your dog (believe me, I’ve tried, LOL–it was only playing/testing, but none of my dogs seemed to care if I plopped over in bed, “dead”). Same goes for adrenaline levels when you’re in immediate danger, like when you’re drowning (and I believe this was one of the examples she used just before this horrible “deduction” of hers; a dog saved the life of a child that was going to drown). And if a person was faking being hurt under a particleboard bookcase, I’m pretty sure that the dog could sense that, too.

Anyway. That was the only part of the book that REALLY got me going “Hmmmnnn…no.” Other than that, it’s a good read, but left me wanting more (a whole lot of it sucks you in, but then you’re left with a little bit of an unsatisfied thirst for more science and more talk about how dogs are in the world; the end chapter seemed a little rushed to me, too).

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R. Hardy
July 27th, 2010 on 12:17 am
Review by R. Hardy for Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
Rating:
Scientifically, we might know a lot more about rats than we do about dogs. There are some experimental labs that have dogs as subjects, but lab rats get a lot of scientific attention. Dogs get a lot of domestic attention, but scientific study of dogs, and the ways they get along with humans and with other dogs, has not been a high concern. That may be because we think we know dogs; they are frank and open, and we live closely with them. Alexandra Horowitz thinks we don’t know enough, and some of what we know is wrong, and she is out to change our perception of dogs and to do it scientifically. She has to work at making herself a detached observer; she might be a psychologist who has studied cognition in humans, dogs, bonobos, and rhinoceroses, but among the first sentences of her book _Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know_ (Scribner) is, “I am a dog person.” Is she ever. She didn’t deliberately make Pumpernickel, her mixed breed live-in friend (she is an advocate for adopting mutts), a subject of scientific study, but Pump was her entrance, for instance, to the dog park where she could film the interactions of other dogs for acute detailed study later. She gives loving anecdotes of the late Pump in every chapter to illustrate her more objective findings, nicely showing how her scientific examination of dogs paid off in her understanding of her own dog. There are people who worry that scientific examination of any phenomenon takes away the mystery and specialness of the phenomenon, and among the fine lessons in this amusing and enlightening book is that this is far from true.

Dogs do not sense the world we do. To take one of Horowitz’s examples, a rose for humans is a thing of visual and olfactory beauty, and also has connotations of a love gift. Dogs are having none of this. It is just another plant among all the plants that surround it; it does not look attractive, and unless some dog has urinated on it recently, it does not smell attractive. Otherwise, the rose doesn’t exist. The dog’s world is one largely of smells. Everyone knows that dogs are better at detecting odors than we are. It isn’t just that they can smell more scents, at thinner concentrations, than we; it’s that they gaze at the world by sniffing, and it presents a very different world from ours. Smell, for dogs, has plenty of meanings, but one of them is time. A strong spell is new, a fading one is old. Not only that, but the future may be borne on a breeze if the dog is walking upwind. In scents, the dog doesn’t just experience the current scene in an olfactory way, “…but also a snatch of the just-happened and the up-ahead. The present has a shadow of the past and a ring of the future about it.” Dogs are evolutionarily descended from wolves, and sometimes dog owners are advised to treat their dogs as lower-caste members of a pack. Horowitz prescribes caution in such interpretations. Dogs are not wolves and have cast away many wolf traits during their evolution. A person (non-wolf) attempting to subdue a dog (non-wolf) in wolf fashion is missing what is special about the human-dog bond. Dogs, for instance, like eye contact; wolves avoid it. There are many experiments described here (some of which Horowitz has herself been in charge of), and one of them involves “gaze following”. Dogs can look at our eyes, and can tell where we are looking, so they look over that way, too. The sections of the book that are the most fun are the ones on play. Dogs play more than wolves do, and unlike most animals, they play as adults. It is a bit of a mystery; it isn’t essential for dogs to play to get their needed social skills, and it does cost energy and the risk of injury. Horowitz describes the play cues dogs give that can only be seen by humans using very slow video replays, but which keep the play non-aggressive for the participating dogs. Dogs are good at following these rules; a strapping wolfhound and a tiny Chihuahua can negotiate a play session efficiently, with the former handicapping itself to enjoy the mock aggressiveness of the latter.

Horowitz has provided a useful service in her brightly-written summary of experiments and current theories on the minds of dogs. I have an idea that people keep dogs around not just because of their goofy affection for us, or because they are so entertaining, but simply because they are interesting. It is fun to see how a creature who has evolved an intelligence different from our own gets along in the world. Horowitz’s book helps explain that interest, and heighten it.

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hydrophilic
July 27th, 2010 on 12:38 am
Review by hydrophilic for Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
Rating:
I expected to love this book. Unfortunately, it leaves a lot to be desired.

First, there is surprisingly little information in it. The author touches on each subject so briefly that only the most superficial observations can be made. Dog body language gets maybe two pages and includes such revelations as the meaning of a tucked tailed (discomfort and/or submission). Is there a dog owner in the world who doesn’t already know that? Note: if that’s new to you and you own a dog, stop reading this review and find a dog trainer immediately. In the 250 pages I managed to read, I found two things of interest: the description of canine vision, and speculation on a potential flaw in experiments on dog intelligence (to wit: dogs know that humans are great providers of food, so if a dog that gives up on the puzzle in front of him and runs over to the researcher for help, maybe he’s being smart, not dumb).

Second, the author spends way too much time bemoaning human chauvinism. Apparently, all research into animal behavior is done to shore up our belief that humans are the rightful masters of the earth.

Third, the tone of this book is insistently, forcibly whimsical. Sometimes it hits the right note, and I did find myself laughing out lot a few times, particularly at an anecdote about a doberman put to work guarding a collection of valuable teddy bears. Unfortunately, it’s more often grating, and I found myself rolling my eyes at the little vignettes about the author’s dog that start every chapter. It truly pains me to write that, as love between a dog and an owner is such a wonderful thing.

Fourth, the text has some odd contradictions, one which is noted by the reviewer below me. The author also starts one chapter raving about dogs’ almost preternatural ability to understand our intentions — and supports this assertion by noting how easy it is to fool a dog into thinking you’ve thrown a tennis ball.

Finally, I came to the point where I had to put the book down. The author begins to describe dogs’ sense of personal space, which she gets almost entirely wrong. She makes a common mistake in saying that dogs have a much smaller radius of personal space than we do. This may be true of ultra-friendly, well-socialized dogs like many retrievers, but it is *not* the norm. Dogs are in fact extremely concerned with personal space, and much of what we know about their communication involves conveying the boundaries of their “bubbles”.

The final straw was here: “Repeating itself on sidewalks across the country is a scene that demonstrates the clash of our sense of personal space: the sight of two dog owners as they stand six feet apart, straining to keep their leashed dogs from touching, while the dogs strain mightily to touch each other. Let them touch!” This is horribly bad advice. There are a thousand reasons why two strange dogs should not be allowed to greet each other unrestrainedly, first and foremost that lunging towards another dog is actually very aggressive behavior. Dogs have a plethora of signals indicating that their interest is respectful, including look aways, medium-to-low tail carriage, and a sideways approach. A dog that jumps straight up into another dog’s business is socially inept at best, and intending harm at worst.

Instead of this book, I would recommend almost anything by Temple Grandin (who isn’t always right either, but has a fascinating perspective), Turid Rugaas, Karen Pryor, or Brenda Aloff.

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Ettore Schmitz
July 27th, 2010 on 1:36 am
Review by Ettore Schmitz for Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
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As an avid reader of dog literature I approach each new entry in this field with a mix of trepidation and eagerness. Will it merely be a rehash of things I already know? Will it be a sophmoric jumble of memoir and whimsy? Or will this be the book that truly broadens my understanding of the world of canids? Inside of a Dog falls into the last category – plus some.

This book is hands down the finest exploration of canid intelligence that I have ever read. Horowitz writes with a crisp, almost puckish tone – it draws the reader in effortlessly. The book is a delightful blend of an examination of the latest developments in the world of scientific study of dog cognition, and Horowitz’s own experiences with her dog as she became one of the scientists who study this animal.

She is one of those writers of whom you think that they could make anything seem interesting. It is to our benefit that she has chosen to do this with dogs.

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History Prof
July 27th, 2010 on 2:27 am
Review by History Prof for Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
Rating:
This is a fascinating book, full of terrific details and interesting research about dogs. So many of the specific elements that she describes still stick in my head. There’s great material in here, for instance, about dog’s noses and how they smell, and how much they encounter the world through scent and odor. It’s not simply that Horowitz tells us that dogs have a powerful sense of smell; it’s that she goes well beyond that to help us think about how different their sense of time must be, for instance, since they are smelling old smells along with new ones at the same time. That’s just one example of many. The book is chock full of the latest research about dogs, but told in a winning and delightful manner.

That’s worth stressing: the writing in this book is great. It’s colorful and idiosyncratic. Sometimes the syntax of a sentence is intriguing all on its own. The book is fun to read, in part, just because Horowitz writes so darn well. And, I should add, with a fair bit of whimsy and playfulness. She is a talent as a writer, as well as a scientist. And she makes the science accessible, interesting, and sometimes laugh-worthy.

But the book is also wonderful because it’s so full of Horowitz’s own enthusiasm for how great dogs are. She’s a scientist, but she’s hardly clinical. Her excitement about dogs comes pouring out in the small praise-of-dog moments that abound in the book. I feel like I finished the book not only knowing more about dogs (and impressed by all the things that Horowitz knows), but wanting to spend more time with dogs, looking at other people’s dogs on the street, and thinking about when we might be able to get a dog of our own again. Her interest in the dog-human relationship — which is so much the focus in the last chunk of the book — spills over with her joy in it, and it’s an infectious joy.

I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I plan to give it as a gift this year to all my dog-owning and dog-loving friends!

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Dmitri Bilgere
July 27th, 2010 on 2:30 am
Review by Dmitri Bilgere for For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend
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I’m blown away by this book. I really liked McConnell’s first book, “The Other End of the Leash,” but this book blows even that away.

And here’s why:

This book is an uncommon combination of 3 things that usually don’t go together.

1) Entertaining and moving (yet educational) stories of dogs and their humans (many from McConnell’s long career as an animal behaviorist),

2) Immediately useful knowlege about dog behavior and the “clues” dogs give about what is going on with them, and

3) Relentless scientific backup for what she says, while NOT being hard to read or “science-y.”

For instance, do you know what it means when a dogs mouth is closed?

Do you know what it means if a dog is pointing her muzzle away from you, but looking in your direction?

Do you know what it means if a dog is pulling the corners of his mouth forward?

You should, because these are all critical clues about what the dog is going to do next — it may even prevent you from being bitten by the next dog you reach out to pet!

Do you know the government-tested 30-second puppy-exercise regime that helps them grow into dogs that are gentle, flexible, and tolerant?

You should, it might make a huge difference in the next dog you get!

Along the way McConnell provides TONS of useful and entertaining knowledge about dog and human brains, how we learn, developmental phases (and how to impact them!), the nature of happiness (and how to be more happy!) and a whole lot more.

. . .even how to tell if a dog might be laughing at your hairstyle.

And it’s so well written it’s hard to put down.

I’m sorry if this sounds like an ad for the book . . . I’m not selling the book, just reviewing it, and I really liked it.

I think that if you like dogs and spend time with them, your relationships with them will be noticibly enriched by your reading this book.

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Franklin D. McMillan, DVM
July 27th, 2010 on 2:37 am
Review by Franklin D. McMillan, DVM for For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend
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Patricia McConnell has written a wonderful book filled with engaging stories and much practical advice for dog owners. She incorporates the latest research findings on the workings of the dog’s mind in presenting her own cases from her behavior counseling service. Her discussion of counterconditioning covers an extremely valuable concept that is not stressed (or even utilized) enough by other behaviorists and trainers. This technique is invaluable and of nearly limitless potential in alleviating many emotional distresses and disorders in dogs.

Especially pleasing to see is that in her discussion of counterconditioning and other techniques the author diverges from the decades-old approach of addressing “behavior problems” (a term that should be killed off and unceremoniously buried – it’s not the animal’s problem any more than if your husband had a habit of talking too loudly to your liking would you tell your friends that he had a behavior problem) by focusing on simply eliminating the behavior. This mechanistic behaviorism approach may be effective in eliminating the behavior but frequently does nothing to relieve the dog’s underlying emotional distress that is causing the behavior. For example, if a dog is suffering from loneliness because he is tied up alone in a backyard and barks endlessly for human attention and companionship there are plenty of ways to eliminate the barking. But there is only one correct one: alleviate the emotional pain of loneliness. McConnell understands this and focuses on this underlying emotional distress when working with the dogs to change unwanted behavior. In light of the advances in neuroscience, comparative psychology, and brain imaging, this places McConnell on the leading edge of the changes underway in how unwanted behavior in dogs should be addressed. The primary focus in treating behavior “problems” is to help the dog rather than the owner. McConnell gets this. Most dog behaviorists and trainers don’t.

I strongly recommend this book for all dog owners who want their dogs to get the best emotional care and support in all behavior-related matters.

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Eddie Landsberg
July 27th, 2010 on 2:41 am
Review by Eddie Landsberg for For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend
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I made the mistake of getting the audio book expecting a light but informative read… big mistake: this is one read chock full of morsels… the type of book that has stuff you want to come back to, cross reference, read backwards and forwards on, and really get into, and that’s why I like this book so much… Though written for a lay audience, after reading this book you may very well find yourself wanting to do what the author does (technically speaking she’s an animal beahviorist, but her approach is so multi-disciplinary, you’ll find yourself dabbling in a wide variety of fields from social psychology, animal beahvior to the neurosciences and beyond.) And yes… there are heard warming doggie stories that draw you into the heavy anecdotes about how the chemistry of our brains and our pets brains make us think and behave the the way we do… McConnell also makes some compelling arguements that may very well change the way you think as well… or atleast how you read, understand and react to your dog. – - though not a how-to book, she does offer plenty of ideas… in fact, I’d say that although this is not a dog training book, I wouldn’t suggest getting a puppy, and training your dog UNTIL reading through it. (I got a real kick out of her suggested experiment with lifting your dog’s back leg and noting how his licks… its true!)

(Note: some of her conclusions may have to be taken with a grain of salt… but they will get you thinking.) All in all, this is one book that never gets boring… and is definitely puppy chow for the medula oblongada (if you don’t know what that is she’ll explain.)

Think of it as EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE for doglovers!

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Ellen Hanson
July 27th, 2010 on 3:23 am
Review by Ellen Hanson for For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend
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Once again McConnell has delivered a wonderful book written for people who love their dogs and want nothing more than to strengthen the bond between themselves and their canine companions.

“For the Love of a Dog” is McConnell’s second novel-like book on the relationships between humans and canines. In her previous book, “The Other End of the Leash,” McConnell explored problems caused by the inherently different ways that humans and canines communicate. In “For the Love of a Dog,” McConnell explores the emotional human-canine connection. Jam-packed with research to back up her points, McConnell’s depth of knowledge, combined with her obvious love of dogs and respect for their owners was a deeply satisfying read. Especially useful were all the photos she included depicting various dogs’ emotional states. I’ve always been leary of large dogs – unsure what’s going on in their minds, what they’ll do next, wondering if I’m in danger. Having read this book (as well as “The Other End of the Leash”), I find myself feeling much more comfortable around dogs, probably because I have a greater understanding of them. McConnell’s books make sense, and they’ve changed my outlook on dogs. I can’t thank her enough!

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Anonymous
July 27th, 2010 on 4:02 am
Review by for For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend
Rating:
I had heard many of my dog friends rave about Patricia McConnell — people who had read her previous book, “The Other End of the Leash” and people who had attended her canine behavior seminars and workshops. But nothing could have prepared me for how amazing this book is!

I assumed since the book was about emotions that it would be a mushy book without much substance. But I could not have been more wrong! McConnell presents an intelligent argument about emotions — a perfect mix of scientific backup and anecdotes. You will learn so much about reading a dog’s body language and predicting behavior.

The one very minor thing that would have made the book even more perfect was pictures. There is a section in the middle with a nice photo spread comparing dog and human expression. However, it would have been nice to have the pictures in the text to show exactly what she was describing as you were reading.

What I found most interesting were the parts on development. I also, unexpectedly, learned a lot about HUMAN development and brain function. You will probably approach child rearing differently after reading this as well!

For the Love of a Dog is an incredible book that is a must read for ALL dog owners!

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