How Dogs Think: What the World Looks Like to Them and Why They Act the Way They Do [Paperback]

Stanley Coren (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 24, 2005

Bestselling author, psychologist, and canine expert Stanley Coren’s fascinating and authoritative look at the mental powers of dogs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With a sharp-eyed analysis and wry wit, [Coren] meticulously examines the species' capabilities in a four-star toolbox fully equipped to help you better interpret Fido."

-- The Seattle Times

"Meticulously researched, highly readable, and essential for anyone who loves and lives with a dog."

-- Jon Katz, author of A Dog Year

"The thinking dog owner's guide to everything they ever wanted to know about their dog. Truths expanded, myths exposed, common sense prevailing, Dr. Coren tells it the way it is. Two dew claws up for this excellent book."

-- Nicholas H. Dodman, BVMS, MRCVS, DVA, author of The Dog Who Loved Too Much and If Only They Could Speak

"Coren's love for dogs shines like a beacon throughout this thoughtful and fascinating exploration of the mind of a dog."

-- Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D., author of The Other End of the Leash

About the Author

Stanley Coren, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, is a recognized expert on dog-human interaction who has appeared on Dateline; The Oprah Winfrey Show; Good Morning, America; 20/20; Larry King Live; and many other TV and radio programs. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a beagle, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, and a Nova Scotia duck-tolling retriever, as well as his wife and her cat.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (May 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743222334
• ISBN-13: 978-0743222334
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Animal Psychology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

95 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dog's don't think they are people, they think we are dogs., February 5, 2006

By 

Robert E. Petersen (Dunstable, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How Dogs Think: What the World Looks Like to Them and Why They Act the Way They Do (Paperback)

In his usual thorough and "text-booky" approach, before he takes on the real question of how dogs think, Coren wants us to fully understand how information, used in the thought process, gets into the mind of the dog in the first place. To this end, he takes us on a detailed study of eyes, ears, nose, tongue and touch. Many implications for animal trainers are strewn throughout the entire manuscript. Along the way, he imbeds other useful suggestions for dog owners on how to get finicky eaters to eat, how to test your elderly dog's eyesight and hearing and how to compensate for weaknesses that commonly afflict elderly dogs. He even addresses the question of whether dogs have a sixth sense that allows them to predict earthquakes or anticipate exactly when their master will arrive home. Yes, I love the way he puts this section together and, no, I won't divulge his conclusion.

Did I say "text-booky"? How Dogs Think has been very thoroughly researched with over 241 citations. It would make a fine text book as part of an extensive canine trainer certification program like that offered by the Animal Behavior College http://animalbehaviorcollege.com for example. Coren can be rather technical at times, using and defining terms like "invisible displacement test", "implicit", "explicit", "episodic", and "semantic" memory. Bottom line, it's his approach that's both the good and the bad about the book. While it's what I was looking for, it may not be what you are looking for.

Finally, on page 290 (with less than 10% left to read), Coren asks the real question: are dogs conscious and do they have a mind similar to our own? His conclusion, they are considerably different from us in degree but not really all that different in kind. For example, although not necessarily something to be proud of, he cites evidence that dogs do lie. I've seen that myself.

One cold winter evening, our two youngest dogs were lying by my feet taking up all the high priced real estate. Their mother, who generally staked her claim first, came in and found her favorite spot taken. Her next step was to walk out on the back porch and bark "something interesting is going on out here". < cite Coren > The young ones flew out to see what was going on and, while they were barking it up, mom came back in and lay at my feet.

Dogs are excellent keep-away players. How could this be so unless dogs are constantly working to figure out how we think? Empirical evidence says they play that complex game much better than we do. Coren's conclusion is that dogs understand how we think far better than we understand how they think. I'm willing to believe that.

He sites evidence that challenges many common beliefs. Dogs are not actually color blind but rather have eyes that evolution has optimized for hunting at dawn and dusk when color offers little survival advantage. Dogs learn very well from observation, particularly from watching humans. The "Theory of mind" actually does apply to dogs at least to some extent. This is so because the social brain of the dog is similar to that of a human in that both have evolved to solve social problems. Dogs can distinguish more from less, they can count, and even perform minimal addition. Finally, dogs can pass a very limited version of the Turing test.

Major author's message: dogs are much like we are. They are a little worse in some ways (dogs could never even come close to passing a eye test for a driver's license), but better in others (like hearing, smell, and seeing things in motion). Perhaps dogs don't so much think that they are people, but rather, think that we are dogs with some amazing strengths and some absolutely baffling weaknesses.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and interesting, January 9, 2006

By 

Linda Nostrant "nostrant" (Half Moon Bay, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How Dogs Think: What the World Looks Like to Them and Why They Act the Way They Do (Paperback)

I have 3 beagles and often wonder why they behave they way they do. This book answered my questions and then some. It is chock-full of information and is written in a chatty style that is easy to read yet does not patronize. I learned a lot - for example, dogs don't see particularly well, which explains why my beagle looks so puzzled when I stand very still behind a window. I was so impressed with the book that I bought an extra copy for my vet, who loved it. Every dog lover should read this book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How Dogs (and Humans) Think!, March 4, 2006

By 

Susan Elizabeth Anderson "Exotic Glimmerings" (Garland, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How Dogs Think: What the World Looks Like to Them and Why They Act the Way They Do (Paperback)

This is an excellent book to give an overview of how dogs views the world as well as how that view compares to the view of humans. Dr. Cohen not only explains how dogs think but also how their senses work to perceive the world, again as compared to humans. The information is not just based on casual observations and anecdotal tales, although those are used, but also based on many laboratory studies over the years to give a good solid foundation.

This book is invaluable if you live with a dog, train dogs, work with dogs, or just love and admire dogs. I would consider this a must read for dog owners and especially trainers - after all you cannot teach if you don't understand how the mind receives and process the information you are trying get across. Dr. Cohen also does a beautiful job of dispelling many myths - like dogs don't see color - and provides the scientific proof to back it up.

Many of the studies used in this book go towards demonstrating how brilliant nature is in creating and how amazing the mind is - whether it is canine or primate!