The Intelligence of Dogs: A Guide To The Thoughts, Emotions, And Inner Lives Of Our Canine Companions (Paperback)

by Stanley Coren (Author) "It is remarkable to think that if you were in the Stone Age, some fourteen thousand years ago, and you glanced across the flickering camp..." (more)
Key Phrases: less intelligent dog, brighter dog, obedience intelligence, Cavalier King Charles, Dandie Dinmont, North America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Psychologist and trainer Coren studies the psychological makeup of dogs in an attempt to answer many questions about canine emotions and intelligence.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"A comprehensive history of the dog...congenial  interweaving of anecdote and  analysis."--The Washington Post -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553374524
• ISBN-13: 978-0553374520
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #382,642 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Celebration of Dogs, July 10, 2000

By	"pecdoc" (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

I loved this book! Its not because Stan Coren was my professor almost 30 years ago, or because there's a mixed Border Collie (Rank #1) / German Shepherd (Rank #3) savant sitting on my foot as I type. I loved this book because it is truly a celebration of the DOG. It captures the essence of that marvelous companion who unquestionably trusts us, undeniably loves us, and unconditionally accepts us wherever WE might rank on some psychologist's list. Coren eloquently captures the essence of our canine companions in his obvious affection for the subject matter.

The book's title, "The Intelligence of Dogs" should have been "The Intelligence of ALL Dogs," because some people seem to be hung up on "the list" and think the book is about "The Intelligent Dogs." As a psychologist myself, I know how people can focus on rankings and comparative lists, and in the process lose perspective of the whole picture. We get defensive because our Dalmatians were spotted 39th, and angry when our Afghans wagged the distribution's tail in last place. Know what? It doesn't matter. Don't throw the puppy out with the bath water; the rest of the book will balm you even though your Labrador retrieved only a 7 ranking. The canine history section alone is worth the price. But the real problem now is, how do I break the news to brilliance here that he was descended from a proto-cat?

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligence listing based on OBEDIENCE training ability, August 23, 1998

By	[e-mail] (USA) - See all my reviews

The list provided that ranks dogs by intelligence is based on the ease of training, (the number of repetitions required of an action before the dog learned it) not overall intelligence. Dogs of all breeds can be very smart and within any breed there are ranges of intelligences. I used to have a Peke that would run rings around any Sheltie in the obedience ring. Some dogs only need to be shown something a few times to learn it. Those dogs are usually your Herding, Working and Sporting breeds. They were bred to work WITH man and to OBEY his commands. Some breeds, like the Terriers and the northern breeds, were bred to think for themselves. Does this mean they are not intelligent? Hardly. THis is a great book for anyone who has dogs and wants to understand them better.

28 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, July 31, 2001

By	MagnoliaSouth - See all my reviews

This is not a review where I will tell you what the book is about. There are plenty of other reviews on that point. However, I will tell you that I found this book so absorbing that I could hardly put it down. This says a lot when I tell you that non-fiction doesn't have that effect on me. His book is informative, without being difficult to read. Simply put, if you have a dog, are considering getting a dog, or you're just interested in dogs, then this book is for you. Every dog lover should own a copy. End of story.