Dogs contribute so much to our lives. They make us happier, lower our stress and blood pressure, help us exercise and you can't help but have fun with them.
But what do dogs think of us and the world around them? Are they sometimes bored or not sufficiently challenged?
We all want to do our best for our dogs and make our relationships the best they can be. Understanding our dogs - how they see the world, how they think, and what they want - is the key to strengthening that bond. Here are a few books that can help:
How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and his Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain by Gregory Berns looks at using MRI scans to determine what a dog is thinking. Do our dogs love us in the same way that we love them? Do dogs empathize with their owners? No other animal even rivals a dog's social and emotional intelligence. This book takes the reader on a remarkable journey of discovery of the workings of the canine brain.
Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw shows us how to use what we learn to live in harmony with our canine companions. The question of how we really ought to treat our dogs is examined. Having evolved so much from their wild ancestors, their place in our world is unique and so are their needs. Bradshaw reveals how our relationships with our furry friends can be strengthened through understanding them better.
Through a Dog's Eyes by Jennifer Arnold gives us a service dog trainer's perspective on understanding how dogs think and how they should be trained. She has been training for more than 20 years at her non-profit facility, teaching dogs to make choices rather than follow commands. This book outlines her journey to setting up her non-profit and her methodology for training. With heartwarming stories and captivating insights, the author tells us about the dogs that were her greatest teachers.
The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than you Think by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods provides us with valuable insight into the intelligence of man's best friend. Hare is a professor of evolutionary anthropology and founder of the Duke Canine Cognition Centre. Woods is a research scientist and author. In this book, they share their knowledge about "dognition" (dog cognition). There have been a lot of breakthroughs in canine intelligence recently and understanding them is the key to a more rewarding relationship and a deeper bond with our pets.
Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog who Knows a Thousand Words by Hilary Hinzmann and John W. Pilley will demonstrate the incredible capacity of dogs to learn. Chaser has learned more than a thousand words and possesses the ability to understand sentences with multiple elements of grammar. This is exceptional but it also pushes the boundaries of what we think dogs are capable of. What is possible to train your dog might just be limited by our imaginations. Give deductive reasoning and problem-solving a try. With this book, the authors teach us how to incorporate learning into play and more effectively channel a dog's natural drives.
I am excited by the possibilities that these books present for enriching my relationship with my dog. I am curious to find out his capabilities and looking forward to exploring the world of behavioural science and canine intelligence together.
Find these books and more at your library.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Katie Oke works at Coquitlam Public Library.
