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    Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
    Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
    Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
    Audiobook10 hours

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

    Written by Alexandra Horowitz

    Narrated by Karen White

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    The #1 New York Times bestselling book from the author of The Year of the Puppy that asks what dogs know and how they think. The answers will surprise and delight you as Alexandra Horowitz, a cognitive scientist, explains how dogs perceive their daily worlds, each other, and that other quirky animal, the human.

    Horowitz introduces the reader to dogs’ perceptual and cognitive abilities and then draws a picture of what it might be like to be a dog. What’s it like to be able to smell not just every bit of open food in the house but also to smell sadness in humans, or even the passage of time? How does a tiny dog manage to play successfully with a Great Dane? What is it like to hear the bodily vibrations of insects or the hum of a fluorescent light? Why must a person on a bicycle be chased? What’s it like to use your mouth as a hand? In short, what is it like for a dog to experience life from two feet off the ground, amidst the smells of the sidewalk, gazing at our ankles or knees?

    Inside of a Dog explains these things and much more. The answers can be surprising—once we set aside our natural inclination to anthropomorphize dogs. Inside of a Dog also contains up-to-the-minute research—on dogs’ detection of disease, the secrets of their tails, and their skill at reading our attention—that Horowitz puts into useful context. Although not a formal training guide, Inside of a Dog has practical application for dog lovers interested in understanding why their dogs do what they do. With a light touch and the weight of science behind her, Alexandra Horowitz examines the animal we think we know best but may actually understand the least. This book is as close as you can get to knowing about dogs without being a dog yourself.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMar 22, 2016
    ISBN9781508222675
    Author

    Alexandra Horowitz

    Alexandra Horowitz is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know; Being a Dog: Following the Dog into a World of Smell; Our Dogs, Ourselves: The Story of a Singular Bond; and The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves. She teaches at Barnard College, where she runs the Dog Cognition Lab. She lives with her family of Homo sapiens, Canis familiaris, and Felis catus in New York City.

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    Reviews for Inside of a Dog

    4/5

    390 ratings37 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Reading other reviews here, I'm shocked that so many people are annoyed that it reads like a textbook. Horowitz is an animal behaviorist and conducts actual, scientific studies in her day-to-day life.

      While yes, many dog lovers are able to sense much of the information simply through observation, what Horowitz does is actually show the scientific evidence behind those things the layperson observes.

      She is presenting her gathered knowledge from years of studies and then graciously explaining her methods so that the non-researcher can also investigate.

      Anyone giving this book one star simply does not understand the purpose of the book and the register at which it's written.
    • 5/5
      Excellent reading and listening I would like more of it!
    • 5/5
      Great read! Nice to know the biological side of dogs and what they do. Highly recommend.
    • 3/5
      Intuitively (and lovingly) I already do most of the things the author recommends such as letting my dog sniff all he wants on his walks, observing him, and listening to his barks. The author describes research and experiments to help explain dogs' behavior and how they perceive the world. Young readers who love dogs will get a scientist's eye-view of our canine friends.
    • 1/5
      Just too many scientific studies reviewed. Boring and not much real info given.
    • 2/5
      Anyone could have written this, by being very observant and a close partner of the dog which a dog lover IS. And by brushing up on dog neurology. Love to all dogs..
    • 4/5
      Animal psychologist Horowitz, who specializes in dog cognition, explains dog behavior for lay readers. After reading this book, I have a better understanding of my dog, the bond we share, and how my dog’s experience of the world differs from mine. I wish I had known about this book when I adopted my dog nearly 8 years ago. I think it would have made the adjustment period easier for both of us.
    • 4/5
      A fascinating and beautiful look at what we can infer about the inner lives of our dogs. I love that the author leans on scientific studies for the information but is willing to provide some commentary and interpretation of her own to fill out the places the available science doesn't take us. This isn't really a practical guide to dog training—look elsewhere if that's what you want. But it's a great read for anyone who wants a better idea of how our dog friends see the world, how they see us, what they understand, and what they feel.
    • 4/5
      Now I want a dog.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      This is a bestselling biology textbook that reads like a lengthy New Yorker column (as if there are any other kind). It is not a guide to dog training; it is a guide to understanding dog behavior from a biologist's perspective. For example, dogs are very far-sighted, which is why they can spot a frisbee from 20 yards away but can't see a treat on the rug. Also, tracking dogs have an ability to smell that is so precise, they can tell not only where the target has been, but how recently. Pace back and forth in the same place, and these dogs will be able to follow your footsteps exactly. This book is full of these fascinating little factoids. WARNING: It takes a lot longer to walk a dog after reading this book - you won't have the heart to pull him away from all those interesting smells.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      File under "things to keep in mind when addressing someone else's dog. How they might think, or feel, or (re)act. If you're smart enough, this might serve to understand and approach maybe another human
    • 5/5
      Excellent book on how a dog views the world and us. If you want to understand and adapt to your dog's behaviour than this is the book for you
    • 4/5
      Fascinating reading on how dogs (to the best of our understanding) view the world through their senses.
    • 4/5
      And absolutely excellent book every single dog owner should read. It reveals a lot about how dogs perceive the world around them, especially in regards to their relationships with other dogs and with people. It dispels a lot of myths and gives insight into dog behaviors based on current scientific research, yet is written by a person who really loves dogs. A must read!
    • 4/5
      A compelling read that totally changed how I look at my dog and gave me a richer understanding of the worldview of my fuzzy friend. I found the science interesting and well presented - even if the results sometimes seemed frustratingly vague about what we do and do not know. And Horowitz' personal relationship with her dog Pumpernickel added a nice emotional touch.
    • 3/5
      I had big expectations, and they were mostly unfulfilled. The first few chapters contained some new and useful information, but after that the book went downhill. Each following section simply contained remarks about observations of particular aspects of dogs, and the end was just plain preachy.
    • 3/5
      I like the author's writing. Science plus personal essay. Having read "On Looking" I can see how that project follows this book and is in line with her career of observing animal behavior. Word of the book is umwelt, with a unlaut. Look it up.
    • 4/5
      Notes for the reader: Two things keep this book from being a "5".
      1. Unrecognizable, Unpronounceable words on nigh every page. Sometimes, two or three pages have clear, or ignorable, words.
      2. Faint font. Very difficult to see. I am not sure if this author had any control of the font in her book. Even with a 100 watt bulb inches away, it looked like spider writing.

      What ages would I recommend it too? – Twelve and up.

      Length? – A couple of day’s read.

      Characters? – Memorable, several characters.

      Setting? – Real world, mostly dog parks.

      Written approximately? – 2009.

      Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.

      Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Readable font. Tone down the abnormal, unrecognizable words. - immutable, quotidian, umwelt (at least they give a definition for this one!), alacrity, and many more!

      Short storyline: A complex look at a dog's life.

    • 4/5
      Really, really interesting book. Fascinating reading.Made me look at Tara differently, virtually from the very first page.Like the suggestions at the end for things to try with your dog. I've already tried some of the tips for playing with Tara and I really want to try a 'smell walk' or letting her pick our route on a walk, it'd be fun to see where we end up.I knew it was going to be sad when it started talking about dogs in old age, but I wasn't prepared for how sad. Cried my eyes out when she described the passing of her dog, Pump.
    • 4/5
      My relationship with my dog, Lucy, is important to me so I find this book interesting on learning more about dogs, their nature, and how they see the world.
    • 5/5
      Excellent narrator, great book for dog lovers (and animal lovers). Provides useful up-to-date info on the latest dog behavior theories in an easy to listen to, funny, insightful manner. Highly recommend.
    • 3/5
      Much of the book presented information well known to me. The last chapters were the most interesting. The book, overall, was ruined for me by the author expressing a particular personal opinion as scientific fact.
    • 4/5
      Most dog owners should enjoy this book
    • 4/5
      INSIDE OF A DOG was a fascinating and informative read, and probably would be for any "dog-owner," or, if that's already a politically incorrect term, then for anyone who has ever shared his or her life with a dog. And there have been dogs around for most of my life, so I certainly qualify. Yeah, I liked Alexandra Horowitz's scientific study of canine behavior. If it doesn't contain all the answers on why dogs do the things they do, it certainly gives you plenty to gnaw on, and entertains you in the process. There are plenty of "yes" moments in the book, like "Barking can be contagious ... one dog barking might prompt a chorus of barking dogs, all joined in their shared noisiness." That's an "OH, yes" statement I can heartily agree with. Walking around the block with my two dogs I know of nearly two dozen dogs in that four-block stretch. Those other dogs often all take note of our walk and, well, yeah, "a chorus of barking dogs." (This reminded me of something I read somewhere about a guy who had devised a special collar for dogs which 'translated' their barks. Turned out they were all saying: "hey! hey! HEY!")Or, conversely, here's another favorite bit -"... it is the very fact that they do not use language that makes me especially treasure dogs. Their silence can be one of their most endearing traits ... There is no awkwardness in a shared silent moment with a dog: a gaze from the dog on the other side of the room; lying sleepily alongside of each other. It is when language stops that we connect most fully."Perhaps my favorite chapter here was toward the end, "You Had Me at Hello." In it Horowitz states: "Often it is contact that draws us to animals. Our sense of touch ..." Again, an 'aha' moment of recognition for me. Our most recent dog, adopted from the local shelter, is a delicately leggy Boston Terrier-Chihuahua mix. Emmy was not at all the kind of dog we were looking for, but she was the only dog in the place who wasn't barking, which intrigued me. Upon being let out of her cage, she shyly approached me, stood up on her hind legs and placed just one front foot ever so softly upon my knee. Touch. She had me even withOUT Hello. Emmy has owned me for just over a year now.Horowitz is a psychologist and specializes in animal behavior. But she is also a doglover. Me too. If I have any complaints about INSIDE OF A DOG, it's that it can be on occasion a bit TOO scientific and a little redundant here and there. But that's a small thing. This is a damn good read. If you've got a dog that owns you, you'll enjoy dipping into this book. I recommend it.
    • 4/5
      I am currently majoring in Psychology and am employed at a Doggie Daycare. Psychology and Animals completely make up my life. I was surprised to see this on the top sellers at the bookstore because I felt it would only reach a limited audience. Either way, I find it extremely interesting and captivating. While very informative, it is also entertaining.
    • 4/5
      A great look at the psychology behind dog’s actions. I enjoyed the author’s personable writing style and comments about her relationship with her own dog. The book gave me a much bigger appreciation for the importance of smell in my dog’s daily life. It’s a pleasant quick read, but people should keep in mind that it was never intended to be a training book. Its goal is to help you understand your dog better through a look at their ancestors and the root of their actions.
    • 5/5
      Excellent work that gave me a better understanding of my dogs. While the book is not a how to type of book it does give you tips and ideas for how to better communicate with the old pooches!
    • 4/5
      Alexandra Horowitz racked up major brownie points right from the beginning with this book. The title comes from one of my favorite quotes ever, from the mouth of Groucho Marx. Also, early on she heads complaints off at the pass by stating that she is using "owner" rather than "pet parent" or some other such silly phrasing because that's the legal term, and she will use "him" and "his" when referring to dogs in general because that's the English default, and, knowing dogs as she does, "it" is not an option. That latter scored high with me: I have Issues with writers who use "it" for animals (particularly those who talk about a mare or stallion and then call the horse "it"), so this made me happy. She is a long-time dog person, so all else being equal we are kindred spirits. And it is a fascinating look at canine life and behavior. I'm not sure it made me see my dog in a whole new light as she promised it would, except for a qualm every time I scratch her back that I might be asserting my dominance – but she loves every second of it, so if I am dominating her she's ok with it. I pretty much knew about the dominance of scent in a dog's life; I did not know about the way a dog perceives color (they're not colorblind, exactly). I knew a little about signs of dominance and submission; I didn't know about what face-licking might really mean. (Pop goes the illusion…ew.) I like the insight that the pitch of a voice, canine or human, in many ways equates to size: low and menacing indicates not only a warning but the idea "and I'm big enough to follow through, too." Something I sort of knew but found confirmation for: wolves howl when they're lonely. So, I can attest, do beagles. Only moreso. One valuable thing this book does is reiterate the common-sense yet somehow easily overlooked point that, just as we don't know why our dogs do some of the things they do, most of what we the people do (much less say) is utterly incomprehensible to dogs. That, very simply, they don't think the way we do. It's all very well for us to say "don't get up on the couch, no, bad!" – but there's a very simple reason it's so hard to enforce. To a dog the couch is not an expensive piece of furniture which needs to be protected from shed fur and stains – it's a nice soft elevated surface to curl up on, with a nice back to it to curl up against, and after all that's what the bipeds use it for. And how can you honestly expect a dog to ignore that pail of food scraps and wrappers under the sink when it's just sitting there at her level smelling (to her) so wonderful? Again, "no, bad!" doesn't really make sense to a dog, however often and however loudly it's repeated. It's food. It's there. It's unprotected. It's hers. Dogs don't naturally do many of the things we ask them to do; many owners, and even many trainers seem to either forget that they're not mute people but canines, and this is where dressed-up dogs doing ridiculous things on command come from. Poor things. This book made me happy I never successfully trained any of our dogs to heel (not that I tried too strenuously). I was simultaneously impressed with and bemused by the tales of the research studies that have been conducted on dogs; on the one hand, some of the results are fascinating – where dogs' mental processes may (or may not) function like toddlers'; on the other, I found myself marveling that well-educated grownups spend their days fooling around with dogs, all in the name of science. Some of them wore buckets on their heads. Overall, this book did an admirable job of both teaching me what an umwelt is and helping me deepen my understanding of a dog's. This was a comprehensible, mostly-plain-language, often very funny and occasionally moving study which both solidified and informed my stance as a fiercely partisan dog person. While it's not intended as a training guide, there's some wonderfully common sense information, particularly toward the end, which will be valuable both with Daisy and when – hopefully years from now – I next need it. Did it change the way I see my beagle? Not much. But I do feel like I have a better handle on what's going on between those long ears. I have an even deeper appreciation for that always-busy nose. And I'm kind of glad she's never been much of a face-licker.
    • 3/5
      The most important message that can be gained from this behaviorist book is that every dog is an individual and must be treated as such. A decent read for the dog behaviorist novice, even if the ideas were a bit jumbled. However, I disagreed with a lot of Horowitz's observations. The biggest disagreement was with Horowitz's perception of the alpha dog/pack leader handling of dogs. Horowitz is against the idea, and I think it comes down to semantics. I interpret Horowitz to believe the pack leader relationship between human and dog to be mean and aggressive with negative reinforcements. Horowitz even states human families are not alpha female/male driven. In my house, my mom/dad were the alpha, and who doesn't want to grow up to be the mom/dad. I define the alpha/pack leader relationship as the humans making the decisions and delivering guidance while taking cues from the dogs' needs with the dogs following the humans' decisions. But that's my personal opinion...
    • 4/5
      Horowitz's book on dogs isn't like other dog books I've read. Rather than simply telling cutesy stories, or conversely, rather than simply treating the dog like an emotionless, instinct-driven animal, Horowitz presents a balanced view of domestic canines from her scientific perspective and her experiences as a pet owner.The majority of her chapters are given to explaining, in plain language, the scientific processes behind how a dog's mind and senses work, giving evidence, historical detail, and anatomical insight. In parallel with that, she presents examples from her own experience as a dog owner, even if those experiences contradict what 'science' currently claims as true.I liked how she was hesitant to anthropomorphize dogs when presenting the scientific side of things, but acknowledged the near-impossibility of avoiding doing so as a pet owner. She recognized the flaws in some of the studies done on dog behavior, noting that if you asked any dog owner the same questions, they could answer without hesitation.While I don't actually own a dog -- and truth be told, dogs aren't my favorite animals by a long shot -- I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have shared it with several dog owners since reading it. I feel I came away with a better understanding of domestic canines (and wild, actually), and it was a fascinating read to boot!