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

Jun 10, 2010 John rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-never-finished

"Date I finished this book" should be "Date I stopped reading this book."
I kept hoping that it would become more interesting, but, on page 180 I finally gave up.

I wanted to like this book. She sets the groundwork that while we humans spend a lot of time with dogs, we actually know very little about them. So she tackled the research to actually learn about dogs (it implied that she was doing the research since she earlier said very little research had been done on dogs).

First annoyance: it seems...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Sandy Tjan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, ebook, general-non-fiction, abandoned

Me: “Well, here’s the book I told you about, Molly, the one that will tell me everything there is to know about you.”

Molly: “Woof!”

Me: “Yes, that’s a good girl! Let’s see, this book is written by Dr. Alexandra Horowitz, a cognitive scientist specializing in animal research. She must be one smart lady. And she’s also a dog person! This should be interesting. Let’s loll on the sofa and read it.”

Molly: (jumps up and looks expectantly)

Me: “The title is a part of a joke: “Outside of a dog, a book is...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Tracey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dogs, non-fiction

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...more 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.

(ETA: OK, that was very long. I hacked out the personal bits about my own beasts; it's all on my blog, though.)

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. (less)

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Jan 17, 2011 Mimi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I usually don’t include autobiographical information in a book review, but in this case I’ll make an exception! Like Alexandra Horowitz, I am and always will be a dog person and since the day I was born, a doggie has shared my world. It all started with Marshmallow, a lovely golden mutt who lived amongst us until I was 13-years old (she was 16 at the time). Then, to my wonderful pleasure, my parents first adopted Roxy, the quirky basset hound, and then came Maggie the English Bulldog…and this is...more I usually don’t include autobiographical information in a book review, but in this case I’ll make an exception! Like Alexandra Horowitz, I am and always will be a dog person and since the day I was born, a doggie has shared my world. It all started with Marshmallow, a lovely golden mutt who lived amongst us until I was 13-years old (she was 16 at the time). Then, to my wonderful pleasure, my parents first adopted Roxy, the quirky basset hound, and then came Maggie the English Bulldog…and this is when things really got wildly fun as my Mom and Dad entered the wonderful world of bulldog breeding and dog shows. What fun! After getting married, my husband and I went to the local animal shelter and adopted Irving…a little mutt who we think could best be called a corg-huaua (a corgi-Chihuahua mix? Perhaps…) He was with us for 12-years before the inevitably sad moment was upon us…and although our hearts were broken, we knew our lives would not be complete without a canine companion, so we adopted Moe. Moe is still with us…and so is Rudy, a funky & cute stray mutt who wandered into our lives 4 months ago. Dogs are an integral part of my consciousness, evoking important memories of the past while providing an ongoing source of companionship and love.

I share this because I think it has a great deal to do with my feelings about this book. Inside a Dog is an amazing exploration of the dog’s unwelt (or subjective reality). In other words, it’s a serious attempt to delve into the life of a dog and try to understand the world from the dog’s point of view. Through in-depth discussion of domestication, sensory awareness and canine-human connections, the author effectively elicits a greater understanding of a canine’s reality.

One thing I particularly appreciate about the way Ms. Horowitz presents this information is that while so much of it is based on very sound scientific research, she, like me and many of her readers, is a dog lover. As a result, she applies this science while not reducing our relationship with our doggie friends to science alone. Throughout her research, she provides supporting anecdotes about her sweet Pumpernickel…reminding us of the magically non-scientific, poignant aspect of our relationship with our furry, slobbery companions.

A must read for dog lovers…or anyone interested in animal research!
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Nov 23, 2009 Rae rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." Groucho Marx
Alexandra Horowitz has taken up Groucho's challenge and given us a book that at least we can read about the inside of a dog. Clearly a dog lover she has written a valentine to man's best friend.
What makes dogs uniquely suited to that special status? What's going on behind those big brown eyes? You will find answers to these and many more questions - such as why the swich to digital TV has made it...more

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Aug 19, 2010 Katrina Michie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book totally changed how I see and interact with dogs. It seems like common sense to me now, but it gave me a whole new appreciation for dogs.

I was hoping this would be more like Radiolab's brand of science, or maybe a Mary Roach type of look at dogs, but it's not quite as much of a page turner--maybe because it's actually written by a scientist and not a journalist. This is a benefit in a lot of ways though. I would still really recommend it if you are all about your dog(s) like I am and...more

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Jul 03, 2011 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book did make me appreciate my dog a little more but I found it to be too dry and boring for the most part to give it a higher rating. I also found many eye-rolling moments- she seems a very permissive dog parent. For example, advocating that the dog should be allowed to wander and smell anything and roll in anything, ect, during walks; should be allowed to "smell like a dog" as long as possible; sleep in your bed with you.... I just personally am of camp that believes my dog should work ar...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Ana Rusness-petersen added it

The first thing that must be said about this book is that it was obviously written by someone who loves dogs, and opened my eyes to truly interacting and living with a dog as a friend, rather than as a being to be taken care of and trained like a child, as someone to be understood and developmentally enhanced.

It was a little challenging to really get engrossed in at the beginning, and was much more scientific than the anecdotal adventure I was expecting when I selected this book off the shelf at...more The first thing that must be said about this book is that it was obviously written by someone who loves dogs, and opened my eyes to truly interacting and living with a dog as a friend, rather than as a being to be taken care of and trained like a child, as someone to be understood and developmentally enhanced.

It was a little challenging to really get engrossed in at the beginning, and was much more scientific than the anecdotal adventure I was expecting when I selected this book off the shelf at the bookstore. (It must also be said that the adorable doggie face on cover completely sold me on the book in the first place – yes, I judged a book, at least partially, by its cover.) Despite this, I am glad I stuck with the book until the end. I learned some interesting facts about the dog species, such as their unique visual perception (far-sighted vs. near-sighted, blurry vs. sharply focused, and more subject to see moving objects), and how smell and taste actually provide a richer and more informative experience for dogs than vision.

Despite the wealth of information provided, the manner in which this information was delivered left something to be desired. The author completely shifted narrative from the interspersed storytelling about her experiences, interactions, and memories of her own dog, Pump, into a scientific, fact-spewing voice that twisted various facts and experiments to prove her points. Sources were not cited in a scientific or academic manner, and the sheer number of variables in some of the experiments were not taken into consideration as possible weaknesses in the research, but rather, encouraged as an added bonus. Additionally, the author took on a holier-than-thou, this is how you should raise and interact with your dog approach. Her advice on how to “train” a dog by incorporating the dog’s umwelt (and therefore, the understanding of his/her goals, motivations, method of communication) was much more effective and enjoyable to read.

The strongest part of this book was the last chapter, “The Importance of Mornings,” which really served to summarize the authors main points and messages in a clear, concise and passionate manner that illuminated how much she really cares about dogs and what she really wanted to pass along to readers of her book. That being said, stories, facts, and perspectives presented in the main body of the text added a depth of specifics to this summary chapter, and added to its strength – a reader would not have had the same experience or gotten as much out of it if he/she had just read the last summarizing chapter.(less)

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Apr 04, 2013 Beki rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

Though primed to love this read before ever setting eyes to type by a bone-deep interest in both the scientific (animal behavioral studies) and emotional (I'm nuts for dogs!) subject matter, I was somewhat surprisingly less than wholly engaged by either (treatments of the subject matter) and left rather profoundly unsatisfied upon the arrival of the last page turned: a failure not of writing, but rather one of content. Or perhaps I should clarify that as content unanticipated.

Written in an acce...more Though primed to love this read before ever setting eyes to type by a bone-deep interest in both the scientific (animal behavioral studies) and emotional (I'm nuts for dogs!) subject matter, I was somewhat surprisingly less than wholly engaged by either (treatments of the subject matter) and left rather profoundly unsatisfied upon the arrival of the last page turned: a failure not of writing, but rather one of content. Or perhaps I should clarify that as content unanticipated.

Written in an accessible, engaging style --not always an easy task with a science-based subject -- and flush with anecdotally-entertaining conversational sidebars, this very readable text sacrifices its own authority to educate and engage on the blade of an apparent failure to understand its own target demographic. By measure of marketing, scientific content and textual skew, this book is clearly designed to speak to a demographic of me: a dog lover who knows dogs, has dogs, and loves dogs ... loves them enough to spend both time and money to self educate on the subject of how such dogs might perceive the world around them differently than I would otherwise assume, in my humanness, they do.

But in speaking to this very specific demographic of me, Horowitz fails to tell me anything of note. Anything surprising. Anything I didn't already know, if not specifically and consciously, at least on a gut-level plane of experienced ownership where dog and dog-owned meet. Buttressing her thesis with little more than a resume in the field and process-oriented explanations of why her dog stories are more scientifically telling than my dog stories, or your dog stories, Horowitz doesn't fail to make her case so much as she fails to make her case as an authority on a subject with depths beyond the obvious.

A dog's world is defined by smell over sight is the primary thrust of her conversationally conveyed content. Not a thrust with which I would quibble. But seriously, has anyone in the history of ever actually loved a dog and not already known this? Yes, Horowitz validates her assertions (a bit more complex than I've made them sound) with years of scientifically sound observational methodology. But what, exactly, is that methodology, you may ask. She watches her dog play and records what happens. In a journal.

Okay. I'll grant you, I've made it all sound egregiously simplistic, but I do so not to denigrate so much as illustrate how the author, herself, sold out her own authority on the subject about which she writes. Not by failing to impart what she, a rigorously trained, animal behavioral scientist, has observed; but rather by portraying herself as "one of us" to such a conversational extent that she effectively becomes as one of us: a knowledgeable and experienced dog-lover sharing dog stories about her own dog over a trained and experienced scientist divulging scientific findings about a test subject or group.

And it is in this impingement of her own authority that Horowitz fails the audience to which she aspires to speaks. By crawling down into the audience to tell personal stories of a beloved pet, Horowitz sacrifices the podium of expertise required to effectively present her scientific observations as anything inherently more valid than anecdotal evidence as might be offered by any other knowledgeable dog owner with years of experience observing their own pet. And she compounds this impingement of her own scientific authority by presenting findings not above and beyond what her target demographic already specifically or instinctively knows, but rather by spending the lion's share of her page count doing little more than reaffirming the obvious: your dog sees the world by smell rather than sight, and my telling you as much is scientifically relevant because I've got a fancy name for it while you just call it being nosy.

As I said: an entertaining enough read for someone who loves dogs, but less than wholly engaging as anything more profound (or educational) than one dog lover talking to another. So if you take your dog to the grocery store in an emerald-studded handbag tucked under one arm or dress it up every Wednesday in a a sailor suit for a play date in the park? Then yes, this might be just the scientific expose you're looking for on how a dog perceives the world around it. But if you're the kind of dog lover who picks up a book on dog perception and consequent behavior written by a scientist to the specific purpose of self educating beyond the territory marked out by The Dog Whisperer and your own observations of a beloved, if occasionally perplexing, pet? Then this is probably not the book you're looking for. It's certainly not the one I was.(less)

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Apr 03, 2013 Juan Ignacio Gelos marked it as to-read

SUMMARY:
What do dogs know? How do 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.Inside of a Dog is a fresh look at the world of dogs -- from the dog's point of view. As a dog owner, Horowitz is naturally curious to learn what her dog thinks about and knows. And as a scientist, she is intent on understanding the minds of animals who cannot speak

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SUMMARY:
What do dogs know? How do 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.Inside of a Dog is a fresh look at the world of dogs -- from the dog's point of view. As a dog owner, Horowitz is naturally curious to learn what her dog thinks about and knows. And as a scientist, she is intent on understanding the minds of animals who cannot speak for themselves.In clear, crisp prose, 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.The relationship between dogs and humans is arguably the most fascinating animal-human bond because dogs evolved from wild creatures to become our companions, an adaptation that changed their bodies, brains, and behavior. Yet dogs always remain animals, familiar but mysterious. 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.

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Feb 25, 2013 Amy Laurens rated it 3 of 5 stars

The latest in my recent dog book kick, this time from a cognitive scientist's angle so more about dog perception and psychology than behaviour or training. Author is not afraid of effusion: there's a lot of love in those vignettes about her late dog Pumpernickel,to whom this book is kind of a tribute.

While some of this is just dressed up common sense--I don't need to understand the principles of umwelt to get that my dog perceives things differently from me--I did learn some nifty factoids and...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Annie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

This informative guide approaches mans “best-friend” to scientifically discover what it is like to be a dog and how they perceive the world. This subject encouraged fostered fresh understanding about my dog Chloe.
The author presents information, usually backed by studies and clear examples regarding behavior and dog features. Horowitz delves into the comparison of dogs and wolves and presents a compelling argument for dogs standing a lone as their own sort of species. She explains the principle...more This informative guide approaches mans “best-friend” to scientifically discover what it is like to be a dog and how they perceive the world. This subject encouraged fostered fresh understanding about my dog Chloe.
The author presents information, usually backed by studies and clear examples regarding behavior and dog features. Horowitz delves into the comparison of dogs and wolves and presents a compelling argument for dogs standing a lone as their own sort of species. She explains the principles of “umwelt” which involves putting yourself in the position of the dog and removing human basis and our tendencies to anthropomorphize the animals that live in our home, privy to our lives.
Horowitz then moves through the senses of the dog, examining the nose, eyes, ears, tasting/mouthing and touch capacities of canines. Next, she discusses how dog’s may think, a four-legged “theory of mind.” In the final chapters Horowitz speaks poignantly regarding a dog’s impact on our lives.
In my opinion, to enjoy this book, the reader would have to be a dog-lover. Or at least a person interested in animals. Her knowledge is backed up with personal time spent recording and then studying dogs’ interactions. Horowitz is intelligent and this is conveyed throughout her methods and writing. She hardly ever lets potentially dry material arrive there in an empty riverbed, but instead keeps the river of words flowing with personal remembrances and simple sketches of her dogs (particularly Pumpernickel). Her last chapter made me cry and she described the sweet relationship between the two. My affection for my own gift, Chloe, continues to surprise and astound me. I enjoyed Horowitz’s insights and observations to the magnificent creature, the DOG.

I don’t recall any language or violence or inappropriate content.

Favorite Quotes:
She existed capably without me, for the hours that I milled about in the bookstore, had an extra-long run, went elsewhere for dinner followed by elsewhere still for drinks. This was at once reassuring and fully humbling. I am glad that she managed the day on her own, yet I am still sometimes mystified that I ever left her alone at all.

I didn’t expect to be changed constitutionally by a dog. But it quickly came apparent that the description “dog” didn’t capture the astounding abundance of facets to her, the depth of her experience, and the possibilities of a lifetime knowing her. Before long, I felt pleasure simply at her company and pride at watching her act.

It is the nature of scientific study of non-human animals that a few individual animals who have been thoroughly poked, observed, trained or dissected come to represent their entire species. Yet with humans we never let one person’s behavior stand for all of our behavior…When it comes to describing our potential physical and cognitive capacities, we are individuals first, and members of the human race, second. By contrast, with animals the order is reversed. Science considers animals as representatives of their species first, and individuals, second.
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Jan 02, 2013 Christie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Who would think there was so much to know about the "inner dog"? Horowitz's effusive tribute to her dog, Pumpernickel, is part cosmic, part scientific, part common sense, and total adulation and reverence to the animal with whom humans bond most closely. I have so much more respect for my dog after reading this book. Favorite ponderings: "go for a smell walk"; anthropomorphize but consider their perspective (balance); and my favorite on patience: "She is patient. How she waits for me. She waits...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars

An entertaining and informative read by a Columbia University psychologist, writer, and dog enthusiast who has spent many hours videotaping dog encounters in the New York area. Starring in this book is the author's late dog, Pumpernickel, who was obtained from a shelter and lived with her, her husband, and her son for 16 years.

The author is skeptical of current claims that owners are part of the dog's pack and should take on the role of leader of the pack. She argues that much of this theory is...more An entertaining and informative read by a Columbia University psychologist, writer, and dog enthusiast who has spent many hours videotaping dog encounters in the New York area. Starring in this book is the author's late dog, Pumpernickel, who was obtained from a shelter and lived with her, her husband, and her son for 16 years.

The author is skeptical of current claims that owners are part of the dog's pack and should take on the role of leader of the pack. She argues that much of this theory is based on wolf packs, and, moreover, on mistaken ideas of wolf packs. Wolf actually live in extended family groups where intragroup dominance is based largely on age; it is based partially but not solely on displays of dominance-seeking behavior. Unlike wolves, dogs do not hunt cooperatively in packs and their group behavior is very different from that of wolves. They play more than wolves as adults and recognize even dogs of dissimilar size and appearance as playmates. Unlike adult wolves, adult dogs frequently socialize by playing in pairs, an activity which the author has studied in detail.

Many humans expect dogs to think and act like a human but in order to understand them humans need to think like a dog. Dogs experience the world very differently than humans; this distinct way of experiencing the world is called their "Umwelt." Unlike humans, who are highly visual, dogs experience the world first through their highly-developed sense of smell. Dogs' visual sense also works differently than humans; they have less color vision than humans, their flicker vision operates in faster frames than humans, garbling many television images designed for humans, and like many other species, the dog's tapetum enables them to see in very dim light.

The overarching theme of this book is that dogs experience the world differently than humans. Although dogs as companion animals need to learn a few human rules, we should celebrate their dog-ness and relate to dogs as dogs. This message of tolerance and understanding of differences is perhaps a commonplace observation, but one that is well presented in this book and one that bears frequent repetition as a fundemental truth when befriending non-human species (and indeed when dealing with other humans different from ourselves).(less)

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Dec 13, 2012 John rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to John by: Valerie

A 2.5

This book was a little disappointing for me. I wanted to get it as a Christmas present for some dog owner friends. Instead they are getting a bicycle pump. Although full of some interesting thoughts and research data, overall the book felt a bit dull, a bit lacking. It is neither practical enough to be an owner’s manual, nor detailed enough to satisfy my interest in the experiments behind the ideas. It seems to try to tread a middle road between pop and intellectual, and instead turned me o...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Reynolds Galiban gumpau rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was reading...
I love reading the first paragraph of every chapter, which is usually about her dog, then she started to throw facts and researches that... well, it did get kinda interested. But when it gets boring, it's embarrassingly boring!
It's very informative at some points, but after this book I just can conclude that: What we knew about dogs (their feelings, thinking) were tested scientifically, and debated some matters over and over and over again... I yawned a lot reading through half o...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Tiffany rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm not sure what I expected from this book, but what I got was an anthropological perspective into how dogs think, play, and the reasoning behind such actions as marking. My husband and I are first time dog owners and have raised our dog from a nipping, wondrous puppy into a happy and obedient dog. Reading 'Inside of a Dog' was beneficial because I learned even more about our little guy. The author's love of dogs and extensive research into their world is evident based on her findings and abili...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Ryan Holiday rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was only halfway through this book when I left it on an airplane and lost it. It took me a week to get a new copy, at which point I had completely forgotten most of the notes I had made in the first few chapters. If you can avoid this problem you should read it, and do so continuously because it has a flow that serves it well. The book is about dogs and the study of dogs but in the scientific rather than the ownership sense.

This means she did real experiments, is a real expert and isn't just p...more

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Jun 14, 2012 E.H. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, theboxmarkeddone

Alexandra Horowitz is an unabashed dog person, and also a Ph.D.-holding cognitive scientist with experience studying a variety of mammals, including humans, rhinoceroses, and dogs. In Inside of a Dog, she gives a brief overview of research on dog cognition, behavior, and umwelt—the “subjective or ‘self-world’” (20). For example, humans are primarily visual creatures. Dogs are far and away primarily olfactory-dependent. What does this mean for how they perceive the world in which they live?

In exp...more Alexandra Horowitz is an unabashed dog person, and also a Ph.D.-holding cognitive scientist with experience studying a variety of mammals, including humans, rhinoceroses, and dogs. In Inside of a Dog, she gives a brief overview of research on dog cognition, behavior, and umwelt—the “subjective or ‘self-world’” (20). For example, humans are primarily visual creatures. Dogs are far and away primarily olfactory-dependent. What does this mean for how they perceive the world in which they live?

In exploring these and other questions, Dr. Horowitz gives a comprehensible but not overly complex review of the current literature regarding dogs. Her tone is conversational and lightly humorous (no surprise to anyone who recognizes the source of the book’s title as that old Groucho Marx line, “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”). While a few of her sentences fall short (in particular, one retelling of an old Woody Allen story made me wish for my red editor’s pen), she’s a competent writer on the whole and the book is a quick and delightful read.

As an academic, I’m used to making my way through somewhat more complicated works—the stuff published by university presses with a hundred pages of bibliographic notes and a full index in the back, to say nothing of analysis of the statistical data in the referenced studies. Here, there is none of that—although some (probably most) papers and books she referred to are listed by topic at the end, there are no in-text citations or notes. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not leveling accusations that something vital has been omitted, but I could have handled (and would have enjoyed) a slightly more scientifically rigorous book.

Horowitz’s book is not about dog training, but it does contain some information on how to train a dog. Ms. Horowitz here differs from the majority of trainers in that she feels that teaching too many commands to a dog somehow loses part of the dog’s dogness: “When come here has been learned, a good argument can be made that there is little else by way of commands that an ordinary dog needs to know” (286). She also does not approve of punishment (much like B.F. Skinner, the father of operant conditioning) and suggests that inappropriate behavior should be allowed to die out through ignoring it—what Skinner called extinction. There are problems with this, however. For example, when one’s dog is playing too rough with the cat, simply ignoring the behavior is not sufficient, since the cat’s response to the behavior is rewarding to the dog (not to mention that, depending on the size of the dog, the cat may risk physical harm from unrestrained play). Some better way of terminating the behavior is necessary. However, Dr. Horowitz makes a good point when she says that we have to allow for the dogness of a dog in training it, and recognize that regardless of how well trained a dog is, it’s still a dog, not a tiny furry human.

Dr. Horowitz brings the book to life with little drawings and descriptions of life with her dog, Pumpernickel. Somehow these descriptions wound up being really touching, instead of just illustrating various points she was trying to make. I’ll admit it, at the end of the book, when she talked about Pump’s inevitable old age and death, I cried. I’m a soft touch when it comes to animals, though. I can’t help but take this as an important warning delivered in an almost Daoist way: over and over again, Horowitz implores us to pay attention to our dogs. Look at them, really see them. Apart from the benefits in understanding canine behavior, it really drives home the point that, although now you have a partner, a dog, a cat, a child, eventually things will change and you will not have these beings anymore. So pay attention–they’re standing right there. Do you really see them?

At the end, Inside of a Dog has at best whetted my appetite for more information. I have a lot of questions about the evolution of companion animals, both dogs and cats, and what we can expect to see in these terms in the future. But unfortunately, neither this work or others is likely to answer my questions regarding my dog—Why does she bark at cardboard boxes? Why the phobia of paper towel rolls? As Dr. Horowitz points out, there’s a lot of individual variation among dogs, things that cannot be accounted for on the basis of breed or genetics. Just because there are some dogs out there that understand more than 200 words doesn’t make my dog a genius. It just means that some dogs are really smart.(less)

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Apr 17, 2012 Stephanie D. rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you have a dog, if you're a dog person or an all around animal person - you have to read Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz.

"Go look at a dog. Go on, look---maybe at one lying near you right now, curled around his folded legs on a dog bed, or sprawled on his side on the tile floor, paws flitting through the pasture of a dream. Take a good look---and now forget everything you know about this or any dog.

"This is admittedly a ridiculous exhortation...What we'l...more If you have a dog, if you're a dog person or an all around animal person - you have to read Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz.

"Go look at a dog. Go on, look---maybe at one lying near you right now, curled around his folded legs on a dog bed, or sprawled on his side on the tile floor, paws flitting through the pasture of a dream. Take a good look---and now forget everything you know about this or any dog.

"This is admittedly a ridiculous exhortation...What we'll find, in looking at dogs through a scientific lens, is that some of what we think we know abut dogs is entirely borne out; other things that appear patently true are, on closer examination, more doubtful than we thought. And by looking at our dogs from another perspective --- from the perspective of the dog---we can see new things that naturally occur to those of us encumbered with human brains. So the best way to begin understanding dogs is by forgetting what we think we know."

True to her word, Horowitz pretty much decimated everything I thought I knew about dogs, many of which are commonly-held, accepted beliefs. Misunderstandings about man's best friend stem, Horowitz explains, from humans anthropomorphizing dogs ["We see, talk about, and imagine dogs' behavior from a human-biased perspective, imposing our own emotions and thoughts on these furred creatures"]. For example, dogs don't urinate to mark their territory - they actually urinate to provide information/messages to other dogs. Horowitz compares a fire hydrant as a common bulletin board for the neighborhood.

Horowitz breaks down these and other "myths" in organized fashion, systematically concentrating chapter by chapter on a different cognitive experience: how dogs see, smell, hear, and think. Interspered with the clear scientific passages are personal observations and anecdotes of Horowitz's own dog, Pumpernickel or "Pump," which infuse the book with an intimate feel. You can tell this scientist loves dogs :)

I think Inside of a Dog was so mindblowing for me because dogs seem so known and not at all mysterious, when in fact, they are surprising creatures worthy of in depth study. The mind of a dog is a fascinating perspective to explore. (less)

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Jan 03, 2012 Bogydog rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found a lot of this book fascinating, to a point. The science parts are really illuminating. For instance, I learned why (prolly) a dog pees on things (it's not marking territory; it's closer to updating a post filled with advertisements of who is fertile, who is new, etc.), and I learned that they aren't colorblind (they have different cones and rods in their eyes, and the author compares their sight to a human's sight during the magic hour at sunset where things are differentiated, but washe...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Cheryl--I can visualize both of her dogs sitting patiently waiting for the next command

Shelves: nonfiction

I find behavior very interesting. This is a book about why dogs are the way they are. This book is not about how to train or improve a dog's behavior, but it might help you with your dog in some ways.

I was amused by the author's comparisons of dogs with children, reminding me of my childless dog loving friends and even friends with children that think of their dog as one of the children. Sometimes children are smarter than dogs, but because dogs can manipulate their owners so often, I think dogs...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Terry rated it 3 of 5 stars

"Inside of a Dog" is written by a cognitive scientist/animal ethnologist/behaviorist who studies dogs and she writes about them and their behavior in straightforward prose very accessible to laypersons (and possibly offensive to scientists by virtue of over-simplification). She doesn't just study dogs, she likes/loves dogs. So you can guess why I read this book. She begins by describing the evolution of dogs from wolves and their gradual domestication and association with human beings. Then she...more

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May 27, 2011 Barbara Burd rated it 4 of 5 stars

My granddaughter who's six gave me this book because she "knows I like dogs and it was on the NYT bestsellers list." I grew up with dogs and have had a dog most of my life, I currently have a little white miniature Schnauzer named Sadie, who I got from a shelter about three years ago. This is definitely a book for dog lovers. It's not a training manual, but rather an attempt to use cognitive behavior theory to explain the actions of dogs, The author began as a scientist studying primates, but be...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Janet rated it 4 of 5 stars

I rarely read non-fiction but this was a gift from someone who knows I love dogs. Alexandra Horowitz is a psychologist who spent a year researching dog behavior while observing and loving her own dog. She wisely knew not to research dogs in a laboratory - instead she went to dog parks and videotaped dogs doing whatever dogs do. The book is at its best when she just relates the dog behavior she sees and then connects it to scientific knowledge of dog's ancestry and anatomy to help us identify wha...more

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Jan 20, 2011 Jessica Blevins rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great insight into the life of a dog...I highly recommend. The book is mostly scientific studies of how dogs really see, smell, hear and what they know about their human owners...but includes personal anecdotes throughout as well. I learned a lot about dogs in general and definitely look at my dog in a different light now. For example, I learned that dogs look to humans when they need help or can't figure something out...and that they pay a lot of attention to us, even when we don't realize it....more

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Dec 09, 2010 Daniel Solera rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: psychology

I saw this book on a bestsellers shelf at the Barnes and Noble by where I work. Having become a dog-owner in August, I picked this up hoping it would be insightful and entertaining. The book aptly declares that it is not a training manual and that readers shouldn't expect tips on how to raise a proper puppy. Instead, it is a psychological examination of dogs, including what they know, what their world is like and how we fit into it.

Alexandra Horowitz attempts to explain such baffling questions a...more I saw this book on a bestsellers shelf at the Barnes and Noble by where I work. Having become a dog-owner in August, I picked this up hoping it would be insightful and entertaining. The book aptly declares that it is not a training manual and that readers shouldn't expect tips on how to raise a proper puppy. Instead, it is a psychological examination of dogs, including what they know, what their world is like and how we fit into it.

Alexandra Horowitz attempts to explain such baffling questions as "What do dogs think?" through various methods. Rather than anthropomorphize dogs, which the book routinely discourages, she relies heavily on scientific and psychological experiments performed on dogs and other animals, such as rats and monkeys. She first tackles the mind of a dog by asking readers to place themselves in a dog's world or their umwelt. By imagining our primary senses to be smell and taste, we instantly realize how radically different dogs' lives are than those of humans, who rely more heavily on sight and hearing. From that crucial departure, we go onto notice seemingly simple things: dogs are much closer to the ground, thus everything on the floor is more interesting to them; they rarely walk in a straight line because smells eminate from all directions, etc.

Bookending each section and interspersed among the scientific findings are brief anecdotes of one of Horowitz's dogs, Pumpernickel. Though she constantly asks us to avoid using human terms with dogs (such as "have fun", "get bored", "feel ashamed", etc.), these little stories are told with a fondness that breaks with this animal-only treatment. But this is natural - anyone who owns and loves a dog will find it impossible to treat it strictly like a domesticated animal in a symbiotic relationship. Yet despite this seemingly dry approach to investigating a household pet, I finished this book with a greater understanding of what makes a dog tick. Among the many tidbits: dogs don’t reflect on themselves; they understand day and night but not necessarily the abstract concept of time; they do get bored at home but are resourceful at entertaining themselves; the cadence of their play is a series of identifiable actions; they have an impressive theory of mind and can detect intentions; they use their owners as tools to achieve certain ends, and many others.

Inside of a Dog was a delightful read. I will admit that I derived much of my enjoyment from imagining my own dog, a 6-month Shih Tzu named Penny, in every situation described. Though I would recommend this to anyone regardless of their pet situation, having a dog in your house or apartment will definitely elevate this book to a new level.
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Mar 24, 2010 Joey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Despite living with five cats during the last 20 years and mourning four of them, it wasn't until a Parson's Jack Russell terrier peed on my floor that I became a 'dog guy'. Jack is all dog and we sleep most nights side by side, in this incredible symbiosis that has evolved between humans and domestic dogs.

I had high expectations for this book, and while I did come away with a great deal of insight into the thought processes and learned behaviors of the dog, I had hoped the writing would be more...more

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Jan 01, 2010 Harry Steinman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recently read (most of) Alexandra Horowitz’s “Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know”. I very much enjoyed Horowitz’s inner chapters that describe the biological and physical mechanics of dog senses. The first few chapters—a servicable rehash of the basics of All Things Dog—would be interesting to someone just discovering dogs. The last third proposes to discuss more of dog emotion and reason.
The middle chapters are the meat. Chapters names include, “Sniff” “Mute” “Seen By A Dog”. The...more Recently read (most of) Alexandra Horowitz’s “Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know”. I very much enjoyed Horowitz’s inner chapters that describe the biological and physical mechanics of dog senses. The first few chapters—a servicable rehash of the basics of All Things Dog—would be interesting to someone just discovering dogs. The last third proposes to discuss more of dog emotion and reason.
The middle chapters are the meat. Chapters names include, “Sniff” “Mute” “Seen By A Dog”. The biological-cum-behavioral reporting is priceless. (Did you know that dogs have several organs for scent processing lacking in humans? The vomernasal organ and olfactory bulbs? Or that speed with which dogs can process light information in the retina’s rod cells means that they cannot see a moving image on an analog TV but can on a digital? Better get your HDTV right now!

The next few chapters depart from biological reportage and enter the world of cognitive research. It’s mostly fact-based; no crunchy granola ideas here...not yet. “Seen By A Dog” looks at a dog’s use of its vision. The sections look at attention-getting and gaze following and compares dogs, infants and primates. Where this gets a bit too sweet for me is when Dr. Horowitz makes conclusions about the dog’s cognitive states that are admittedly supported more by her intuition than research: “This must mean that…” She properly telegraphs her opinions, but I’d rather the opinions be left for an afterword or for a final chapter than being mixed in with her otherwise excellent reporting.
I was less interested in the outer chapters. “Noble Mind” starts by examining how dogs learn by observing other, and then focuses on Horowitz’ ‘Theory of Mind’—the cognitive ability any animal must possess in order to recognize that another creature has cognition that is independent of the observing animal. Horowitz believes that an animal "must" possess a sense of its own cognition in order to realize that another has an independent mind as well.
“Inside of a Dog” attempts to portray the canine mental experience by focusing on the placement and limitations of their physical senses. (For example, how does the height of a dog affect its apprehension of the world?) “You Had Me At Hello” draws the reader further into cognitive territory. And finally, “The Importance of Mornings” is Dr. Horowitz’ prescription for a ideal relationship with a dog. At last we come to opinion as opinion. The description of her model is sometimes too personal for me, but I liked a few of her ideas and may adopt one or two—“take a dog on a smell walk” comes to mind.

There’s 100 solid pages of information in the middle. The next 40 pages go into her Theory of Mind and the research that prompts Horowitz’ conclusions. I didn’t find the last 100 pages terribly engaging but all of the book is well-written and another reader might enjoy what I simply skimmed.
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Sep 20, 2009 todd rated it 3 of 5 stars

Dog lovers will find much to like in this book. Horowitz teaches psychology and applies the scientist's tool kit to a largely understudied species in an attempt to create a general interest book. The first half focuses on the physiological features of a dog: how they see, smell, taste and hear. Well grounded in anatomical studies, this section shines except when Horowitz drops back to the academic's mode of making sure all the footnotes and references are complete and just right. A sronger edito...more

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