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 because of her love of her dog, re-focused her research on dog behavior, The book is grounded in research, but peppered with anecdotes of her relationship with her dog, While written from a scientific perspective, these stories keep the reader connected to understanding dog behavior. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to understand the umwelt of another species. While the author debunks many of the current beliefs we have about dog behavior and cognition, I appreciate my dog's abilities more after reading this book.