What do you think?
Rate this book
Humans, Dogs, and Civilization.
Alex Austin', the author of "Nakamura Reality," called 'humans, Dogs, and Civilization" "An enthralling blend of science and anecdote". Thirty-two illustrated chapters recount the latest cutting-edge science about dogs, as well as true stories about actual dogs. The book is partly a memoir, a scientific work, and an "engaging" narrative. Kirkus Reviews called it "persuasive and engaging...a must read for anyone interested in the long history of dogs and people.
The book shows that dogs are not directly descended from wolves, that early humans didn't tame wolves to be dogs, that dogs partnered with Stone Age hunters of their own volition, and that dogs co-evolved with people. In fact, both dogs and humans have special receptors in their brains to allow them to communicate with each other. The human brain has shrunk 10% since dogs domesticated themselves. That's because we relied on the dog's superior senses of vision and scent, so that our brains no longer had to have space for such senses. Instead, the human brain became fashioned for complex speech, thought, and the arts. Since dogs became companions for humans, Homo Sapiens has become Homo sapiens sapiens. That is, our own species has become more intelligent, although more deprived of acute senses. The book shows that civilization could never have been built by humans until dogs provided enough food through herding so that people no longer had to be nomads following herds of prey animals. There would be no Beethoven, Rock 'n Roll, Rembrandt, opera,. symphonies, or scientists if dogs hadn't taken care of early humans.
The book shows that dogs are not directly descended from wolves, that early humans didn't tame wolves to be dogs, that dogs partnered with Stone Age hunters of their own volition, and that dogs co-evolved with people. In fact, both dogs and humans have special receptors in their brains to allow them to communicate with each other. The human brain has shrunk 10% since dogs domesticated themselves. That's because we relied on the dog's superior senses of vision and scent, so that our brains no longer had to have space for such senses. Instead, the human brain became fashioned for complex speech, thought, and the arts. Since dogs became companions for humans, Homo Sapiens has become Homo sapiens sapiens. That is, our own species has become more intelligent, although more deprived of acute senses. The book shows that civilization could never have been built by humans until dogs provided enough food through herding so that people no longer had to be nomads following herds of prey animals. There would be no Beethoven, Rock 'n Roll, Rembrandt, opera,. symphonies, or scientists if dogs hadn't taken care of early humans.
- GenresDogs
ebook
First published November 15, 2014
20 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Elaine Ostrach Chaika
6 books81 followersI was lucky enough to grow up in a mixed race neighborhood in Providence, RI, a city with an incredible variety of historic houses and buildings. Even today, I can walk down a street and notice a Victorian I hadn't seen before. And this is not the part of the city in the historical mile! In fact, when I was a child roaming the streets on my own, this was a slum. It is being gentrified, however.
Visually, the benefits of growing up in a city with incredibly diverse architecture is that, early on, I noticed such variety and honed my sense of the remarkable.
Added to these advantages was the immigrant culture of my home. There, neighbors and cousins could just walk in anytime. When they did, the discussions started, with each person ripping the others' arguments to shreds, but, when they left, there was kissing all around. From these almost daily encounters in my Bubby's (grandmother's) flat in the tenement house I grew up in, I learned how to analyze ideas--and every bit of information that came my way. I was literally raised to become a scholar, although, true to their old country ways, my elders were more interested in my training as a good housewife. Having a smart daughter was considered a bad thing. Only the boys were supposed to be smart.
The advantage of a mixed race neighborhood is that I learned to evaluate people according to who they were and not what.
I also developed a sense of beauty, and my imagination was fueled. I spent my childhood reading books from the public library, about a mile from my home. Summertimes, I walked there several times a week. I won the summer reading contest every year.
Without parents or other caregivers present during the day, I had to amuse myself. I did so by drawing illustrated stories, and playing imaginatively with the gang of kids, who, like me, had working parents and were on their own. I also read my parents' books, as well as publications in the homes of my colored friends, magazines like Ebony, the NAACP newsletter, and The Negro Digest
I graduated Classical HighSchool in 1952, went to Pembroke College, and hated it. In 1953, I eloped to Maine, marrying a wilderness guide. It was an incredible experience. However, once my oldest son was born in 1955, I had to return to civilization. I returned to college,got remarried, and earned my Master's in English and PhD in Linguistics at Brown.
I am Professor Emerita of Linguistics at Providence College. I've written many scholarly articles and books over the years, but, once I retired, I went back to my first love, dogs. My book "Humans, Dogs, and Civilization" is the culmination of that research.
I also have two blogs on www.elainechaika.com: The Language Lady & Dogs and Wolves.
Visually, the benefits of growing up in a city with incredibly diverse architecture is that, early on, I noticed such variety and honed my sense of the remarkable.
Added to these advantages was the immigrant culture of my home. There, neighbors and cousins could just walk in anytime. When they did, the discussions started, with each person ripping the others' arguments to shreds, but, when they left, there was kissing all around. From these almost daily encounters in my Bubby's (grandmother's) flat in the tenement house I grew up in, I learned how to analyze ideas--and every bit of information that came my way. I was literally raised to become a scholar, although, true to their old country ways, my elders were more interested in my training as a good housewife. Having a smart daughter was considered a bad thing. Only the boys were supposed to be smart.
The advantage of a mixed race neighborhood is that I learned to evaluate people according to who they were and not what.
I also developed a sense of beauty, and my imagination was fueled. I spent my childhood reading books from the public library, about a mile from my home. Summertimes, I walked there several times a week. I won the summer reading contest every year.
Without parents or other caregivers present during the day, I had to amuse myself. I did so by drawing illustrated stories, and playing imaginatively with the gang of kids, who, like me, had working parents and were on their own. I also read my parents' books, as well as publications in the homes of my colored friends, magazines like Ebony, the NAACP newsletter, and The Negro Digest
I graduated Classical HighSchool in 1952, went to Pembroke College, and hated it. In 1953, I eloped to Maine, marrying a wilderness guide. It was an incredible experience. However, once my oldest son was born in 1955, I had to return to civilization. I returned to college,got remarried, and earned my Master's in English and PhD in Linguistics at Brown.
I am Professor Emerita of Linguistics at Providence College. I've written many scholarly articles and books over the years, but, once I retired, I went back to my first love, dogs. My book "Humans, Dogs, and Civilization" is the culmination of that research.
I also have two blogs on www.elainechaika.com: The Language Lady & Dogs and Wolves.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 29, 2015
Elaine Ostrach Chaika, “HUMANS, DOGS AND CIVILIZATION”
Amazon 2014.
This is a well written and insightful book. The author is a Professor of Linguistics, but has studied canine behavior and development for decades, having been inspired by Konrad Lorenz pioneering work “Man Meets Dog” (German edition 1949, English 1954). I must have read it in English in 1962.
In the first part of the book, Prof Chaika demonstrates the intelligence and resourcefulness of dogs in the way they interact with humans. Many are based on her own observations; and most dog owners would confirm her observations and conclusions. The illustrative stories are delightful in themselves. For example, the little family dog who would walk her to school and meet her at the school gate at home-time. The dog also protected her from a group of older bullies on the street, by basically herding them as if they were flock of sheep. Similarly, the little sheepdog would round up guests at a party and put them in groups, reminded me of my Sheltie 45 years ago. Another clever little dog would steal fish from fishermen, by running madly round in circles, near the creels, then darting in and stealing a fish when the fishermen had ignored it, having concluded that the dog was a harmless nut. The purpose of this last story is to show how dogs have a theory of mind. This means that dogs behave in a way that suggests that they are, like humans, aware that other creatures have minds just as they do. It goes further and suggests that dogs can predict the behavior of others, and even manipulate that behavior. As an owner of dogs for most of my life, and a one who has seen them do amazing things, I can only agree with this.
The author also shows how dogs have developed particular ways of communicating with humans through eye contact; way beyond the skills used in hunting prey or even herding flocks. Part of her argument here is to show how different dogs are from wolves. Even though they share 98% of the same DNA, behaviourally, and in terms of their social structure, dogs and wolves are very different. Prof Ostrach Chaika rightly points out that it is the genes within the DNA which is behind many of the differences
Wolves, even tame ones, will not look into the eyes of humans or read their body language in the way dogs do. They are simply not human orientated. I spend quite a lot of time with Thai stray and feral dogs. Their reading of human faces and body language is just as developed as that of pet dogs. This is not surprising; they need to know quickly if a human is friendly or means them harm. They instantly identify me as friendly, from a distance, even if they have never seen me before. I can see them closely observing my face and movements. Wolves don’t to do this, though wild foxes who get used to being fed by humans, do look at the face and beg with their eyes. I have taken photos of them doing this.
Prof Chaika argues that dogs and wolves should be regarded as a separate species, despite the fact that large dogs can interbreed with wolves. She argues that since the most recent genetic evidence suggests that Dogs and Wolves began to split as long as 5 million years ago (Novembre 2014) or at least 2 million years ago (Semyonova 2010), then we have to re-think the prehistory of dogs and humans. The DNA evidence clearly shows that dogs existed as identifiably separate from wolves, long before homo sapiens (thats us) existed. Homo sapiens have only existed for 200,000 years, but were preceded by homo erectus such as Neanderthals, and before that by homo habilis. This group of ancestors is interesting, because about 2 million years ago they were making stone tools to kill and cut up large game. The author suggests that maybe the dogs became interested in this process, and perhaps that is when they started to follow humans and help them hunt; long before homo sapiens existed.
The author rejects the fanciful theory that dogs emerged after humans adopted wolf cubs and tamed them, then selectively bred them. She points out that it would have been virtually impossible to do that with wolves. She argues that dogs already existed and that they followed humans (either us or our immediate ancestors) and helped them hunt, and eventually helped homo sapiens herd large groups of animals such as horses, sheep and cattle, which could then be domesticated. The process of herding is what really marks the beginning of human civilization. When we had herds, we needed the means to protect them and control them, hence we needed dogs even more. We also needed settled communities and notions of stock ownership and means of trading. We also need the means to feed herds, hence sericulture developed. The author may have exaggerated the role of fences in the early phases of herding. Even today in many parts of the world, herds are kept unfenced, only protected and contained by dogs. But the need for rules regarding access to land for grazing, certainly helped develop civilization, and eventually concepts of private land and property.
The pay-off for the dogs in all this was that they had a steady food source, as well as protection from the humans they adopted, and they were no longer directly competing for food with the larger, more powerful wolves. Initially the dogs could discover prey and drive it, while attracting humans (by barking), and the humans could carry out the kill with their weapons, thus minimizing the risks to the dogs. Dogs bark a lot, especially when hunting, wolves by contrast do not bark, and hunt silently. Once dogs and humans became herders of flocks and herds of animals, their food supply is guaranteed and they no longer have to depend on hunting and gathering to eat.
One important development, is that dogs became omnivores while wolves didn’t. Dogs have a stomach enzyme which enables them to break down and digest starch, so their diet can be part vegetable based. Wolves are pure carnivores. They can only get vegetable matter by eating the stomach and contents of their prey, ie part digested; which is what they do. If they really need vegetable matter, wolves will eat the stomach of their kills first. Dogs almost certainly developed the omnivorous capability as a result of interaction with humans. I know of sheepdogs in the hills of Yorkshire and Scotland, whose diet is almost entirely porridge, bread and cattle cake, and I know cattle herding dogs in Thailand who are fed almost entirely on boiled rice.
The pay-off for the humans in the process of associating with dogs, was that they had hunting companions with incredible skills in detecting and pursuing prey, who later developed skills in driving and protecting herds; as well the ability to detect intruders and guard camps. This enabled human brains to develop and refine language skills, because they didn’t need such efficient scenting and hearing skills, they had the dogs for that. About 40% of the dog’s brain is concerned with scenting and processing scent information. By working together, dogs and humans became incredibly efficient. Humans didn’t need to be particularly fast runners to hunt or herd, they had the dogs for that. A shepherd with two dogs can easily control a flock of 200 hundred sheep, even in open country. By refining the communication between humans and dogs, we were able to become civilized and became free to concentrate on skills functions which made us more civilized.
Because the skill of dogs in herding livestock, were so central to this process, the author rightly devotes much attention to this. One aspect if this is the fact that non herding breeds also have residual herding skills and instincts. She describes how even her little Maltese would herd things, a breed with no herding background. I can confirm this behavior, as I remember the farm terriers in Yorkshire habitually herding the ducks and chickens, and my wife’s little terrier regularly herds the chickens out of my Mother-in-law’s house when they have wandered in. The free range cattle in Thailand are often guarded and herded by Doberman and/or Rottweiler crosses. These powerful and fast dogs are smart enough to deal with the herds and even with stubborn and uncooperative bulls. Just like a regular shepherd dog, they will stare a confrontational bull down until he backs off and turns. Paddy, my rescued Irish Setter of 30 years ago adored horses. He would befriend a horse, nose to nose and then just follow it around. One of the reasons he loved agility training was that we trained at a couple of stables, and he would always be pleased to see the ponies. Pepsi, my German Shepherd, has the same feel for horses.
So to summarise the argument of, “Humans, Dogs & Civilization”: The presence of early humans created an ecological niche which dogs, already in existence as a separate species, (maybe subspecies) were able to exploit, by attaching themselves to humans and creating a unique symbiotic partnership. That partnership soon flourished due to the unique ability of dogs to herd, control and protect large groups of livestock. This ensured a reliable food supply for both. This enabled humans to develop their unique skills in language, tool development and concepts of ownership which formed the basis of human civilization. Dogs, with their unique abilities in communication and scenting, continue to serve human interests in many ways, from cancer and drug detection, service work, companionship, security work, search and rescue, as well the old skill of herding and protecting livestock. Like the author, in view of this unique and ancient bond, I find that human cruelty to, and neglect of dogs, all the more appalling and unacceptable.
I think her argument and the supporting evidence may well explain why so many humans, including me, have such a strong affinity with dogs. We are ancient companions, and dogs have helped make us what we are. This is an excellent and thought provoking book. It should be read by dog lovers and anyone with an interest in human pre-history.
Amazon 2014.
This is a well written and insightful book. The author is a Professor of Linguistics, but has studied canine behavior and development for decades, having been inspired by Konrad Lorenz pioneering work “Man Meets Dog” (German edition 1949, English 1954). I must have read it in English in 1962.
In the first part of the book, Prof Chaika demonstrates the intelligence and resourcefulness of dogs in the way they interact with humans. Many are based on her own observations; and most dog owners would confirm her observations and conclusions. The illustrative stories are delightful in themselves. For example, the little family dog who would walk her to school and meet her at the school gate at home-time. The dog also protected her from a group of older bullies on the street, by basically herding them as if they were flock of sheep. Similarly, the little sheepdog would round up guests at a party and put them in groups, reminded me of my Sheltie 45 years ago. Another clever little dog would steal fish from fishermen, by running madly round in circles, near the creels, then darting in and stealing a fish when the fishermen had ignored it, having concluded that the dog was a harmless nut. The purpose of this last story is to show how dogs have a theory of mind. This means that dogs behave in a way that suggests that they are, like humans, aware that other creatures have minds just as they do. It goes further and suggests that dogs can predict the behavior of others, and even manipulate that behavior. As an owner of dogs for most of my life, and a one who has seen them do amazing things, I can only agree with this.
The author also shows how dogs have developed particular ways of communicating with humans through eye contact; way beyond the skills used in hunting prey or even herding flocks. Part of her argument here is to show how different dogs are from wolves. Even though they share 98% of the same DNA, behaviourally, and in terms of their social structure, dogs and wolves are very different. Prof Ostrach Chaika rightly points out that it is the genes within the DNA which is behind many of the differences
Wolves, even tame ones, will not look into the eyes of humans or read their body language in the way dogs do. They are simply not human orientated. I spend quite a lot of time with Thai stray and feral dogs. Their reading of human faces and body language is just as developed as that of pet dogs. This is not surprising; they need to know quickly if a human is friendly or means them harm. They instantly identify me as friendly, from a distance, even if they have never seen me before. I can see them closely observing my face and movements. Wolves don’t to do this, though wild foxes who get used to being fed by humans, do look at the face and beg with their eyes. I have taken photos of them doing this.
Prof Chaika argues that dogs and wolves should be regarded as a separate species, despite the fact that large dogs can interbreed with wolves. She argues that since the most recent genetic evidence suggests that Dogs and Wolves began to split as long as 5 million years ago (Novembre 2014) or at least 2 million years ago (Semyonova 2010), then we have to re-think the prehistory of dogs and humans. The DNA evidence clearly shows that dogs existed as identifiably separate from wolves, long before homo sapiens (thats us) existed. Homo sapiens have only existed for 200,000 years, but were preceded by homo erectus such as Neanderthals, and before that by homo habilis. This group of ancestors is interesting, because about 2 million years ago they were making stone tools to kill and cut up large game. The author suggests that maybe the dogs became interested in this process, and perhaps that is when they started to follow humans and help them hunt; long before homo sapiens existed.
The author rejects the fanciful theory that dogs emerged after humans adopted wolf cubs and tamed them, then selectively bred them. She points out that it would have been virtually impossible to do that with wolves. She argues that dogs already existed and that they followed humans (either us or our immediate ancestors) and helped them hunt, and eventually helped homo sapiens herd large groups of animals such as horses, sheep and cattle, which could then be domesticated. The process of herding is what really marks the beginning of human civilization. When we had herds, we needed the means to protect them and control them, hence we needed dogs even more. We also needed settled communities and notions of stock ownership and means of trading. We also need the means to feed herds, hence sericulture developed. The author may have exaggerated the role of fences in the early phases of herding. Even today in many parts of the world, herds are kept unfenced, only protected and contained by dogs. But the need for rules regarding access to land for grazing, certainly helped develop civilization, and eventually concepts of private land and property.
The pay-off for the dogs in all this was that they had a steady food source, as well as protection from the humans they adopted, and they were no longer directly competing for food with the larger, more powerful wolves. Initially the dogs could discover prey and drive it, while attracting humans (by barking), and the humans could carry out the kill with their weapons, thus minimizing the risks to the dogs. Dogs bark a lot, especially when hunting, wolves by contrast do not bark, and hunt silently. Once dogs and humans became herders of flocks and herds of animals, their food supply is guaranteed and they no longer have to depend on hunting and gathering to eat.
One important development, is that dogs became omnivores while wolves didn’t. Dogs have a stomach enzyme which enables them to break down and digest starch, so their diet can be part vegetable based. Wolves are pure carnivores. They can only get vegetable matter by eating the stomach and contents of their prey, ie part digested; which is what they do. If they really need vegetable matter, wolves will eat the stomach of their kills first. Dogs almost certainly developed the omnivorous capability as a result of interaction with humans. I know of sheepdogs in the hills of Yorkshire and Scotland, whose diet is almost entirely porridge, bread and cattle cake, and I know cattle herding dogs in Thailand who are fed almost entirely on boiled rice.
The pay-off for the humans in the process of associating with dogs, was that they had hunting companions with incredible skills in detecting and pursuing prey, who later developed skills in driving and protecting herds; as well the ability to detect intruders and guard camps. This enabled human brains to develop and refine language skills, because they didn’t need such efficient scenting and hearing skills, they had the dogs for that. About 40% of the dog’s brain is concerned with scenting and processing scent information. By working together, dogs and humans became incredibly efficient. Humans didn’t need to be particularly fast runners to hunt or herd, they had the dogs for that. A shepherd with two dogs can easily control a flock of 200 hundred sheep, even in open country. By refining the communication between humans and dogs, we were able to become civilized and became free to concentrate on skills functions which made us more civilized.
Because the skill of dogs in herding livestock, were so central to this process, the author rightly devotes much attention to this. One aspect if this is the fact that non herding breeds also have residual herding skills and instincts. She describes how even her little Maltese would herd things, a breed with no herding background. I can confirm this behavior, as I remember the farm terriers in Yorkshire habitually herding the ducks and chickens, and my wife’s little terrier regularly herds the chickens out of my Mother-in-law’s house when they have wandered in. The free range cattle in Thailand are often guarded and herded by Doberman and/or Rottweiler crosses. These powerful and fast dogs are smart enough to deal with the herds and even with stubborn and uncooperative bulls. Just like a regular shepherd dog, they will stare a confrontational bull down until he backs off and turns. Paddy, my rescued Irish Setter of 30 years ago adored horses. He would befriend a horse, nose to nose and then just follow it around. One of the reasons he loved agility training was that we trained at a couple of stables, and he would always be pleased to see the ponies. Pepsi, my German Shepherd, has the same feel for horses.
So to summarise the argument of, “Humans, Dogs & Civilization”: The presence of early humans created an ecological niche which dogs, already in existence as a separate species, (maybe subspecies) were able to exploit, by attaching themselves to humans and creating a unique symbiotic partnership. That partnership soon flourished due to the unique ability of dogs to herd, control and protect large groups of livestock. This ensured a reliable food supply for both. This enabled humans to develop their unique skills in language, tool development and concepts of ownership which formed the basis of human civilization. Dogs, with their unique abilities in communication and scenting, continue to serve human interests in many ways, from cancer and drug detection, service work, companionship, security work, search and rescue, as well the old skill of herding and protecting livestock. Like the author, in view of this unique and ancient bond, I find that human cruelty to, and neglect of dogs, all the more appalling and unacceptable.
I think her argument and the supporting evidence may well explain why so many humans, including me, have such a strong affinity with dogs. We are ancient companions, and dogs have helped make us what we are. This is an excellent and thought provoking book. It should be read by dog lovers and anyone with an interest in human pre-history.
December 22, 2022
This is a must-read book by a distinguished emerita faculty member at Providence College. The author spent many years researching dogs for this book. She deftly incorporates stories into the book from her own experiences over a lifetime of owning dogs. Her excellent scholarship is evident throughout the book. This book contributes greatly to the store of knowledge about dogs and civilization. As a librarian at Providence College, I recognize its top quality and am ordering it for our library. I recommend it highly for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the history of humans and dogs.
March 5, 2015
A wonderful walk through science and history blended with memoir - 13 illustrated chapters of endearing confirmation that we were civilized by dogs...
March 17, 2015
ebooks
print
February 5, 2024
Gran lectura de cómo los perros se ganaron su lugar a nuestro lado y cómo se volvieron herramientas esenciales en nuestra evolución como especie.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews