Dog Behavior: Why Dogs Do What They Do

by Ian Dunbar

Dr. Ian Dunbar, renowned dog trainer and behaviorist, explains how dogs think, how dogs learn, and why they act the way they do. Dog owners who understand these issues can better train their dogs and develop a closer relationship with their pets.

223 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1989

About the author

Veterinarian, animal behaviorist, and dog trainer, Dr. Ian Dunbar received his veterinary degree and a Special Honors degree in Physiology & Biochemistry from the Royal Veterinary College (London University) plus a doctorate in animal behavior from the Psychology Department at UC Berkeley, where he researched the development of social hierarchies and aggression in domestic dogs.

He has authored numerous books and DVDs about puppy/dog behavior and training, including AFTER You Get Your Puppy, How To Teach A New Dog Old Tricks and the SIRIUS® Puppy Training video.

In 1982, Dr. Dunbar designed and taught the world's very first off-leash puppy socialization and training classes -- SIRIUS® Puppy Training. Subsequently, he created and developed the San Francisco SPCA's Animal Behavior Department, the American Kennel Club's Gazette "Behavior" column, which he wrote for seven years, and the K9 GAMES®, which were first held in San Francisco in 1993 and continue as annual events in Japan and France. He hosted the popular UK television series Dogs With Dunbar for five seasons and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, including the Today Show (US) and Dash Village (Japan).

Reviews

[Tububa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I am impressed with how well this book has aged. It was written in 1979, and the evolution/domestication portion is surprisingly good. I was expecting the usual pre-Coppinger guff about ancient man selecting puppies to raise. But Dunbar does mention pretty much every precursor to the best theory we have of domestication: dogs-as-scavengers, flight distance, unconscious selection, neoteny, and the hunting sequence of the wolf as decomposed into the useful working and hunting breed behaviors.

There's definitely some garbage in here, and unfortunately it's in the section that many readers will focus on, the one on training. Dunbar has much better material on training, like Barking Up the Right Tree. Unfortunately, in the 1979 book, he recommends a lot of outdated methods that I would consider aversive. Slapping a newspaper on the floor to stop an undesirable behavior, etc. Totally unnecessary and not that effective, compared to deploying the right positive reinforcement.

The most thrilling section of this book by far is the one dealing with canine reproduction. Everything from the lovingly described mating rituals to the weaning was riveting to me, and I grew up with an intact bitch that had several litters. None of this should have been new to me, and yet somehow I didn't know that puppies routinely eat their mother's feces as a supplement to milk. That explains so much.

So, anyway, not an essential book by any means, but it's aged better than a lot of books that are newer than 1979. It was also a pretty quick read, probably because of all the beagle pictures.

[Anna Hardesty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it’s because I’m reading this in 2024 and it was published in 1979. Or maybe it’s because I’m a registered veterinary technician. But man…. Some of this stuff I’m like “what” and rolled my eyes. I think the general concept of what he’s saying is obviously on point, but it’s the way he says it. I think this man really enjoys listening to himself speak/write.

[Kelly L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good clear directions on how to do basic training.