Canine Mind

Inside of a Dog: What dogs see, smell, and know by Alexandra Horowitz

As a dog owner, I enjoy reading books about dog training and behavior. Inside of a Dog is different from other books about dogs that I have read. It focuses on dog behavior from the dog's point of view. For example, a dog can hear things and smell things that people can't. This is going to affect how a dog perceives everything around it. The book also talks about dog ancestry, and how it is another factor in dog behavior. Something I found interesting, is that the author mentions that people tend to give dogs human characteristics, and the author feels that this is a mistake, because dogs don't have human feelings, they have dog feelings.

I enjoyed that Horowitz included anecdotes and examples of the psychology that she was talking about, because there are points when the book gets a little technical, and without the stories, I would have been lost at times as to what she was trying to say. I also liked that Horowitz explained why dogs display various behaviors (like why my dog loves to roll in things that smell unpleasant).

I would recommend this book to anyone who has read dog training and behavior books, and is looking for a different perspective.

Jenny R. - Reference