How Dogs Work -- Raymond Coppinger & Mark Feinstein

"How Dogs Work is quite simply a ‘must have’ for all dog enthusiasts, dog behaviorists, and training professionals and is an illuminating joy to read for all dog owners.”

— Peter Neville, The Ohio State University and the Center of Applied Pet Ethology, Sheffield, UK

Admit it. Most of us cherish our dogs as family members and deeply value our that special bond we have with them. And, just like many of our family members, even crazy Uncle Leo, they possess behaviors and qualities that are both endearing and puzzling.

Isn’t it time we knew more about who Fido and Scout really are? How Dogs Work will provide some keys to unlocking the origins of many of our dogs' most common, most puzzling, and most endearing behaviors.

How well do we really know dogs?  People may enjoy thinking about them as 'man’s best friend', but what actually drives the things they do? What is going on in that little fur-covered head of theirs as they look at us with their big, sad eyes?  
 
Approaching dogs as a biological species rather than just as pets, the authors Raymond Coppinger and Mark Feinstein draw upon their extensive knowledge gained from years of field research and hands-on experiments to accessibly explain the evolutionary foundations underlying dog behaviors. How Dogs Work is their guide to understanding your dog and its behavior.

By examining the central importance of the shape of dogs:  how their physical body affects behavior, how shape interacts with the environment as animals grow, and how all of this has developed over time. Shape, they tell us, is what makes a champion sled dog or a Border collie that can successfully herd sheep.

How Dogs Work will give you valuable insight into such mysteries as why dogs play; whether dogs have minds and, if so, what kinds of things they might know; why dogs bark; how dogs feed and forage; and the influence of the early relationship between mother and pup.

Going far beyond the cozy lap dog, Coppinger and Feinstein are equally fascinated by what we can learn from the adaptations of dogs, wolves, coyotes, jackals, dingoes, and even pumas in the wild, as well as the behavior of working animals like guarding and herding dogs.

How Dogs Work is definitely a 'must-have' for all dog owners. 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

• Condition: New
• Edition: Hardback - Published October 22, 2015
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press / USA
• ISBN-13: 978-0226128139
• ISBN-10 022612813X
• Pages: 224
• Rating:★★★★ (See FAQs)

• About the Authors

• Raymond Coppinger is professor emeritus of biology at Hampshire College. His books include Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior, and Evolution, also published by the University of Chicago Press.  Mark Feinstein is professor of cognitive science at Hampshire College.