How Dogs Think: What the World Looks Like to Them and Why They Act the Way They Do

Bestselling author, psychologist, and world-renowned expert on dog behavior and training Dr. Stanley Coren presents the most informative, in-depth, fascinating book yet on dogs. Acclaimed for its solid scientific research and entertaining, eminently readable style, How Dogs Think gives you the insight that you need to understand the silly, quirky, and apparently irrational behaviors that dogs demonstrate, as well as those stunning flashes of brilliance and creativity that they also can display. It lets you see through a dog's eyes, hear through his ears, and even sense the world through his nose, as Coren presents a fascinating picture of the way dogs interpret their world and their human companions, and of how they solve problems, learn, and take in new information.

How Dogs Think also answers questions about our canine companions that have puzzled many: Can dogs count? Do they have an appreciation of art or music? Can a dog learn how to do something just by watching another dog or even a person do it? Do dogs dream? What is the nature of dog personality? Which behaviors are prewired into your dog, and which can you actually change? And, can dogs actually sense future earthquakes or detect cancer?

With sound behavioral science and numerous funny, informative anecdotes, experiments, and firsthand observations, How Dogs Think shatters many common myths and misconceptions about our four-legged friends and reveals a wealth of surprises about their mental abilities and potential. It will make you love and appreciate all dogs — including your own — in wonderful new ways.

The bestselling author of "The Intelligence of Dogs" and "How to Speak Dog" now takes a spirited look at how dogs really think and feel, and offers great advice for how their humans can comprehend them better.

Bestselling author, psychologist, and canine expert Stanley Coren’s fascinating and authoritative look at the mental powers of dogs.

Stanley Coren, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, is a recognized expert on dog-human interaction who has appeared on Dateline; The Oprah Winfrey Show; Good Morning, America; 20/20; Larry King Live; and many other TV and radio programs. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a beagle, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, and a Nova Scotia duck-tolling retriever, as well as his wife and her cat.

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1: The Mind of a Dog

Chapter 2: Getting Information into the Mind

Chapter 3: Playing Life by Ear

Chapter 4: I Sniff, Therefore I Am

Chapter 5: A Matter of Taste

Chapter 6: In Touch with the World

Chapter 7: A Canine Sixth Sense?

Chapter 8: The Preprogrammed Dog

Chapter 9: Early Learning

Chapter 10: The Personality of Dogs

Chapter 11: Emotional Learning

Chapter 12: Skill Learning

Chapter 13: The Social Secret of Learning

Chapter 14: Artists or Scientists?

Chapter 15: The Wrinkled Mind

Chapter 16: Canine Consciousness

Afterword

Selected Bibliography

Index