Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution

What I really relished about this book was how the Coppingers took so many of the assumptions all of us had read or heard over the years about dogs and made us look at them with fresh scientific insight. So much of what the authors propose holds up to careful scrutiny. I'm totally delighted by their findings after spending years observing and researching "village dogs" that these dogs are the key to the evolutionary journey from wolves to domesticated dogs. That egocentric notion that humans somehow purposely domesticated wolves was a myth, one that needed to be exposed as fradulent.Thoroughly fascinating is the section on how humans have altered or even extinguished one or more of the predatory sequence behaviors in dogs in order to utilize them for specific jobs such as herding or pointing.This is, in my experience, a totally unique, readable, scientifically based salute to humans' closest animal companion -- a book eminently worth studying.

This is not a training book, but readers will gain much insight into the dogs they are training from it. It is an excellent and very readable book on the origin and behaviors of the domestic dog and its wild Canid relatives. There is an excellent analysis of how some of the service dog programs could be vastly improved by using current knowledge of critical learning periods in the young dog. Also of great interest is a discussion of the damage done by breeding for physical characteristics only by AKC type breed "fanciers". The populations always become inbred and physically distorted, and working ability is lost (examples--bulldog, German Shepherd, Irish Setter). The authors are to be commended for their contribution to knowledge about our canine partners.

If you are interested in looking and learning about dog behavior and evolution, this is a must read! This book does take a different approach to dog evolution than has been traditionally done, but I feel it makes sense. It really dives into why certain body types and traits are what they are for certain dogs. It really looks at or brings to light the whole idea of form follows function even in our adaption of canines.The book also talks about what it truly means to be one breed or another and how breeds may actually be a detriment to dogs in general.I feel the book really allows one to open their mind to start heading in some new directions in the study of dogs and not stay under the restrictions of dogs are just a lesser wolves, but their own species at this point and should be studied as such. The book makes the aurguments that this is the equivilant of us always wanting to become more ape like since millennia ago we came from the same species that split. We don't think like that for ourselves and neither should we for dogs either.

I'd like to start by saying that I enjoyed reading this book and I think it's worth your time. If you want to learn about dog evolution, this is a great place to start.There were a few flaws in this book. One of them was that, for a book such as this, I was expecting a little more science and less speculation. Another is that the authors sometimes make contradictory statements. For example, on one page they say that "any dog, if raised and trained properly, will do for any job," and then only a few pages later go on to explain why Greyhounds would not make good sled dogs because they have the wrong gait and how a sled dog has to be a specific size and shape to be able to do the job. The authors also use the very worst examples purebred dog breeders and service dogs to make their point but do not look at the other side. They talk about some of the breeds that show breeders have bred health problems into for the sake of looks but don't mention the many other breeds that are healthy (even the show lines.) They also seem to think that purebred and show-bred are one in the same, not mentioning that there are also purebred working dogs that are bred for their working ability above all and not looks, but are still purebred. As for service dogs, they mention an organization that treats their dogs poorly, but again do not talk about the other side. There are service dog organizations that use modern, force-free training techniques and care a great deal about the dog's wellbeing, and there are also a lot of owner-trained service dogs that are treated exceptionally well and trained with humane methods. Yes, there are plenty of service dogs who are treated abominably, but there are also many who are not.Regardless, the parts about village dogs and the evolution of dogs are fascinating. And what this book does really well is explain the difference between dogs and wolves, and why we should not treat dogs as if they were wolves, something every dog owner needs to know with all the dogs-are-wolves-and-you-have-to-be-the-alpha myths still being popularized by TV dog trainers today.Overall a good book, just keep in mind that it's very one-sided in parts. Read it, definitely, just take it with a grain of salt - as we should do with everything we read.

With our human ability to be creative and self-dilusional, we often take observations and use logic to develope reasonable theories. These theories, when subjected to reality analysis, often prove to be totally wrong and misleading. The Coppingers are dog handlers with experience all over the world, in all kinds of environments, and empirical knowledge. They present their factual experiences into a novel, believable, fact-based theory of the origen of canines. Explains sudden canine origen and evolving canine behavior. Wonderful read.

i HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE FIELD OF THE BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY OF THE CANIDS SINCE THE EARLY SEVENTIES AND QUITE FRANKLY THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS TO COME OUT IN RECENT YEARS! I PUT IT IN THE SAME CATAGORY AS FOX'S BOOK "THE BEHAVIOR OF WOLVES, DOGS AND RELATED CANIDS" , SCOTT AND FULLER'S BOOK "DOG BEHAVIOR THE GENETIC BASIS" AND OF COURSE "THE INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR IN THE CANIDS". iT IS A SIMPLY SPECTACULAR READ!

Uma obra incrivel pra quem gosta de Etologia / Paleontologia relacionada aos Cães

Fascinating and groundbreaking theory of dog evolution and thus the explanations for their behaviours.

One of my favorite dog bookLots of good enough.Must read for dog professionals (trainers, walkers etc)

great book

C'est LE bouquin à lire (et à relire) sur l'évolution et le comportement du chien, documenté, sérieux, complet, une référence.