Post by Aussienot on Sept 25, 2004 18:10:25 GMT -5
The Truth About Dogs by Stephen Budiansky
An Inquiry into the Ancestry, Social Conventions, Mental Habits and Moral Fiber of Canis familiaris
Budiansky interprets the latest reasearch on dog behavior, genes, evelution and social environment to explain how dogs have achieved such a remarkable place in our lives. In his words, dogs have stolen out hearts, our homes and our wallets, not necessarily in that order. Just how do dogs get otherwise reasonable adults to feed them sirloin, let them occupy easy chairs and generally allow them to regulate every waking hour?
The most interesting chapter for me was Canine Kabuki, where he builds a very good case that the strange things dogs do, like guarding a pair of shoes, barking at the UPS guy, or rolling in smelly things, are a distorted product of their ancient wolf ancestry mixed with centuries of domestication.
The final chapters were more on target as to what I thought the book was about. Odd but Troubled Behavior, and Troubled Dogs, Troubled People are more about the behavior of specific dogs in specific situations. And the chapter on Brave New Dogs delves into the ideas of hybrids, cross breeds and clones. He presents the various arguments, but doesn't reveal his own stand on the issues.
I bought this at an airport bookshop to read on a 14 hour plane flight. Terible choice on my part, because the book is a lot more scientific and much more scholarly than the pithy jacket quotes suggest. It's a dry, serious and theoretical read. It's well written, and well presented factually, and I don't doubt his interpretation of the evidence.
So while not my cup of tea, if you want to delve deeply into the social enviromental aspect of the evolution of the domestication of the modern dog explained, this book may be worth a look.
An Inquiry into the Ancestry, Social Conventions, Mental Habits and Moral Fiber of Canis familiaris
Budiansky interprets the latest reasearch on dog behavior, genes, evelution and social environment to explain how dogs have achieved such a remarkable place in our lives. In his words, dogs have stolen out hearts, our homes and our wallets, not necessarily in that order. Just how do dogs get otherwise reasonable adults to feed them sirloin, let them occupy easy chairs and generally allow them to regulate every waking hour?
The most interesting chapter for me was Canine Kabuki, where he builds a very good case that the strange things dogs do, like guarding a pair of shoes, barking at the UPS guy, or rolling in smelly things, are a distorted product of their ancient wolf ancestry mixed with centuries of domestication.
The final chapters were more on target as to what I thought the book was about. Odd but Troubled Behavior, and Troubled Dogs, Troubled People are more about the behavior of specific dogs in specific situations. And the chapter on Brave New Dogs delves into the ideas of hybrids, cross breeds and clones. He presents the various arguments, but doesn't reveal his own stand on the issues.
I bought this at an airport bookshop to read on a 14 hour plane flight. Terible choice on my part, because the book is a lot more scientific and much more scholarly than the pithy jacket quotes suggest. It's a dry, serious and theoretical read. It's well written, and well presented factually, and I don't doubt his interpretation of the evidence.
So while not my cup of tea, if you want to delve deeply into the social enviromental aspect of the evolution of the domestication of the modern dog explained, this book may be worth a look.