Reviews

Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz

leannaaker's review

4.0

This was a great layperson's introduction to dog behavior and psychology. The author does a great job of parsing very interesting scientific research into metaphors and analogies that anyone could understand. The best part of the book, I think, is that it could equally appeal to the casual dog owner and the nerdy dog behaviorist and trainer. There is enough "meat" in the book to satisfy the latter. My only complaint is that since the structure of the chapters were all very similar, the reading bogged in places. Or perhaps, if there had been a roadmap to the chapters presented to weave almost a story through all of it, it might have seemed less disjointed.

A great read for dog folks.

jhaydel's review

informative medium-paced

4.5

malachi_oneill's review

3.0

Umwelt is a German word used to denote an organism’s unique sensory world.1 It is the biological foundations that lie at the very center of understanding communication and signification in both human and non-human animals.0
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Very interesting to learn more about dogs umvelt.

chamlet5127's review

3.0

I stopped halfway through. Normally I really like animal behavior and I like dogs. But this book just wandered around the point and rarely made the point well in the end. Might come back to it later, but done with it for now.

drrawsonreads's review

5.0

Awesome book for scientifically-inclined dog lovers. This is a book that can be read one chapter at a time - each one is like a stand-alone essay. Lots of fascinating tidbits about man's best friend!

jwells's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective

I really enjoyed this. So often our thinking about nonhuman animals falls into oversimplification. Maybe they're just little automatons, who are conditioned to try to get food from us. Maybe they're furry little human children, who need to wear clothes and shoes, and eat ice cream. Or maybe (in the case of dogs) they're wolves, who need to learn that humans are the "alpha." 

Horowitz cuts through all this nonsense and gives us actual science about what it's like to be a dog. She allows for complexity: dogs are canines with instincts, and they have different sense apparatus than humans. But they've also lived closely alongside us for thousands of years, and been selectively bred to get along with humans well. A lot of the time they read us better than we read them. Ha!

I also enjoy the fact that these days, it's acceptable for a scientist to express love for the subject she's studying. Possibly we have Jane Goodall to thank for starting that turnaround, away from fake, cold "objectivity." 

sdreading's review

informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

I enjoyed this book, though I thought it would be more informative. I felt like I knew everything in the first half of the book but the second half, where it goes more into behaviors, was interesting. I think that the last chapter was the most helpful and wish the book had more practical ways to use what we've learned about dogs in everyday life. 

baileyalto's review

informative slow-paced

3.0

lizzy_22's review

3.0

Skimmed a great deal of the more dry,scientific parts but there was some good info and anecdotes into dog behavior that I enjoyed.

jerihurd's review

5.0

Loved, loved, loved this. Horowitz writes well and movingly, bringing a whole new perspective to those beloved companion animals of ours. I'll never look at my dog in quite the same way again. It cracks me up,all the people complaining "It's too dry. I was bored. It's too scientific." SHE'S A SCIENTIST. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? Personally, I thought it was fascinating, recommended it to my vet, and am about to reread it.