Exploring the natural history of these animals, the Coppingers explain how the village dogs of Vietnam, Africa, India, and Mexico are strikingly similar. In what is a dog? experts on dog behavior raymond and Lorna Coppinger present an eye-opening analysis of the evolution and adaptations of these unleashed dogs and what they can reveal about the species as a whole.

These feral dogs, are in fact the truly archetypal dogs, argue the Coppingers, nearly uniform in size and shape and incredibly self-sufficient. Of the world’s dogs, less than two hundred million are pets, squeaky toys, living with humans who provide food, shelter, and fashionable sweaters. Providing a fascinating exploration of what it actually means—genetically and behaviorally—to be a dog, What Is a Dog? will undoubtedly change the way any beagle or bulldog owner will reflect on their four-legged friend.

They are dogs, and these dogs, like pigeons or squirrels, not companions, are highly adapted scavengers who have evolved to fit particular niches in the vicinity of humans. The coppingers also examine the behavioral characteristics that enable dogs to live successfully and to reproduce, unconstrained by humans, in environments that we ordinarily do not think of as dog friendly.

Drawing on nearly five decades of research, they show how dogs actually domesticated themselves in order to become such efficient scavengers of human refuse. Univ of Chicago Pr. But roaming the planet are four times as many dogs who are their own masters—neighborhood dogs, dump dogs, mountain dogs.

How Dogs Work

But, isn’t it time we knew more about who fido and Trixie 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. They examine the central importance of the shape of dogs: how their physical body including the genes and the brain affects behavior, how shape interacts with the environment as animals grow, and how all of this has developed over time.

We cherish dogs as family members and deeply value our lengthy companionship with them. Shape, they tell us, is what makes a champion sled dog or a Border collie that can successfully herd sheep. 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 their fur-covered heads as they look at us with their big, and with How Dogs Work, expressive eyes? Raymond Coppinger and Mark Feinstein know something about these questions, they’re ready to share; this is their guide to understanding your dog and its behavior.

. Other chapters in how dogs work explore 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. Univ of Chicago Pr. Approaching dogs as a biological species rather than just as pets, Coppinger and Feinstein accessibly synthesize decades of research and field experiments to explain the evolutionary foundations underlying dog behaviors.

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

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

Univ of Chicago Pr. Tracing the evolution of today's breeds from these village dogs, the Coppingers show how characteristic shapes and behaviors—from pointing and baying to the sleek shapes of running dogs—arise from both genetic heritage and the environments in which pups are raised. They argue that dogs did not evolve directly from wolves, nor were they trained by early humans; instead they domesticated themselves to exploit a new ecological niche: Mesolithic village dumps.

For both dogs and humans to get the most out of each other, we need to understand and adapt to the biological needs and dispositions of our canine companions, just as they have to ours. Biologists, and champion sled dog racers, breeders and trainers, Raymond and Lorna Coppinger have more than four decades of experience with literally thousands of dogs.

Offering a scientifically informed perspective on canines and their relations with humans, herding, sled-pulling, pointing, retrieving, the Coppingers take a close look at eight different types of dogs—household, village, livestock guarding, and hound.

How to Tame a Fox and Build a Dog: Visionary Scientists and a Siberian Tale of Jump-Started Evolution

Along with these physical changes came genetic and behavioral changes, as well. Most accounts of the natural evolution of wolves place it over a span of about 15, but within a decade, piebald spots, 000 years, Belyaev and Trut’s fox breeding experiments had resulted in puppy-like foxes with floppy ears, and curly tails.

To date, fifty-six generations of foxes have been domesticated, and we continue to learn significant lessons from them about the genetic and behavioral evolution of domesticated animals. How to tame a fox offers an incredible tale of scientists at work, while also celebrating the deep attachments that have brought humans and animals together throughout time.

The foxes were bred using selection criteria for tameness, and with each generation, they became increasingly interested in human companionship. This is the extraordinary, untold story of this remarkable undertaking. Tucked away in siberia, there are furry, four-legged creatures with wagging tails and floppy ears that are as docile and friendly as any lapdog.

In 1959, biologists dmitri belyaev and lyudmila trut set out to do just that, by starting with a few dozen silver foxes from fox farms in the USSR and attempting to recreate the evolution of wolves into dogs in real time in order to witness the process of domestication. But, despite appearances, these are not dogs—they are foxes.

Univ of Chicago Pr. Chicago.

Dogs: A Startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior & Evolution

How did the domestic dog become a distinct species from the wolf? Why do different breeds behave differently? Most important, how can we improve the relationship between humans and dogs? The authors show how dogs' different abilities depend upon the confluence of their nature and nurture—that both genetics and the environment play equally key roles.

Dogs is a highly readable biological approach by noted researchers that provides a wealth of new information about the interaction of nature and nurture, and demonstrates how unique dog behavior is in the animal world. Concentrating on five types of dogs—modern household dogs, livestock-guarding dogs, internationally recognized canine ethologists and consummate dog lovers, village dogs, sled dogs, and herding dogs—the Coppingers, examine our canine companions from a unique biological viewpoint.

Chicago. Marking the first time that dogs have been explained in such detail by eminent researchers, Dogs is a work of wide appeal, as absorbing as it is enlightening. Drawing on insight gleaned from forty-five years of raising, and studying the behaviors of dogs worldwide, training, Lorna and Raymond Coppinger explore the fascinating processes by which dog breeds have evolved into their unique shapes and behaviors.

They also reveal that many people inadvertently harm their canine companions because they fail to understand dogs' biological needs and dispositions. Dogs clearly points the way for dog lovers, veterinarians, dog therapists, and all others who deal with dogs to understand their animals from a fresh perspective.

Univ of Chicago Pr.

Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do

Univ of Chicago Pr. For all the love and attention we give dogs, much of what they do remains mysterious. There’s still much we don’t know, but at the core of the book is the certainty that dogs do have deep emotional lives, and that as their companions we must try to make those lives as rich and fulfilling as possible.

Read canine confidential, and you’ll be on the road to making your shared lives as happy, healthy, and rewarding as they can possibly be. Chicago. He advocates strongly for positive training—there’s no need to dominate or shame dogs or to make them live in fear—and the detailed information contained in Canine Confidential has a good deal of significance for dog trainers and teachers.

Just think about different behaviors you see at a dog park: we have a good understanding of what it means when dogs wag their tails—but what about when they sniff and roll on a stinky spot? Why do they play tug-of-war with one dog, while showing their bellies to another? Why are some dogs shy, while others are bold? What goes on in dogs’ heads and hearts—and how much can we know and understand? Canine Confidential has the answers.

Written by award-winning scientist—and lifelong dog lover—Marc Bekoff, it not only brilliantly opens up the world of dog behavior, but also helps us understand how we can make our dogs’ lives the best they can possibly be. Rooted in the most up-to-date science on cognition and emotion—fields that have exploded in recent years—Canine Confidential is a wonderfully accessible treasure trove of new information and myth-busting.

Peeing, we learn, isn’t always marking; grass-eating isn’t always an attempt to trigger vomiting; it’s okay to hug a dog—on their terms; and so much more. It’s also clear that we must look at dogs as unique individuals and refrain from talking about “the dog.

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

The answers will surprise and delight you as Alexandra Horowitz, and that other quirky animal, each other, explains how dogs perceive their daily worlds, a cognitive scientist, the human. Although not a formal training guide, Inside of a Dog has practical application for dog lovers interested in understanding why their dogs do what they do.

This book is as close as you can get to knowing about dogs without being a dog yourself. Chicago. Univ of Chicago Pr. With a light touch and the weight of science behind her, Alexandra Horowitz examines the animal we think we know best but may actually understand the least. What’s it like to be able to smell not just every bit of open food in the house but also to smell sadness in humans, amidst the smells of the sidewalk, or even the passage of time? How does a tiny dog manage to play successfully with a Great Dane? What is it like to hear the bodily vibrations of insects or the hum of a fluorescent light? Why must a person on a bicycle be chased? What’s it like to use your mouth as a hand? In short, what is it like for a dog to experience life from two feet off the ground, gazing at our ankles or knees? Inside of a Dog explains these things and much more.

The answers can be surprising—once we set aside our natural inclination to anthropomorphize dogs. Index supreme. 1 new york times best seller. Interview by the author appendix.

How Dogs Learn

Interview by the author appendix. Every concept is laid out clearly and precisely, and its relevance to your dog and how you train is explained. A howell dog book of Distinction Univ of Chicago Pr. How dogs learn explains the basic principles of behavior and how they can be used to teach your dog new skills, diagnose problems and eliminate unwanted behaviors.

. This book should be on every animal trainer's bookshelf for future reference. Chicago. How dogs learn covers the content of an undergraduate course in learning and behavior, but the examples are taken from dog training it is practical and very useful without sacrificing scientific and technical accuracy. 1 new york times best seller.

Index supreme. It's for anyone who wants to better understand the learning process in dogs. Jack michael, western michigan universityHow Dogs Learn explore the fascinating science of operant conditioning, PhD, Department of Psychology, where science and dog training meet.

Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training, Vol. 3: Procedures and Protocols

Index supreme. Many of the training concepts, procedures, and protocols described have not been previously published, making this book a unique contribution to dog behavior and training literature. Ethological observations, relevant behavioral and neurobiological research, and dog behavior clinical findings are reviewed and critiqued in detail.

The handbook of applied dog Behavior and Training series provides a coherent and integrated approach to understanding and controlling dog behavior. Chicago. Univ of Chicago Pr. Interview by the author appendix. In volume 3, biological, especially causally significant social, various themes introduced in Volumes 1 and 2 are expanded upon, and behavioral influences that impact on the etiology of behavior problems and their treatment.

1 new york times best seller.

Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training, Vol. 2: Etiology and Assessment of Behavior Problems Volume 2

Handbook of applied dog behaviour and training, behaviourists, Volume two: Etiology and Assessment of Behaviour Problems is the definitive reference for dog trainers, breeders and veterinarians. Univ of Chicago Pr. 1 new york times best seller. Wiley-Blackwell. Index supreme. Interview by the author appendix. The focus is to present and evaluate the relevant applied and scientific literature, and to highlight what remains to be learned, while the author introduces alternative ways for analysing and understanding the etiology of dog behaviour problems.

Topics covered include fear, and Dominance, anxiety and phobias, Separation-related problems, territorial, Hyperactivity, and fear-related aggression. Chicago. Coupled with volume one, this text provides theoretical and practical framework for understanding the development and treatment of dog behaviour problems.

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Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs

Interview by the author appendix. Chicago. Warner Books NY. 1 new york times best seller. Wiley-Blackwell. Univ of Chicago Pr. Akin to monty roberts's the man who listens to horses and going light-years beyond The Hidden Life of Dogs, this extraordinary book takes a radical new direction in understanding our life with canines and offers us astonishing new lessons about our pets.

Index supreme. From changing the misbehaviors and habits that upset us, to seeing the world from their unique and natural perspective, to finding a deep connection with another being, BONES WOULD RAIN FROM THE SKY will help you receive an incomparable gift: a profound, lifelong relationship with the dog you love.

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