THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK.It's a combination of experience and science. Though there are moments of snooze-worthy passages, overall it is comical, surprising, and fascinating. I purchased the book in the hopes of understanding my little Charlie better, as well as dogs in general (I've always been interested in animal behavior - moreso interested in pet behavior, rather than the general term "animal"). I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to see dogs in a very different light. I, like many true dog owners, believe that dogs are capable of communication and understanding. Horowitz takes you on a trip from the tip of your doggies snout to the tip of his wagging tail, and everywhere in between.
Did you know that dogs can understand and follow the human gaze? And that when they stare at other dogs they look them straight on, but that when they look at our faces they have learned to gaze at us the way humans gaze at other humans, from right to left? And did you know that when dogs "kiss" us, that familiar licking of an outstretched hand or a lowered face, it is actually rooted in their wolf origins - when a wolf returns to the pack from a hunt, the other wolves lick his face to determine where he had traveled to and what his disposition is; when a mother wolf returns home from a hunt, her pups lick her face to encourage regurgitation of slightly digested meat - in other words, there is something in that act that instinctively force the mother to spew up little bits of undigested meat for her pups.
Seriously, go pick this book up. It's a great read and it will make you stare at that heap of fluff at your feet with amazement and wonder.
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