Book Review – Dog Sense
This article reviews the book Dog Sense: How The New Science Of Dog Behaviour Can Make You A Better Friend To Your Pet, by John Bradshaw. The book focuses on consolidating scientific research about dogs to better understand their physical, emotional, and psychological needs.
Excerpt from Review:
“The latest scientific research can help dogs and their owners have happier, healthier relationships by encouraging people to understand dogs better. But Mr Bradshaw is also fearful. In particular, he deplores the incestuous narrowing of the gene pool that modern pedigree breeders have brought about. Dogs today are rarely bred for their working abilities (herding, hunting, guarding), but for a very particular type of appearance, which inevitably risks the spread of physical and temperamental abnormalities. Instead, he suggests that dogs be bred for the ideal behavioural traits associated with the role they will actually play. He also worries that the increasing urbanisation of society and the pressures on couples to work long hours are putting dogs under huge strain. He estimates that about 20% of Britain’s 8m dogs and America’s 70m suffer from “separation distress” when their owners leave the house, but argues that sensible training can teach them how to cope.”
The full review in The Economist can be accessed at the link below. An interview with the author is available from NPR here, as both a transcript and an audio file.
http://www.economist.com/node/21525353?frsc=dg%7Ca