How Dogs Think: What the World Looks Like to Them and Why They Act the Way They Do

by Stanley Coren

How Dogs Think is “a sharp-eyed analysis and wry wit” ( The Seattle Times ) analysis of dog behavior from bestselling author, psychologist, and world-renowned expert, Dr. Stanley Coren. With smart humor, Cohen presents informative, in-depth, and fascinating details that shatter many common misconceptions about our four-legged friends.

Bestselling author, psychologist, and world-renowned expert on dog behavior and training Dr. Stanley Coren presents the most informative, in-depth, fascinating book yet on dogs. Acclaimed for its solid scientific research and entertaining, eminently readable style, How Dogs Think gives you the insight that you need to understand the silly, quirky, and apparently irrational behaviors that dogs demonstrate, as well as those stunning flashes of brilliance and creativity that they also can display. It lets you see through a dog’s eyes, hear through his ears, and even sense the world through his nose, as Coren presents a fascinat­ing picture of the way dogs interpret their world and their human companions, and of how they solve problems, learn, and take in new information.

How Dogs Think also answers questions about our canine companions that have puzzled Can dogs count? Do they have an appreciation of art or music? Can a dog learn how to do something just by watching another dog or even a person do it? Do dogs dream? What is the nature of dog personality? Which behaviors are prewired into your dog, and which can you actually change? And, can dogs actually sense future earthquakes or detect cancer?

With sound behavioral science and numerous funny, informative anecdotes, experiments, and firsthand observations, How Dogs Think shatters many common myths and misconcep­tions about our four-legged friends and reveals a wealth of surprises about their mental abilities and potential. It will make you love and appreciate all dogs—including your own—in wonder­ful new ways.

Genres: Dogs, Nonfiction, Animals, Science, Psychology, Audiobook, Nature

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never had a dog of my own. Since I left home I've never even owned a pet of any kind. It's too much responsibility. But throughout my life, I've gotten to know a number of dogs and their people and I just wanted to learn more about these closest of human companions.

It's a pretty good run down, though I'd love to see someone attempt the thought experiment of trying to imagine the world from the point of view of a dog. I know that that's an impossibility, unless dogs develop the ability to talk, we can only guess. Still, I always wanted someone in the know to give it their best shot.

There's lots of good how-to stuff for dog owners here. Useful information about the stages of the life of dogs from birth to death. I have no doubt that people who share their lives with dogs will find something useful here to make their companion's life happier and more fulfilled. This book contains some wonderful and fascinating information about how dogs experience the world around them and respond to that information. It really does provide some fine insights on what it would be like to see the world through a dog's eyes or, far more appropriately, smell the world through a dog's nose. Yes, this book does a good job of shedding odor on a dog's sensory experiences. Chuckle. See what I did there? Get it? Anyway, moving on...

The author is not afraid to tackle some of the big questions about what dogs are capable of and whether they truly possess consciousness and a theory of mind. I'm not shy about my opinion. The evidence is overwhelming that they possess both those things. Scientific rigor is one thing and I suppose we have to concede that we can never fully understand what goes on inside of a dog's head but surely it's unreasonable to ignore all the evidence that dogs possess a dog version of a rich and full inner life. Don't even get me started on idiots who insist that animals don't feel pain. That breed of dinosaur deserves to be extinct if it isn't already.

I understand that we shouldn't be anthropomorphizing dogs, but I don't think that's what I'm doing here. I'm not attributing human qualities to these beings because I credit them with consciousness and the ability to reason. I never said I thought they reasoned exactly the same way we do or experience the exact same emotional inner life that we do, I simply believe that they do have experience and emotions. I think that if you could somehow uplift dog intelligence and complexity to the same level as ours, you would not find yourself in the presence of dog shaped humans. They would still be dogs who think and see the world in their own unique way that is different from us. When I picked up this book I was hoping to get a little closer to understanding those differences and I believe I did.

Anyway, if you want to understand dogs better, this book is a good place to start.

[Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book! I actually finished reading it a few weeks ago and just haven't gotten around to writing about (sometimes the dissertation does have to take priority).

The book is written by Stanley Coren, Ph.D. Dr. Coren is a psychologist and member of the faculty at the University of British Columbia. He's a renowned and well-known expert on dog psychology and dog-human interactions.

At first, I was a little afraid the book would be something like the drivel that shows up on that Dog Whisperer show. But I was pleasantly surprised. It's a smart, informative and interesting read. Maybe that's because I'm a dog owner and lover as well as a psychologist. But I don't think anyone could read the book and not be impressed with the sensory and perceptual ability of dogs and the One who created them and all else.

The book spends a lot of time discussing the sensory systems and abilities of dogs. A chapter is committed to each of the five senses, all supported with solid empirical research and flavored with interesting anecdotes. For example, did you know young dogs have a heat-sensing ability in their noses that unfortunately disappears as they get older? It's how they find a warm mother when they are blind and deaf newborns.

The book also spends a lot of time discussing the evolution of dogs, paying particular attention to the ways humans of directed that evolution to serve our own purposes. Things like the incredible smelling abilities of hounds, rescue skills of St. Bernard's, the hunting prowess of dachshunds, and herding talents of the herd dogs are explained in evolutionary and genetic terms....all in an understandable way for those who aren't evolutionary psychologists or biologists.

If you're an animal enthusiast or an armchair psychologist, I think you'll like this book. At the very least, it'll fill your mind with lots of facts that might come in handy the next time you play Trivial Pursuit!

[Weavre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting, but not quite what I expected. Coren offers lots of detailed information about how dogs' senses work for them, exploration about how dogs learn, etc. There's also a bit of philosophical meandering into such questions as, "Do dogs have what can accurately be termed personality?" and, "Can dogs actually appreciate--or even create--art in its various forms?" I was expecting more about how dogs might view specific situations differently from humans ... that's there, to give Coren credit, but just didn't quite meet my expectations. Still, the stuff I hadn't expected to be there held my attention anyway, and overall this was a pretty good read.

OST NON-FICTION ADULT STK 636.7 COR

[Dena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because my dog is a bit of a disaster. I am always trying to help her and her neurotic ways. This book was very scientfic and interesting, though not much help for my specific disaster. I did learn that water actually has a taste that humans lack the ablity to decifer. But dogs can taste water...and they really can smell fear. They are sensitive to the pheremones that fear produces. Hmmm...like I said, it was interesting.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a new dog owner, I've been interested in books which talk about dog training and thinking. This one has been really interesting. I liked the detail, although at first I thought I might have chosen something a little bit dry, it isn't that way at all. There are lots of examples and anecdotes to keep you reading and to clarify the scientific points being made.

Stanley Coren is a psychologist and he applies his knowledge to dogs by looking at the various senses they have and using that as a basis to look at the behaviour they exhibit. I learnt so much from this book, about breeds and the generalisations we apply to them which are often not actually based on any evidence. I loved hearing about dog physiology especially about their paws and whiskers. As I have a dog which needs grooming, I'm really not keen for him to lose his whiskers anymore! They are removed as a standard part of the 'making him look gorgeous' process, but he needs them to help him navigate the world. There is so much in this book, and a lot of it is about assumptions and things we think we know about dogs and quashing the inaccuracies. A lot of it is about training and the ways dogs learn - or don't learn. I enjoyed learning about the different methods in which dogs are trained and the thoughts about how dogs might be useful to us in the future when we train them to do even more for us.

I learned so much about the way my dog uses his senses and where his behaviour has come from. The things that have been passed down to him from his ancestors and why he does some of the things he does. This book was a great read, I highly recommend it if you are new to dogs or are even just interested in learning more about your dog.

[Sera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based heavily on science, this book answers questions like "do dogs dream?" and "can dogs count?" (answers are "yes" and "yes", respectively). Answers to questions such as these are based upon scientific studies. The information that Coren provides is very interesting; however, I wish the book was more comprehensive. One of my friends asked a good one - "Why do dogs go in a circle before they lay down?" The book doesn't address this question. However, based on my reading of the book I would answer that the dog is outlining it's small territory before it settles down.

This book is a great read for dog lovers who wish to learn about their dogs and the different ways in which to train them. There is also a great section on aging dogs, which I found to be very interesting. Keeping dogs physically and mentally active (like people) will ensure that they remain sharp and "young".

Overall, I learned that dogs and humans are very similar. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

[ReaderofBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aanrader voor elke hondenliefhebber of honden-ouder! Zit bom vol info en zou eigenlijk verplichte kost moeten zijn voor hondeneigenaren, hoewel ik snap dat veel mensen het waarschijnlijk moeilijk vinden door dit info-rijke boek heen te komen. Er komen ontzettend veel onderzoeken aan te pas afgewisseld met leuke anekdotes. Coren blijft ondanks zijn enthousiasme voor de hond wetenschappelijk en kritisch (zoals een gedragswetenschappen betaamt). Het boek gaat langzaam alle zintuigen af bij de hond (hoe zien ze, hoe horen ze? etc), gaat daarna in op hoe honden (en mensen) leren en op het laatst wordt nog de grote vraag of een hond "bewustzijn" heeft behandeld (antwoord volgens Coren: op veel vlakken 'ja'). Dat laatste vind ik sowieso een erg interessante kwestie, omdat filosofie hier de biologie heel sterk raakt, want wat is bewustzijn? Hoe definieer je het? En hoe bewijs je het? Mooi om dit boek ook weer aan de reeks boeken toe te voegen die ik al gelezen heb die op dit onderwerp in gaan.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dogs doing calculus.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dogs aren't color blind. They have 2/3 of the cones that we have and can distinguish blue from a field of grass for example, but not red or orange.

Dogs have been genetically evolved to be much closer to being human than their ancestors. It's not inaccurate to attribute human like qualities to them, ie, "It's just a dog" has little scientific basis. It's only been relatively recent, 1990's that the public is better informed in this way.
Plato was more accurate on the subject than the common person in the 1800's.
(Things took a wrong turn for dogs when Descart contributed uninformed perspective on the subject of dog intelligence and emotions.)

Caveat: I have two very intelligent and sensitive dogs, a rescue herding mix, and a Labrador retriever, so of course I gravitate towards information that confirms my personal bias.

For people who believe everything the Dog Whisperer, Caesar Milan, says, take it with a grain of salt please. I used to think he was the last word, and still appreciate his shows, but some of it is a bit off the mark.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book. The author describes the dog's five senses and how they differ from human sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. We have wondered why our dog sometimes can't find the bright orange ball that we toss for him. It turns out that to a dog's eyes bright orange is the worst color possible for a ball if you are throwing it on a grassy field. To the dog, the grass and the ball both appear yellow. Who knew? Another fascinating bit of information - a dog who retrieves a ball is the best candidate for training. Also, dogs with gentle mothers are more easily trained. Besides facts and tidbits such as this, there are anecdotes about the author's dogs and other dogs he has encountered or heard about. Anyone who loves dogs or is curious about them will learn a lot by reading this book. It didn't tell me how to keep Dude from pulling on the leash, but I'm working on it.

[Cyndie Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Glad I read it, there are some interesting pieces on the sensory perception of dogs that I haven't come across before not even in vet school that I am glad to have in my repertoire. However, there is an undue influence on discussion of dominance and submissiveness that doesn't fit our current understanding of how dogs really interact with each other or with us. I worry this would encourage owners to pursue methods of training their animals that would be counterproductive. Again, glad to have read it but it doesn't make it to the top of my list and I would not recommend it to clients.

[Lene]

This is a book that goes into depth about the dog's brain. It explains which regions are more developed (and less developed) than the human brain, to help us understand that the world does not appear the same to dogs as it does to people. From color perception and hearing frequencies to the sense of smell, this book lends you the opportunity of understanding How Dogs Think.

[Emahlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book explores the world from a dogs perspective. Coren moves through each sense and draws on research to explain to the reader how dogs perceive the world differently. The book was easy to read and enjoyable, but some of the author's interpretation of research has been called into question.

[Nico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just realized I hadn't put any review for this more than a year later. This book got me through my first hospital stay and kept my mind on something worth thinking about. Thought it needed more than a blank white space with no mention of its huge importance to me.

[SplatterGunk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I had the privilege of reading the updated 2017 version of this book, there are still some data sparse areas and research that has changed in the past decade. All of that aside, this is an informative and concise book on the study of the psychology, personality, and behavior of dogs.

[RedHalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for an informative, dense, and scientific read to help you better understand your dog, I would recommend this book to you. It’s all of the above, and all of the points the author makes are backed up with scientific evidence. Author Stanley Coren is recognized as an expert in human-canine interaction, so he’s quite educated in subjects like this one.

If you want to know what the world looks, sounds, smells, tastes, and feels like to a dog, this book tells you about how dogs perceive the world through all five senses. If you’re wondering what happens as a dog ages from a puppy to an adult, or an adult to a senior, How Dogs Think has two enlightening chapters on that. There are also multiple chapters on how dogs learn, a chapter that explains how some of your canine companion’s actions are preprogrammed and some are taught, a chapter that answers the question of consciousness in dogs, and more. Each chapter is divided into multiple sections, and there are a few data collections thrown in, as well as many real-life examples of what Coren is writing about in that moment. Coren will even occasionally drop some humor into the text, a rarity in non-fiction. He is also clearly passionate about his subject, which I found made the book more enjoyable.

I thought How Dogs Think was a very informational and interesting read, but it is also packed with scientific terms and it is not an easy read. I would say that this would be most interesting to dog owners, dog lovers, animal lovers, or people who are curious about an animal’s mind. If you are hoping for answers about a dog’s perspective, but don’t want to lay awake at night pondering psychological questions, (kidding, kind of) this is unfortunately not for you. However, if you want an incredibly useful, clear, intelligent, and scientific guide, no matter the density or depth, then I would say go get this book.

[Chelsea R.H.]

I won’t rate this one because I had mixed feelings on it as a dog trainer, behaviourist-in-training.
There’s a lot of really excellent information in this book and some really fascinating discussions of how dogs think and the experiments that lead us to this knowledge. I think that was the most enjoyable part for me, it didn’t just explain how dogs think, but how we came to the conclusions we did, how we found out the knowledge we have about dogs. It’s very valuable in that aspect.
On the other hand it’s a pretty old book and the science of behaviour moves reasonably fast. We make new discoveries every year, which cause us to change our opinions and form new ideas. There’s a lot of old information in this book, such as lengthy discussions on pack theory, which is long debunked at this point and I’m not sure why it wasn’t edited out during any of its reprints.
Stanley Coren is also a psychologist and not a dog trainer and his training advice is best described as bizarre, and potentially detrimental. One particularly notable case includes punishing a shoe (in front of the dog) in the hopes that the dog will stop chewing shoes for fear of being punished the same way the shoe was. That’s the theory anyway. If this was my client, my simple management for this would be a) put your bloody shoes away when you leave the house and b) give the dog appropriate outlets for chewing. A dogs going to chew, it’s up to you to make sure the item they are chewing is safe for them and not something that’s valuable to you. I don’t think beating a shoe has ever been a successful method for stopping this behaviorur.

Over all, I’m glad I read it. It’s certainly a very valuable foundational text. But I wouldn’t recommend it to a client or friend that doesn’t have pretty extensive knowledge already, as I think they would come away with incorrect ideas. There’s also a lot of much more recent books that reflect our current knowledge of dogs much more accurately.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I have found regarding scientific studies in to the canine mind and behavior. Coren has assembled a very detailed, easy to understand, look in to what we know about dogs. He corrects many 'myths' about dogs (and dog training) carefully backing up all his statements.

As a life-long 'dog parent', I have been more diligent in recent years about finding out everything I can to try and understand dogs. This book has so much information in it, I actually felt excited to have found it. So many books regurgitate basic information (some false) but Coren is clear and concise with what he shares.

I highly recommend this book to all dog guardians or those preparing to bring a dog in to their home. This will enlighten you and make both your dog's and your life so much easier and fuller.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book - the author’s approach to analyzing how dogs think through learning what information their brain receives through their senses makes so much sense and I learned so much! Really interesting biological science paired with adorable stories about dogs had me coming back despite its length. A middle section detailing a lot about different breeds had me listening on 2x speed, but even there I learned a lot of practical tools for relating with dogs and shaping dog behavior. One tidbit I have been eager to share was that hunting breeds previously thought to have genetic predispositions to failing hearing as they age, are actually too exposed to the sounds of gunshots without protection. I have been delighting (and maybe tiring) my family for weeks with all of the fascinating info.

[Nanci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Every page was jam packed with information about dogs (most of which I didn't know) and told in such a fun style with real stories. The research that went into the book is immense. Stanley Coren is a highly revered person on the subject and as an author he has a way of transmitting the information in an entertaining manner. This is a must read for anyone who is contemplating getting a dog, or is already a dog owner, or even for people like me who just love dogs and want to know more about how dogs think and function.
5 stars!

[Nosemonkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview of what science can tell us about how dogs perceive the world, tempered with a dog-lover's awareness that some things (like dogs having different "personalities" rather than just "temperaments") science may not be able to verify, but we just know.

Despite having read several dog books, there was still some new stuff here for me, particularly around how they age, and including many handy tips on why they act the way they do - and how to respond to help them, and you, stay as happy as possible throughout their lives.

[Rodrigo Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely feel that I know dogs much better than before. Reading this comprehensive book gave me so much knowledge about the psychology of the humans best friend. The only downside of this big book is its lenght. I think that the author could have omit so many details, for example about all the scientific studies. I mean, is not an academic textbook right?

But besides that, I appreciate the rigor of the book and the funny notes as well. Highly recommended, specially for dog owners 🐶

[Cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very comprehensive and detailed look at the canine mind and body. The author goes into great detail of how dogs senses work. He offers great insight as to how dogs learn and how they compare to developing children as well as other animals. Although the knowledge found in this book is based very heavily on science, it is presented in such a way that it is easily understood. I will probably revisit this book often as there is just so much information to be found in it.

[Apryl Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly appreciate Coren's ability to combine scientific evidence with observation. He brings up some heavily debated topics about dogs' perceptions, comprehension, logic, and so on, and I find his conclusions trustworthy. We may be totally wrong, but my dogs love me regardless...or am I projecting? ;0)

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for the content (a couple of things I found out dated nowadays), but towards the end maybe 3'5 because I had the feeling I was studying more than reading, if that makes sense? I guess it was the way on which it was written and all the info given (very detailed). Maybe I should have intercalated with another book in between as to not saturate myaelf/unwind.
All in all a good book.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a fair amount of useful information from this book, but ultimately abandoned it because the author likes to hear himself write and the facts-to-meandring ratio ultimately got to be too much.

It's also a couple of decades old. If anyone is aware of a book on a similar topic that is both more up to date and more concise, I'd appreciate the reocmmendation.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was SO INTERESTING!!! At times it got science heavy, but I am a science geek at heart so I loved it. I can't remember where I first heard of this book, but since my husband & I often wonder what Rudy (our 12 year old Shetland sheep dog) is thinking it quickly became a must read.

[Guppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, but I wouldn't recommend you read unless you absolutely love dogs and are fascinated by their behaviour/genetics etc

[Jay Storey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well thought-out and fascinating discussion of the workings of a dog's mind. I would highly recommend it to anyone who's interested in how dogs behave, and how they see the world.

[Brittaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful

Lots of scientific evidence for arguments. I learned a lot about my dog and I know I'm going to be a better caregiver because of it.