Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do

by Marc Bekoff

Get to know your best friend “Everyone who owns a dog, breeds or trains dogs, or works with dogs should read this informative book.” —Library JournalJust think about the 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?Written by award-winning scientist—and lifelong dog lover—Marc Bekoff, Canine Confidential not only brilliantly opens up the world of dog behavior, but also helps us understand how we can make our dogs’ lives better. 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. 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 and trainers we must recognize them as the unique, complex individuals they are—so we can keep them as happy and healthy as possible.“Bekoff shares his own studies and others’ research, along with real-life stories, in a winning tone.” —Booklist

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs, Animals, Science, Audiobook

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 22, 2022

About the author

Please see http://www.literati.net/authors/marc-... and you can read my essays for Psychology Today here -- http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/a... --

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Canine Confidential
Why Dogs Do What They Do
by Marc Bekoff
This is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary.
I enjoyed this book and the love for animals that the author has for animals oozes from each page. It is an easy to read book and great for beginners that haven't had much experience with dogs.
I didn't find anything new in it for those of us that have read everything under the sun. Good easy read and would suggest for teens or new to exploring this subject.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a dog lover, I was excited to receive Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do as an ARC for my honest review. While this book reads more academic than I was expecting, I enjoyed the reminders of why dogs are man's best friend. Marc Bekoff is apparently one of the world's leading ethologists and has devoted his life to understanding the nature of dogs, as well as, other animals by constant observation, interaction and interviews with other human owners, observers, ethologists. In Canine Confidential, Bekoff describes many observations and ideas that are familiar to me, however, he does often state that "further research is needed". I enjoyed the fact that it was apparent to me that Bekoff is a compassionate lover of animals who had great empathy for their well being. I recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs or who wants to learn more about dog behaviors.

[Navi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read! I enjoyed the science-based research about dog behaviour but my favourite parts were the anecdotal stories of the different dogs the author saw at the park. This highlighted how each and every dog has an unique personality. One of the things I appreciated is that the author stresses how there is so much we still need to learn from our canine friends.

The biggest takeaway from this book was that pet owners should be careful not to think of their dog as "the Mythological Dog". There is no correct way for a dog to act and behave and it is important to treat them based on their unique predisposition. There is so much information in this book that multiple reads will help you get the most out of it. I will definitely read it again when I am a dog owner in the future.

I received a free copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, what can I say about this book? I absolutely and wholeheartedly adored it! As a veterinarian in real life, I'm always excited when it comes to books centered around dogs and their endless magic and wonder. While this book reads more academic than I was expecting, I still enjoyed it to a great extent. Slowly but thorougly, this book reminded me why dogs are considered man's best friend. Marc Bekoff is one of the most famous ethologists of the modern era, and this book deeply reflects his effort and research on dogs' behavior, traits and personalities. Even though some parts are somewhat detailed and may seem boring to the beginner writer, "Canine Condidential" as a whole reads as a fantastic novel on dogs' special characteristics. I definitely recommend it to teens or young people who are interested in learning more about the life -and minds- of animals. All in all, an amazing book!

[Kirsti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

*Ahem* Well, that was one of the most annoying additions I've ever had to a kindle book, even it is a review copy. Every second or third page has in slightly lighter font than the actual book "You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Chicago Press" breaking up the page- and I mean breaking it. This is written in the middle of sentences, so that you can never forget it. You do however, grow to greatly resent the way the writing is broken up constantly. :/

This is a well researched book (as evidenced by the fact that the Kindle edition stops at 75% and the rest is notes and index) but in all honesty there isn't much here that you don't know or assume after owning dogs for many years. There has only ever been a period of around a year or two in my life where I didn't personally own dogs, and I visited my parents and their dogs regularly in that period anyway. That being said, there are plenty of people completely ignorant to what their dog may be feeling or doing, and this book is more for them. Not all of it is genuine research, but some opinion formed from years of observation, but I generally agreed with his theories.

I read this through in a single sitting, but it might read better broken up as sometimes the information is in huge chunks. Still, a welcome addition to the world of canine observation. Three stars.

[Gunjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to a friend who is very interested in dogs, has a pet dog and observes their dog's behavior (which almost always happens). This is something a dog's human should definitely consider reading to bust some of the myths and help treat our furry friends better.

I started to read this book expecting it would be full of humor (book cover) and interesting facts (topics), but it read like a research paper sometimes. I did find interesting information but the length did stretch on quite a bit on the same topics. This would make a good gift for dog lovers.

I did relate to a lot this book, growing up I had 5 different dogs as my pet and I have done a fair bit of observing myself. I have grown up in India where there are a lot of feral/street dogs as well. And I have noticed the activities which are frowned upon in the USA, pets in India get a free reign. Even in the city, a pet dog is never hushed or rushed (partly because in India it isn't expected to pick up after your dog) and street dogs/feral dogs don't get put on death rows. I agree there are many cons to this approach but humans just built cities and said they were theirs, I don't think animals understand or are interested in real estate. I also felt the point of view in this book might be specific to the US audience.

Kudos to the writer to put a good and comprehensive book on this topic out there.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of what Bekoff shares here includes better ways to think about dogs (and all nonhuman animals) as individuals who deserve to be seen as sentient beings deserving of being able to live out their lives according to their nature. If you're going into the book thinking you're going to have every quirk of your own companion animal explained, you'll probably be disappointed (I kind of did, admittedly.) Instead, Bekoff urges us to be compassionate and patient friends to our dogs and to allow them to just "be themselves" as much as possible. It's changed the way I view and treat my own dogs and forced me to interrogate my own expectations to determine if they're reasonable and in the dogs' best interest.

I was particularly drawn to the way Bekhoff writes with such deep compassion for dogs--from those with whom he has a close relationship to those he doesn't--and how he hopes that can spread to society as a whole. I think we have a lot to learn from this worldview, and for many, this might start with their relationship to a dog.

[Masnoon Majeed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book if you want to understand what we know about dogs and what we don't know about dogs. It is nicely written, very well-researched, and includes a lesson in ethology as well, so it basically doesn't teach you how to take care of your dog but rather how to learn from your dog the best ways to keep you and your companion happy.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I really liked this author and how much he clearly adores dogs, I really expected to learn more about dogs from the book. It is filled with anecdotes describing dogs the author has known or witnessed at dog parks and lots of talk about what dogs love and need, but very little in terms of actually understanding dogs.

I actually started reading this book last fall and got bored and set it aside. It sat on my Kindle for months and I felt guilty for not making myself finish it. Then we adopted a new dog, Moose, from a shelter and I had so many questions that I hoped this book could answer. It promises to teach why dogs do what they do in the title, after all. Moose is a one-year-old rescue who came with absolutely no information since he was picked up as a stray (unlike our last dog, whose back story we knew and helped understand her behavior), and there are so many things that I wanted to understand like why he suddenly barks at us for no reason (that we can tell) sometimes. He's enormous so it's a little unsettling to sit down in a rocking chair to read a book and all of the sudden have a dog look at you from the couch and loudly bark at you. Looking online there were possible reasons but none of them fit. We weren't keeping him from anything, he didn't seem to want to play, he didn't seem to need anything obvious and there wasn't any obvious trigger. I was hoping Bekoff would have insight but there was less than one paragraph in the whole book about why dogs bark, and it was sort of "we don't know" for the most part. I was also hoping for more nuts-and-bolts advice on how to use positive training methods, but this isn't that kind of book either.

I did learn that dogs have incredible senses of smell (even more so than I ever knew), absolutely love to play, will almost never devolve to fighting when playing with other dogs, and some other basic information. Bekoff stresses again and again that all dogs are unique and have their own personalities, needs, types of intelligence and reasons for doing things so you can't generalize about anything with them. He advocates for them well and clearly adores them, but the book would more accurately be titled "Stories from the Dog Park." Still an interesting read, especially for people who really love dogs.

My rating system:
1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

[Morgan Gariepy · Rating 2 out of 5]

To summarize the book, "Dogs are dogs, they're individuals, and we don't know why they do anything." There really wasn't anything in this book surprising, and I didn't gain anything insightful from it. All I got was that the things dogs do are normal, so chill out.

The subtitle of the book is a complete lie. The author pretty much never answers WHY dogs do anything. Whenever faced with the question, he basically just shrugs and says "dunno." Disappointing.

[Teiji · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a canine researcher, I felt like the author depended way too much on anecdotal evidence and casual dog park/home observations to support his assertions. Really was hoping for more actual research.

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly basic information and reminders related to canine thinking, feeling, and behaving, with nice anecdotes to make the point. Some interesting thoughts about dog parks and other increasingly-common play venues.

By the middle of the book, I was weary of the recurring lecturish caveats that every dog is unique, that research hasn't touched on such-and-such behavior, etc. And for my edition, a good chunk of the book is in the appendices, not the main text.

It's ok - and I've taken this as an occasion to freshly think about how our canine companion plays - but I'm glad that I bought the kindle edition in terms of price.

[Nicole Westen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, informative read. A lot of this might be familiar if you've ever googled 'why does my dog...' but it was a nice book all the same. If you take anything away from this, it's pay attention to what your dog does, sometimes you can find your own answers, or you'll notice something really neat that you never realized before.
That said, it doesn't give too many specific answers, like 'why does my dog run in circles before pooping?' or 'why does my dog like to lay on me?' but it does help you figure out the answer on your own. And if not, there's always google.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up because the spirit of this book is so pure and good. Marc Bekoff is an ethologist who shares his wisdom, wonderings, and stories in this book as a means of responding to common questions he is asked at the dog park. One big takeaway: science oftentimes has yet to answer our questions, and as dog lovers, it's our job to neither assume nor over-generalize what's going on in our dog's head and heart. The writing felt at times repetitive, but this quick read left me feeling an even deeper appreciation for the four-legged companions in my life.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very dogcentic book about dog behavior. The author doesn't call the dogs "pets", they are non-human animals and companions. Explanations of common dog behaviors from the dog's point of view. The emphasis in not on establishing the owner as the "boss" or on "domination", rather he explains how you can work together to meet the needs of the dog as well as the owner's parameters, with an emphasis on making sure the owner's expectations are not unrealistic.

[L1ll14n · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for people wanting to learn more about dog behavior and why dogs do what they do. There is a lot of scientific references to back up the information provided and it sometimes reads a little too academic. There are some great tips on how to observe and learn from dogs at dog parks.
Advanced reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

[Michael Flick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Opinions and observations, mainly gathered from frequenting dog parks. Disappointing In that there are little or no science nor data to support what seems obviously correct and reasonable, but who knows? No surprises, nothing new or novel here, really. And repetitive, redundant, and pretty much says the same things over and over again.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took awhile to read, as there was so many stories in the book - stories giving the reader insight into the behaviours of a dog. It was so cool to think about why dogs do what they do when they wag their tail or lick their owners a lot. This book had so many interesting facts about dogs, felt like a psychology of dogs manual. A great read for any dog lover!

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. Just was really hard to get into, perhaps it’s the audiobook that was reading it aloud. His voice was was a bit TOO calm and soothing and put me to sleep… so my mind would wander and I had to go backwards again. Some good stories or facts in there though. Still an enjoyable book overall.

[Roberta Westwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must love dogs!

Great insights into the canine world. Well informed and deeply respectful of dogs, the author weaves in enough odd stories about the notions humans have about their dogs to keep one entertained (and laughing/ rolling ones eyes at the humans). Recommended if you have a dog, still fun if you don’t.

[TL Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of using the dog park (which is either loved or hated by dog owners, often who are not understanding the things in this book) as a microcosm to look closer at dog behavior made this an engaging read. There is lots of familiar stuff about dogs, but if you are new to dogs you will learn a ton. And even if you aren't, there are some great insights and reminders into how dogs behave.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know if it is because I prefer cats over dogs or what but I found this book boring. I found nothing that I didn’t know about. I struggled to read it.

I received this book from netgalley.com for a honest review.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting perspective on how to observe dogs and use skills as an ethologist. The author has a very uplifting tone and great outside view on the current research for canine behavior and cognition.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed being reminded on the feelings of dogs and this book helped me think about my dog by looking at their perspective. This also shows me that there is quite a bit we still have to learn about dogs. I thought this would have more scientific studies than empirical evidence.

[Jan Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a professional dog trainer I didn't learn anything new, but it's a really good, comprehensive book for the lay person with solid scientific and ethical principles. I wish all my clients could read this.

[RuBisCO Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

very ok, I thought this would be more about the science of dog behavior but I found it more informed by antidotes and then a long opinion piece at the end (which was a good argument) about animal and dog ethics.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at “man’s best friend”. While the answer to many questions remains “we need more research” this provided some good insight.

[Christine D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a dog lover but I'm not sure there was anything super surprising in this book. The author's narrative seemed to lose focus sometime.
I basically scanned this one.

[Tawnee Calhoun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mostly liked this book, but I do think the author relied too much on anecdotes as evidence for his claims. I would've preferred to read more about the scientific research done in these areas.

[Miho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the Japanese version, as my friend translated it. Helpful for dog owners, but it reads more like paper.