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Decoding Dogs: Inside the Canine Mind
They might be our best friends, but we often have no idea what they are thinking. Peer inside the fascinating world of the mind of the dog with associate professor of psychology Ellen Furlong of Illinois Wesleyan University.
Ever wonder how the same nose that always manages to find the worst-smelling place in the park to roll around can also be trained to sniff out cancer, bombs, and even endangered plants and animals? As you embark on a penetrating look at the canine brain, you’ll break down the unique ways dogs think and feel and investigate how they see the world around them—as well as how they smell it!
Professor Furlong will unpack the evolution and domestication of dogs and explain why talking about how “smart” dogs are misses the point. She’ll dig into the special relationship dogs have with humans, both illuminating where it stemmed from and examining what dogs actually think of us.
These insights will help you gain a much deeper understanding of and appreciation for your canine companion, and, by examining how dogs acted in the past, you might better grasp your modern dog’s perplexing, quirky behaviors. A better comprehension of your dog’s cognition, perception, and social relationships will help you build a stronger bond as well as improve your ability to work with your pup.
If you’ve ever shaken your head at your puzzling pup while wondering "Why in the world does he do that?" this is your chance to get answers as you go inside the mind of your furry best friend.
©2020 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.
Ever wonder how the same nose that always manages to find the worst-smelling place in the park to roll around can also be trained to sniff out cancer, bombs, and even endangered plants and animals? As you embark on a penetrating look at the canine brain, you’ll break down the unique ways dogs think and feel and investigate how they see the world around them—as well as how they smell it!
Professor Furlong will unpack the evolution and domestication of dogs and explain why talking about how “smart” dogs are misses the point. She’ll dig into the special relationship dogs have with humans, both illuminating where it stemmed from and examining what dogs actually think of us.
These insights will help you gain a much deeper understanding of and appreciation for your canine companion, and, by examining how dogs acted in the past, you might better grasp your modern dog’s perplexing, quirky behaviors. A better comprehension of your dog’s cognition, perception, and social relationships will help you build a stronger bond as well as improve your ability to work with your pup.
If you’ve ever shaken your head at your puzzling pup while wondering "Why in the world does he do that?" this is your chance to get answers as you go inside the mind of your furry best friend.
©2020 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.
Audible Audio
Published August 18, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 17, 2022
Decoding Dogs:Inside the Canine Mind, written and narrated by Ellen Furlong, The Great Courses is tremendous interacting, captivating information about dogs. How do dogs become domesticated? When does it happen? How do dogs speak with a human? Various advises. Good lectures.
January 15, 2021
"Decoding Dogs" aims to share the scientific research on dogs' origins, perception, cognition etc with the wide audience.
It contains quite a lot of interesting information, especially if you have not read much on the topic previously. This is by far not my first book about dogs or wolves, but it still gave me a fair amount of new knowledge.
I especially liked the relatively detailed explanation of the competing theories of the domestication of dogs, including the experiments on domestication of foxes and the insight they give us about the domestication of dogs; the lectures on dogs' vision and hearing ability (the explanation of the relevant anatomical and neurological differences between dogs and humans and how they influence these abilities); the description of the experiments which are used to study perception and cognition of dogs; and the fascinating research about dogs having the same mutation as humans with Williams syndrome:
https://www.insidescience.org/news/ra...
Sometimes I had an impression that the lecturer was overdoing the unavoidable simplification, so that for my taste it felt more like dumbing down. This is the main reason for four stars instead of five.
It contains quite a lot of interesting information, especially if you have not read much on the topic previously. This is by far not my first book about dogs or wolves, but it still gave me a fair amount of new knowledge.
I especially liked the relatively detailed explanation of the competing theories of the domestication of dogs, including the experiments on domestication of foxes and the insight they give us about the domestication of dogs; the lectures on dogs' vision and hearing ability (the explanation of the relevant anatomical and neurological differences between dogs and humans and how they influence these abilities); the description of the experiments which are used to study perception and cognition of dogs; and the fascinating research about dogs having the same mutation as humans with Williams syndrome:
https://www.insidescience.org/news/ra...
Sometimes I had an impression that the lecturer was overdoing the unavoidable simplification, so that for my taste it felt more like dumbing down. This is the main reason for four stars instead of five.
March 2, 2022
Fun, informative and interesting book about dogs, from Audible's Great Courses. The author/narrator presented some interesting facts and very understandable research that was helpful in understanding some of the mysteries about dogs.
I loved learning about how and why they are able to sniff out and smell things so much better than we are. I have always found that rather fascinating. Then, when they can be "trained" to detect certain things, such as drugs, weapons, cancer or even a seizure before it starts, it is amazing!
There was also an interesting discussion about their eyesight and whether or not they can see colors, or just certain colors. I have always been curious about that too. Plus, she covered the distance they are able to see things aa compared to humans.
These topics just touch the surface of what this book covers. Elen Furlong was knowledgeable, and an intelligent researcher, but It didn't feel like dry lectures, I found it enjoyable and interesting and would gladly recommend it to anyone who loves dogs and wants to learn more about them.
I loved learning about how and why they are able to sniff out and smell things so much better than we are. I have always found that rather fascinating. Then, when they can be "trained" to detect certain things, such as drugs, weapons, cancer or even a seizure before it starts, it is amazing!
There was also an interesting discussion about their eyesight and whether or not they can see colors, or just certain colors. I have always been curious about that too. Plus, she covered the distance they are able to see things aa compared to humans.
These topics just touch the surface of what this book covers. Elen Furlong was knowledgeable, and an intelligent researcher, but It didn't feel like dry lectures, I found it enjoyable and interesting and would gladly recommend it to anyone who loves dogs and wants to learn more about them.
January 6, 2022
A short, sweet and informative explanation of how dogs have evolved, become domesticated, and what they think about us humans. It made me want to hug my own dog - a beautiful German Shepherd - even more than usual, the next time I visited my parents. The chapter about the trauma dogs go through when they are bereaved of an owner, or are abandoned (which is beyond sickening for someone to do) nearly got me though. Listening to it on audio, I was standing there washing dishes at the sink with my lips pursed so I didn't sob.
July 29, 2022
Interesting book for dog lovers, including me 😊
August 29, 2022
If you love dogs, then you will love this lecture series. Professor Furlong expertly explores how, why, and to what extent dogs connect with humans. There were definitely some gems in here that helped me to understand my dog better, and she uses some real examples from her own dogs in an effort to explain behaviors and actions. The book analyzes data and research without being too esoteric, so the average dog owner or reader can grasp the meaning. I love Audible Great Courses because each lecture is organized as its own short segment so they can be listened to quickly or more gradually one lecture at a time. The Great Courses also makes technical knowledge accessible to all. I highly recommend snuggling with your dog while you listen -- that's what I did!
November 3, 2024
An okay audible lecture about the history of dogs and some studies being done on their reactions/ comparability to domestication from wolves. Lots of contradictions and surpassing little studies have been done one this.
March 14, 2023
Very interesting and fun. I may love my sweet dog even more now! Interesting and extensive research presented in an engaging way.
April 7, 2021
5-
This audiobook is a free offering which is available from audible.com as a membership benefit. It is also one of the Great Courses productions. The presenter is Elen Furlong, an associate professor of psychology at Illinois Wesleyan University. She works in a dog cognition laboratory which studies dogs from a scientific perspective. She also lives with her two pet rescue dogs. This enables her to view canines from both a professional and personal perspective.
Decoding Dogs: Inside the Canine Mind is a short course, less than 6 hours long. However, it successfully presents a surprisingly thorough and clearly explained summary of what we know about the thinking process of dogs, especially those having relationships of various kinds with humans. I've read more complete books on many of the topics Furlong discusses, and I am impressed with how accurately she explains these findings for nonscientists. In addition she applies a number of technical terms and concepts to familiar common experiences, sometimes using her own dogs as specific examples. These anecdotes are often amusing, but they are always directly related to concept under discussion. Their main purpose is to relate unfamiliar vocabulary and ideas to the mundane experiences most of us have had with dogs. She displays all of the hallmarks of a master teacher in this short course.
It is challenging to write a coherent, reasonably comprehensive, and engaging summary. I am impressed with how effectively Elen Furlong accomplished this. Any one of the topics in dog cognition she addresses is worthy of further examination, and for more detail I suggest that interested listeners seek out the many excellent books written by the specific researchers themselves on their work. This audiobook is an introduction to, or a review of, the vast field of dog cognition as it stands today. In my opinion Furlong admirably achieves her goal, providing a general understanding as well as an intriguing invitation for her listeners to delve deeper into the minds and emotions of our dogs.
This audiobook is a free offering which is available from audible.com as a membership benefit. It is also one of the Great Courses productions. The presenter is Elen Furlong, an associate professor of psychology at Illinois Wesleyan University. She works in a dog cognition laboratory which studies dogs from a scientific perspective. She also lives with her two pet rescue dogs. This enables her to view canines from both a professional and personal perspective.
Decoding Dogs: Inside the Canine Mind is a short course, less than 6 hours long. However, it successfully presents a surprisingly thorough and clearly explained summary of what we know about the thinking process of dogs, especially those having relationships of various kinds with humans. I've read more complete books on many of the topics Furlong discusses, and I am impressed with how accurately she explains these findings for nonscientists. In addition she applies a number of technical terms and concepts to familiar common experiences, sometimes using her own dogs as specific examples. These anecdotes are often amusing, but they are always directly related to concept under discussion. Their main purpose is to relate unfamiliar vocabulary and ideas to the mundane experiences most of us have had with dogs. She displays all of the hallmarks of a master teacher in this short course.
It is challenging to write a coherent, reasonably comprehensive, and engaging summary. I am impressed with how effectively Elen Furlong accomplished this. Any one of the topics in dog cognition she addresses is worthy of further examination, and for more detail I suggest that interested listeners seek out the many excellent books written by the specific researchers themselves on their work. This audiobook is an introduction to, or a review of, the vast field of dog cognition as it stands today. In my opinion Furlong admirably achieves her goal, providing a general understanding as well as an intriguing invitation for her listeners to delve deeper into the minds and emotions of our dogs.
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January 21, 20223.5 stars, rounded down because her side stepping questions about intelligence and other topics wasn't entirely in good faith. She did offer a wonderful summary of the state of the research as of now. I read the book Dog is Love and this book updates beyond that, reporting on some research started at the time of the writing of Dog is Love, but not completed. She also addresses some of the weak points of Dog is Love, which I greatly appreciated, having just read it and been left with a sense that someone should correct the record. But on the other hand, she doesn't address some of the topics that readers likely pick this up for, the most glaring is dog intelligence. She makes fair points about why it's very hard to compare dog intelligence overall to another species's intelligence overall. But she doesn't speak to a range of intelligence on the specifics where it is feasible to some degree. She does a bit indirectly sometimes by pointing out various studies but they aren't put into context with reference points. She does mention when it seems dogs are unique in an area, but still doesn't associate it with childhood development. For example, she notes how it is unique that dogs ask humans for help (for example, wolves their closest ancestors will not, even after being raised in the same condition a group of dogs is raised in), but she doesn't point out at what stage a human does this, which, while maybe still not able to speak to "intelligence" would give the reader a deeper sense of what that means. Do babies do this right away or is it a skill they gain over time? The answer to that says something about dog's capacities. But overall, this is a very good overview of this topic and I highly recommend it for people who are interested in the subject but don't want to get too bogged down in the weeds or to read several academic books.
August 7, 2022
Nice short summary on scientific research on cognition and intelligence of dogs.
Takeaways:
1. Dogs and wolfs diverged from their common ancestors around 30k~15k years ago. Either when humans were still hunter gatherers or had settled down.
2. Dogs are already genetically different from wolves in many aspect. (To me, this means "raw diet is the best diet because that's what wolves eat" is bullshit. Dogs have been evolving by natural and artificial selection for 15k years so it has gained the ability to eat what humans eat.)
3. Dogs are genetically hard wired to trust and enjoy the company of humans. Dogs share mutations with humans with Williams syndrome (which make children super social). Their oxytocin level raise when pet by humans and our oxytocin level are higher too. The bond is very real in terms of hormones.
4. A lot of emotions we attribute to dogs are hard to prove. Do they comfort us when we are sad because they sympathize with us, or they know they are getting pets?
5. Dogs can't feel guilt. Those guilty looks are actually submission because the owners are mad.
6. Dogs understand humans pointing at objects better than chimps. Very surprising.
7. Nature or nurture? Evidence very messy in terms of dogs' abilities.
8. Dog have so-so vision and hearing compared to their super charged sense of smell. Still objects are esp. hard for them to see.
Takeaways:
1. Dogs and wolfs diverged from their common ancestors around 30k~15k years ago. Either when humans were still hunter gatherers or had settled down.
2. Dogs are already genetically different from wolves in many aspect. (To me, this means "raw diet is the best diet because that's what wolves eat" is bullshit. Dogs have been evolving by natural and artificial selection for 15k years so it has gained the ability to eat what humans eat.)
3. Dogs are genetically hard wired to trust and enjoy the company of humans. Dogs share mutations with humans with Williams syndrome (which make children super social). Their oxytocin level raise when pet by humans and our oxytocin level are higher too. The bond is very real in terms of hormones.
4. A lot of emotions we attribute to dogs are hard to prove. Do they comfort us when we are sad because they sympathize with us, or they know they are getting pets?
5. Dogs can't feel guilt. Those guilty looks are actually submission because the owners are mad.
6. Dogs understand humans pointing at objects better than chimps. Very surprising.
7. Nature or nurture? Evidence very messy in terms of dogs' abilities.
8. Dog have so-so vision and hearing compared to their super charged sense of smell. Still objects are esp. hard for them to see.
August 21, 2024
A must-listen for all those people who are interested in dog's behaviour. It is very rare to come across a popular science book or series of lectures that is not too technical, but not too anecdotal either. I've listened to several Audible originals and they've all been a disappointment one way or the other. This series is an exception as the author isn't talking to university students or researchers in Animal Cognition, but isn't entertaining the general public with "little cute" dog stories either. It was also very difficult to summarize such a complex topic (including recent research) in only a few lectures, but she managed very well. Five well-deserved stars!
October 25, 2022
Perfectly fine, for what it is, but I was hoping for something a bit deeper and actionable for training. Instead, this is mostly an exploration of the history of canine domestication, exploring the whys of dog behaviour rather than the what's of how to effectively encourage different behaviours. This is solid stuff if you're interested, but it was mostly quite familiar for me, so wasn't what I was after.
December 14, 2021
I'm not a dog person, but it is interesting to learn about the capabilities of dogs, their co-evolution with humans , and common misconceptions - for example, that dogs feel guilty when they get into something they shouldn't. (In reality, they're simply putting on a submissive display in response to the body language of their owner.)
July 12, 2022
This is an interesting book covering the evolution of dogs, theories about how they became domesticated, studies on how smart dogs really are, the differences between types of dogs, what dogs really think about us, and how dogs communicate with us. It uses scientific information and studies but tells in in an interesting and fun way helping us to better understand our best friends.
June 24, 2025
I liked this book but I was expecting a little more detailed explanation. If you are excited to learn about scientific experiments and the different theories you may really enjoy this book. I did liked it but I wanted a more in depth less academic approach. I give it 4.5 stars
July 11, 2021
A bit repetitive at times, but left with a newfound appreciation and understanding of my best friend.
February 18, 2022
I love dogs and these lectures were enjoyable, but did not provide as many insights as I was hoping.
February 19, 2022
A fascinating look into our best friends' biology and evolution, how the relate to their own species and ours, and how they see the world.
November 2, 2022
4.5 stars, cute listen
March 27, 2023
Loved this--learned a ton about dogs.
October 16, 2023
Interesting research and insights on dog and their history and training.
November 23, 2023
informative and straightforward, but I don't feel like I learned more than I did just...living with a dog and knowing the basics of evolution. but it's nice to have it all presented in one place
September 8, 2024
If this lady comes in and tells my dog she is my friend, not my biological daughter, she might get bitten... Otherwise very interesting and sweet.
May 29, 2025
Enjoyable.
June 30, 2025
Some fascinating insights.
June 3, 2023
I can’t stop dropping facts from this listen into every day conversation. 10/10
November 2, 2022
Dogs and learning, what could be better?!
February 1, 2023
This is a Great Course audiobook about the science of dogs, how they think, how they see color, how they hear and how we know these things. It is also somewhat about the history of breeding dogs, when they came to be associated with people, how they are different from wolves, etc. She covers that breeding experiment with foxes in the Soviet Union that I was really interested in. I was glad to know more about it.
There are some delightful personal stories by the author as she explains theory in terms of her own dogs.
This is not a rah-rah, hooray-for-dogs audiobook. It does favor dogs because the author is a dog owner, loves her dogs, but is trying to stay objective.
I might listen to the audiobook again to see if I give it a higher rating. I'm tired right now and I am probably not giving it justice.
[Update (2023-Feb-01): I listened to it again and bumped the rating up 1 star.]
There are some delightful personal stories by the author as she explains theory in terms of her own dogs.
This is not a rah-rah, hooray-for-dogs audiobook. It does favor dogs because the author is a dog owner, loves her dogs, but is trying to stay objective.
I might listen to the audiobook again to see if I give it a higher rating. I'm tired right now and I am probably not giving it justice.
[Update (2023-Feb-01): I listened to it again and bumped the rating up 1 star.]
July 28, 2023
I really enjoyed this. I learned a few things, and I had a few things I suspected, verified. Dogs RULE, and it's kinda like we've grown up together as species —I just love that <3
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews