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The Intelligence of Dogs: A Guide To The Thoughts, Emotions, And Inner Lives Of Our Canine Companions |  | Author: Stanley Coren
Publisher: Bantam
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
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Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 495877
Media: Paperback
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0553374524
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.7
UPC: 021898374523
EAN: 9780553374520
ASIN: 0553374524
Publication Date: March 1, 1995
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
How well to dogs understand language? Why can't Rover read? Can you teach on old dog new tricks? How smart is your dog? Psychologist Stanley Coren answers these questions and more in this enlightening resource for dog owners, potential dog owners, and anyone who loves a good dog story. In the best-selling tradition of The Hidden Life Of Dogs and featured in national media from USA Today and Newsweek to "Charlie Rose" and "Dateline NBC," The Intelligence Of Dogs is an absorbing read that combines heroic stories of dogs with the latest scientific and psychological information and sections on how to: Choose a family dog. Read your dog's body language. Test your dog's smarts. Understand the sophisticated language of the bark. Tailor a training program for best results. And so much more.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 33
 So-So, a bit facile, a bit dated November 19, 2009
T. Brenzel (Louisville, KY)
Gotta agree with other reviewer about the rambling, and need for better editing--a lot of filler . . . not that terribly well researched from a scientific point of view. His descriptions of dog body language were too elementary and superficial for a student of dog behavior. I did enjoy his anecdotes about real and historical dogs more than some of his conclusions--esp. when he confessed to using a rather unscientific comparison of breeds by survey of obedience show judges--he apologized for the lack of available studies, but c'mon, that's not an excuse for a poor substitute. Coren's a human psychologist, not a dog behaviorist and it shows . . . For a much more informed (and entertaining) read on the dog's mind I suggest Patricia McConnell and Jean Donaldson . . .
The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs
For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend
The Culture Clash: A Revolutionary New Way to Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs
Just say it already! October 30, 2009
little dog (New York, NY)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Although Mr.Coren may know a lot about the history of dogs, how they are represented in different cultures, about different movements concerning animal intelligence, and the like, I couldn't help but feel that this guy just likes to hear himself ramble on and on and on! I may have a problem with run on sentences, but this Stanley needs an editor! You can skim through most of it, but the meat is hard to find, and I was quite bored. This is less of a scientific examination of a species and their intelligence, and more of a round about study of a dogs history, and someone's inconclusive opinion of how and what they might be thinking.
Oh well.
 Perpetuating Ignorance, Not Explaining Intelligence August 16, 2009
Susan Zyphur (Southern CA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
As a trainer who has actually studied and researched dog behavior, I had trouble reading this book. On several occasions I put it down in disgust, unable to read another word. But, because I want to be widely versed in dog behavior - even if it's just the inaccurate garbage that my clients might be exposed to - I did read it in its entirety. I have trouble citing anything from this book that is factual and would make it worth reading, apart from perhaps the entertaining historical anecdotes. If you want to know about dog intelligence, the serious dog behavior student should read "Applied Dog Behavior and Training" by Lindsay (all 3 volumes) to start. For dog owners I highly recommend "The Other End of the Leash" by Dr. Patricia McConnell (who actually does have her Ph.D. in a field related to dog behavior, unlike Coren). The dog owner should understand that the "tests" in this book mean absolutely nothing and may actually be harmful by labeling a dog "dominant" or "aggressive" when he is nothing of the sort. Here are the main problems I found with Coren's book:
* Excessive reference to dominance theory, including the terms "alpha," "pack leader," etc. Dominance theory was created based on faulty research in the mid-20th century, which has since been updated and has been mostly thrown out when referring to pet dogs. Your pet dog is not a pack animal - if it were, it would kill every intruder to its territory, including the mail carrier, guests, and dogs that come to visit for "play dates." We could not live with a pack animal, and through the domestication process we have bred it out for our own convenience. Current research points to dogs as solitary animals, congregating in groups of 2-3 when food scarcity requires it. They are different enough from wolves that they simple can't be compared the way we used to think they could. Your dog does not jump up on you to establish dominance, nor as a sign of "disrespect." Humans are the ones obsessed with respect (or the lack of it), not dogs. Dogs know we are not dogs; they're not that stupid. And to assume that all dogs think about is social rank and dominance is simplifying their intelligence unnecessarily; most dogs could care less and have far better things to think about, such as how to get you to fill the food dish or pick up the leash. Coren likens dog intelligence to that of 2-year-olds, and yet doesn't make the connection that most dogs out there are trying to manipulate us - just like 2-year-olds - not dominate us.
*The "intelligence tests" themselves are not based on any sort of scientific research, nor was any research done to determine whether or not they are accurate. Simply reading them, I couldn't find a single test that I felt would be an accurate reflection of what they tested for. There were too many other ways - much easier, simpler, more reasonable ways - to interpret the results. For example, a dog that does not explore and show immediate interest in an environment that you have altered dramatically is given a low "score." However, a well socialized dog, used to seeing many different things and learning to take them all in stride, may show little or no interest - and you WANT that. Alternatively, if you're the type that rearranges the furniture often, the dog may be so used to it that he ignores the change. A dog that is quick to react and explore may well be neurotic, not intelligent. For another test, a dog is supposed to attempt to get a treat from beneath a towel. The author recommends using a biscuit. A dog, being an intelligent animal, may well decide that the effort involved in finding the biscuit is not worth the biscuit itself (being a very low-value food reward), thus scoring low on the test. A "spoiled" dog that is used to having problems solved for him will simply wait for you to retrieve the biscuit. I'd call these pretty intelligent dogs, personally. A dog that doesn't like his equipment (not uncommon if choke chains, prong collars, or the like are used) or that isn't walked on a leash often will fail test 1. A dog taught to "leave it," whether formally or informally, will fail test 2. Test 5 will likely be failed if you haven't taught your dog to hold eye contact, which is an unnatural behavior for dogs. In summary, some of the tests will insult your dog's intelligence, not test it. They are better used to show how much training your dog has received.
*The "personality tests" were simply ridiculous. Again, many of them test training, not personality, and they all are supposed to be able to gauge your dog's level of "dominance." Research has shown that the only personality factor that is worth testing in puppies is fear - all other factors tested were unrelated to dogs' adult personalities. Coren also suggests a puppy handling protocol that is actually different from that used by the US Army, and says "there is no harm in handling the pup for a longer period of time" than he suggests. This is false, harm can be done by over-handling of young puppies; it creates neurotic adult dogs.
*He refers to dog-human interactions in such cold terms that is debases the nature of the human-animal relationship. He described dogs "submitting to" the "commands" of their human "masters." Perhaps this is how he truly sees it, having been in the military and likely having a background in compulsion training. Luckily, training methods have evolved, and trainers have a better understanding of how learning and behavior occur. Dogs don't "obey" - they simply react the way that works best in a given situation. Humans, having a weakness for power and feeling important, sometimes interpret this as "obedience" and thus they think they have "control" over the dog. Nothing could be further from the truth. His attitude toward dogs and their behavior are a reflection of the type of training that was popular decades ago - current trainers with any sort of understanding of learning theory would never refer to dog behavior the way he does.
*He used obedience judges as "experts" in dog intelligence. Maybe it's just me, but somehow I think that someone who researches dog intelligence might be a better expert than someone who judges the effectiveness of a dog's training. (Let me note here that Coren does not research dog intelligence - his academic training has, in fact, nothing to do with dogs. He is a hobby judge and showman. He isn't an expert in dog intelligence - he just decided to write a book on it. I could write a book on the work Cohen did for his Ph.D., but that doesn't mean I'll have any idea what I'm talking about.) Obedience judges are trained to quantify how well a dog has been trained - not how easy or difficult it was to train any of them, taking into account the methods used and the experience of the trainer, the power of the reinforcers or punishers used, etc. His "experts" were poorly chosen. He says himself that he spoke to obedience judges because he found the idea of properly analyzing his data too daunting. I suppose it doesn't matter which he ended up doing, because he hadn't collected enough obedience trial data to yield accurate results, anyway, so either way his list of dogs by intelligence would be worth very little.
*His interpretation of dog body language is inaccurate, which must have been difficult to accomplish given the many good resources on dog body language. I recommend Turid Rugaas's book "On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals" and "Canine Behavior" by Barbara Handelman if this aspect of the book interested you.
In summary, this is a book written to be sold and create revenue, not to increase awareness of dogs or dog behavior. In fact, it does the opposite. It has a feature many find attractive - an intelligence test! Unfortunately, the tests do nothing of the sort. I'd hold off on trying to test your dog's intelligence until we figure out how to do it with people, which we currently aren't really sure how to do accurately. If you want to know how intelligent your dog is, ask yourself why it matters - every individual dog has something to offer, regardless of how "smart" or well-trained he is. Look for the things your dog is good at and emphasize those to bring the best out of him every day.
 Sonata for dog and piano... ha! May 1, 2009
K. Yi
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
One of the best books I've read; educational on canine object, narrative, and most of all it's truly entertaining to read. There is much useful information on the dogs throughout this book that is original and well thought out, and I do appreciate author's such extra efforts.
I am not convinced on his method to establish ranking of dog's intelligence by breed, moreover, notion of ranking itself is a pretty silly, in my opinion. I guess this section on ranking by breed substantially increased the sale of this book, but without it, book would have been much valued. I live with a border collie, and I can see why so many dog-show judges rate them so highly, but is that really making this breed intelligent, or more desirable? This is where this book can be good for.
Read it, your time will be well spent.
I'd give this book minus 5 stars if I could May 21, 2008
Michael Grace (Blacksburg, VA United States)
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
If you go to Dr. Coren's site you may notice he lists his credentials twice in the first three paragraphs, and if you look at his published papers they have nothing to do with dogs. If you want to know the effects of being a left-handed person he may be the guy to talk with - but dog intelligence? He certainly writes a lot of material. Makes you wonder how he has the time to properly research things. He certainly claims to be an expert on a huge number of topics!! I don't see any peer reviewed articles on dogs anywhere. So how is it possible that he has become the most quoted person on the internet on dog intelligence? It's the horribly flawed list included in this book. Every pet food site looking for material to make their site look more legitimate quotes this nonsense. A research scientist (opinions of trainers and human psychologists do not count as animal intelligence research scientists) would never produce a list on dog intelligence using the data and sample sizes this "expert" obviously used. This guy is not an animal behavioralist. Does he have the credentials to judge the breeds and what their level of intelligence is. I say no he does not. Proof of this is just the statistical sample sizes needed to come to real conclusions when making claims like he has. Does anyone believe he sampled enough individual dogs to come up with dependable results?
Dog breeds were developed to do very specific things. They have very different traits. If anyone has ever worked with a number of Australian Shepherds, for example, they'd have to just laugh at where the good doctor has placed them on his list. This is an extremely smart breed that is considered by many to be the equal of Border Collies. I live in an area where herding dogs are very common and Australian Shepherds are generally considered among the smartest of breeds. Where they should be on a list of dog intelligence is an interesting question as herding dogs are experts at certain - but not all - jobs. They do need to have high intelligence as they need to be able to take charge of a herd of large dangerous animals. Certainly nothing beats Border Collies at working sheep, but the three main breeds used around where I live are Aust. Shep.s, B. Collies and Aust. Cattle dogs. The Australian Shepherds are becoming more and more popular. So if B. Collies are #1 and Aust. Cattle dogs are #10 why are these breeds being displaced by a dog ranked #42 ? I guess the people that actually use and depend on their dogs for their safety and ability to help make the mortgage payments are just crazy or really not very bright. What really makes this list a joke, though, is the obvious lack of research work it represents. You need to use huge samples of each breed. He has not done this. I question his methods. I question his motives. What value does a list like this represent? Simple. People love lists - so they will buy them.
How unbelievably egocentric it is to actually produce this list to begin with. And without up to date knowledge about the whole "alpha myth" and social structure of our dogs and wolves. This book is an insult to serious research scientists who could spend a career studying this material before feeling confident in their data set and results. This is just absolutely the worst kind of junk-science that is written to make a buck. I rate it as a step backwards in our understanding and knowledge of the breeds we love and choose. Minus 5 stars.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 33
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