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Decoding Dogs: Inside the Canine Mind

By: Ellen Furlong, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Ellen Furlong
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Summary

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.
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What listeners say about Decoding Dogs: Inside the Canine Mind

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Great to understand our furry best friends

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.

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A new way of thinking .

This will totally change the way you think about your four legged friends .

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    3 out of 5 stars

A bit basic, but an OK introduction

As an overview of current understanding of dog evolution and behaviour it's fine, but lacks the real depth I was hoping for, already being familiar with much of this.

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Excellent insight into "the canine mind".

As the tile states, this gives an insight into "the canine mind". The narration is excellent and I found it an interesting and undemanding listen. Very good.

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Amazing

This helps understand many things about dogs and their relationship with us. Recommended for dog lovers

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Complex science broken down into a easy narrative.

Really interesting and easy to listen to. Great insight into the science of dogs, definitely would recommend.

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Great information

Great information for anyone wanting to learn more about dogs. Well narrated and easy to listen to

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Not so bad after all

Waste of precious time on endless examples and comparisons of things that are obvious (how oranges are different from apples, and what different dog breeds look like) at the beginning but also good portion of knowledge based on different studies with examples of the experiments

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Engaging and informative

Great delivery of content pitched at the right level for an informed but non-expert listener.

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Interesting, but for kids/young adults.

I liked this series of lectures and the professor who gives them. However, I do think it is aimed at kids/younger adults and/or people with absolutely no knowledge of science/research methods in the social sciences. Furlong is enthoustiastic and probably a very good researcher. But, she weirdly overexplains even the simplest concepts. For instance, she uses a full minute to explain why apples and oranges are different. Apples are tart and crisp, and oranges are sweet and juicy. Well, thanks for that info, I guess. Things that should be common knowledge (like what a Pavlov reaction is) also get too much airplay. I did like it when she described some more recent experiments and their outcomes.

All in all, this would be fun to listen to with an older kid who is getting a new puppy, I did this course at the 2.5 setting and Furlong's voice was still easy to digest at that speed. So I consider my less than 2 hours of listening worth it. If I had listened to it for the full 5.43 hrs, I would have considered it time wasted in return for the (small) amount of new information I received.

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