Hi Friends!

Have you ever wondered how a dog thinks? What makes them sniff at things like crazy when you smell nothing at all? Or what your dog is dreaming about when you hear those muffled barks and his paws are twitching? Or what about your dog’s behavior in general and why he decided rolling in that pile of poop was a good idea?

Obviously you care about what dogs have to say, because you are reading my blog posts. And so does my mom, who went into complete doggy learning more shortly before I came home to live with them. It was a bit like when one is expecting a baby — but I was covered in a whole lot more fur than most children — and weighed about twice that of a human baby at 8 weeks old!

While learning more about dogs, mom picked up books about Newfies (both funny and technical) and books about training dogs (it had been quite a few years since she’d had a dog — and I’m dad’s first)…and she also came across a book called How Dogs Think: What the World Looks Like to Them and Why They Act the Way They Do which she just had to pick up.

It was a surprisingly easy read, despite the rather scientific information and revelations. But the author Stanley Coren really does a nice job of explaining the basic senses of dogs and how they function — and how those senses impact our actions. If you are wondering things like how dogs learn processes, or if certain traits are pre-wired into specific dog breeds, or even if dogs appreciate watching the TV or listening to music — you can find answers in this book. The author also discusses the probability of dogs predicting disasters and illnesses.

For example, did you know that dogs only have 1700 taste buds, versus the 9000 that a human has? And the saliva glands in a dog’s mouth produce different kinds of saliva based upon the food they are eating? Did you know that the surface area of a dog’s nose impacts the number of smell receptors the dog has?

How Dogs Think is over 300 pages (even without the appendix sections) and it does get a bit long-winded and dull from time to time because of the nature of the topic. But if you are truly interested in learning more about dog and what makes them tick, it’s a quite interesting book with a lot of information packed into it. There are examples used throughout the text with real dog examples and stories — but if you are into books with illustrations and diagrams, this book is not for you.

What is also interesting about this book is that Stanley Coren makes a lot of comparisons between dogs and humans, and dogs and cats, so that you can really gain some perspective on how a dog’s mind really functions. After reading this book, you will have a great appreciation for man’s best friend and the things that dogs are capable of!

By the way, the links above are affiliate links for amazon.com — and if you happen to make a purchase via that link, mom will be able to put a little more kibble in my bowl tonight — or maybe even give me a tasty piece of dried lung waffle. Oh wait, I get that anyway!

Until next time!

Newfie kisses,