I was disappointed. There is much scientific talk, but in the end, I don't feel I learned much that I didn't already know -- never mind all those technical/scientific/biological details that I wasn't that interested in. If you pay any attention to your dog, you'll see that he wants to sniff things. And if, when you take him for walks, you are doing it for him, you'll give him time to do just that.

The way dogs see or smell, how they relate to other dogs and to you, some of that was interesting. But overall, I thought there was too much stuff in there, and much of that stuff was not well written, so that you tripped over contradictions or parts that didn't make sense.

The best part might have been the epigraph, a quote from Groucho that we all know...
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.

If I were to start all over again, I'd skip more and glean from the remainder. ( )

Horowitz offers a fascinating, extremely engaging look into dogs and our lives with them. The author's perspective as both a dog owner/lover and as a professor of psychology and animal behavior brings complementary dimensions to this explanation of what exactly dogs are, or rather, what exactly we think we know about dogs. All those who live or have lived with dogs will enjoy this book. ( )

Anyone could have written this, by being very observant and a close partner of the dog which a dog lover IS. And by brushing up on dog neurology. Love to all dogs.. ( )

I slowly fell in love with Pumpernickel, which is the authors point, most subtly made, that dogs enter into our lives and that maybe we can return that love just a little more dog-centrism than we do. ( )

Animal psychologist Horowitz, who specializes in dog cognition, explains dog behavior for lay readers. After reading this book, I have a better understanding of my dog, the bond we share, and how my dog’s experience of the world differs from mine. I wish I had known about this book when I adopted my dog nearly 8 years ago. I think it would have made the adjustment period easier for both of us. ( )