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Summary: After reading this book I started treating Daisy much better
Review: Daisy is our dog. I grew up with a wild 65 pound beastie of a dog in the home of my childhood. When we adopted a 10 week old Sheltie (Daisy) I wanted a better experience. I wanted to learn how to really love dogs. This book [and Daisy] helped me understand the depth and love and compassion within these gentle animals. A prior reviewer said that Jeffrey Moussaieff simply created his dogs in his own image, but how can a pet live with us for a lifetime without picking up on our emotional vibes? This book is filled with compelling anecdotes and stories about dogs and the unconditional love that is in their heart and soul. One story from this book - (from memory) Many decades ago, a man decides he wants to get rid of his dog. He chooses to end the dog's life by drowning it. He rows out into a large river and pushes the dog out of the boat. The dog ducks under the boat and swins up on the other side and tries to crawl back into the boat. The man goes to the other side of the small boat and using the oar, pushes the dog back under the water. Dog again swims to the other side and tries to crawl back in. The man is losing his temper. He stands up and uses the oar to push the dog under and hold him under. In doing so, he loses his balance and falls into the water. The dog saves his life. I shared this story with children I teach as an example of unconditional love. I don't know that we humans have really mastered this unconditional love that bears no ill will, but just keeps pouring out love. The book is full of these stories. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: A great investment!
Review: I am currently reading this book, and find it very good and am glad that I bought it! It was worth every cent. I saw it on Oprah one day and said, 'I gotta get that book'! I love dogs, and this is a great buy!
Rating: 
Summary: Boring, monotonous, but somewhat touching.
Review: I bought this book at a used book store for about 6 dollars. I had heard great things from other doggie lovers like myself, so didn't mind dishing out a few bucks to purchase it. When I first delved into this book, I had obnoxiously high hopes, a little TOO high I will admit. But this book did not even scratch the surface on what I hoped it to be. I do extensive research on dog's an dog behavior and though this man really does seem to love his dogs, he projects his emotions a little too strongly onto them. Though I cannot speak for fact that dogs can or cannot(none of us can, we have never actually been dogs)feel certain emotions, I have never witnessed any behaviors that could even suggest that the emotions the author claims that dogs have, that dogs feel. He doesn't have any real scientific proof for these claims. Just what he thinks his three dogs are feeling. And three dogs are few among the millions of dogs in the world. He makes 'scientists' out as unfeeling and uncaring, as if they don't believe dogs have ANY emotions. I've heard and met of many proffessionals and scientists who believe animals have emotions. He seems as if he wants to make himself believe these dogs have emotions. And as much as I do think dogs can love, he credits them with too many expansive feelings. He repeats that dogs are "pure emotion" and "loving beings" too many times to be enjoyable. It was also rather boring, though some of the stories did warm your heart, it's not a book I will be re-reading or flipping through like I do with a lot of books. It's charming, but don't read all of this with a grain of salt, and don't be afraid to make your own conclusions. Though I'm not going to bash the author like other reviewers have, I will admit the book is rather off, monotonous and not at all scientific.
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Summary: Not exactly what I expected.
Review: I found the book interesting as a starting point to understanding my dogs better, but in places was quite hard to follow and not an easy read. I enjoyed the author's anecdotes of his own animals and it definately made me understand how important it is to form a strong bond between myself and my dogs.
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Summary: A charming book
Review: I found this book to be quite charming. While not the scientific in-depth review of canine behaviour, this book offers insight to those who wonder, "What is going on in my dog's head?"
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Summary: Not riveting, but relatively thought-provoking.
Review: I have read the reviews on this book and after reading it myself I agree and disagree. Most of the criticism was that Masson created this book on a bunch of anecdotes seen often in other publications. I do have to agree with them a little on that one, for I did notice it after several chapters myself. It wasn't exactly a "page-turner." But I do have to give him some credit for showing me a few thought-provoking ideas. After all, the subject of animals' emotions is an aspect in science that is highly controversial, and it is hard to please everyone. Hats off to Masson for a good attempt at examining a topic we know so little about.
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Summary: Not helpful to genuine dog lovers!
Review: I have thought for a long time that Jeffrey Masson is full of baloney, and, having read this book, I feel completely secure in my original assessment of his "works". The material presented in this book is pretentious and unscientific. Anyone who genuinely wishes to better understand his/her dog's behaviour must, unfortunately, search elsewhere for helpful insights.
Rating:
Summary: a must-read for dog-owners
Review: I loved this book, despite the fact that Masson sometimes seems to be projecting his own feelings onto his pets. This is not a scientific examination, but an astute psychologist's ruminations on the bond between human and canine. It should be required reading for all dog OWNERS as well as all dog lovers, as it would help people understand the psychology of dogs better; the neglect and abuse of dogs is far too common.
Rating:
Summary: a must-read for dog-owners
Review: I loved this book, despite the fact that Masson sometimes seems to be projecting his own feelings onto his pets. This is not a scientific examination, but an astute psychologist's ruminations on the bond between human and canine. It should be required reading for all dog OWNERS as well as all dog lovers, as it would help people understand the psychology of dogs better; the neglect and abuse of dogs is far too common.
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Summary: A very enjoyable book about dog behavior.
Review: I really enjoyed reading this wonderfully written book. Many times I have caught myself bursting into laughter and nodding my head fiercely in agreement while reading. Some of his descriptions of dog behavior closely match my own observations and opinions of my dog's behavior. My dog is now 14, and this book brought back many fond memories of my own attempts in the last 14 years at trying to interpret his many bodily and facial expressions and interesting behavior. Mr. Masson has done an excellent job at conveying his own love for dogs by offering his own perspective of dog psychology based on his first-hand experience as a dog owner. This book is not the "text book on dog psychology" which some people may have come to expect. It does not offer scientific analyses with data gathered in labs from formal, structured research, but that's also the beauty of the book. I think this book succeeds at telling a very personal story and providing insights into how a true dog lover WOULD come to interpret and understand their pets expressions and behavior. With Mr. Masson's powerful writing style, vivid images of dogs' expressions literally jumped to my eyes as I read through the book. My heart has melted more than once over the many dog stories told by this book. It is not just a good story book about one man's understanding of dog psychology. It is also a good introductory book for casual dog owners who want to know more about psychoanalysis of dogs. Written not only for those who appreciate dogs, I also believe it has enough power to transform those who are indifferent to dogs into avid dog lovers.
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