Rating: 
Summary: The denigration of dogs
Review: As someone who cares for dogs but doesn't live with one full-time, I was hoping to learn from this book. Instead, I found that it confirmed most of my anecdotal observations and explained some formerly mysterious behavior. For example, why does the dog's digestive ailment instantly clear up as soon as he's given wet food instead of dry, or, better yet, chicken? Easy--he's a hypochondriac and a manipulator! They do it because they know it works! Dogs really are smart, but not for the reasons we think they are. I agree with Budiansky that we do dogs a disservice by expecting them to be too much like us. To say that a dog is "just" a dog does not denigrate them. Show me a neurotic dog, and I'll show you a neurotic owner every time. Much of the book made me laugh out loud. Mostly what I ended up learning from it was the evolutionary stuff--fascinating. (A small disclaimer: I work for the journal Science, so I probably got more out of the evolution discussion than the average reader will.)
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and insightful
Review: Both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal gave this book rave reviews and I couldn't agree more. Calling on the latest scientific studies on dog genetics, evolution, and psychology, The Truth About Dogs is both fascinating for its insights into what makes your dog tick as well as (VERY unusually for dog books) extremely humorous and well written. Though Budiansky does not set out to write a training manual, and tries to stick to what we really know from science, no dog owner can read this book without coming away with many practical insights into how to better handle--and better understand and enjoy--his or her dog. I especially liked the sections dealing with why dogs bark, whether some breeds are really smarter than others, and why dogs invent the incredible variety of attention getting devices that they do. Reviewers often say that this or that book is a "must" but this one REALLY is a must for all dog owners and dog lovers.
Rating: 
Summary: I am a dog lover, Good book but NOT A TRAINING BOOK.
Review: But Budiansky really does not understand dogs very well. You don't learn about dogs from the abstract. I doubt that many people (if any) who have taken their dog regularly to the dog park and watched a thousand or so dogs growing up socializing in a healthy off leash environment will agree with many of Budiansky's conclusions. I only wish more people acted as "human" as many of the dogs I have met. Dogs are not Wolves. We have put very much of what we are into them over the years. Much of what is the best in us. I have felt that should space aliens ever really come to our planet, they will exterminate us like cockroaches, but they will keep the dogs.
Rating:
Summary: TheTruthAboutHATING Dogs
Review: I have 2 Airedales,Whiskey(Male)and Jazz(Female).I've never experienced so much love given to me by these beutifull Dogs.I wanted to know more about my BEST FRIENDS.How long are they going to live?Why does the female still pee sometimes in the living room?Why do I have to hand feed the male?Why is Whiskey afraid of lightning?Stephen Budiansky's book was no help.Were made to believe our dogs are not showing LOVE,but are Con Artist.Well, my 2 Airedales must be the greatest con artist in the World.In there eyes,I could do no wrong.When I fell last winter,the female rushed to my side to help me up while she was licking me.The male checks on me in the middle of the night to make sure I'm still alive,by licking my feet,and everyone else in the house before he goes back to sleep.How excited my 2 buddies are when I get home from work,and start drinking water,and eating dog bone treats because there so Happy to see me.If you LOVE Dogs,and want to know more about your Great Friends,this is NOT the Book to Read.
Rating:
Summary: A BRUTAL READ!!
Review: I was given this book as a gift and was really shocked to find all these positive reviews on Amazon. I have been trying to read this book for months and have decided to throw it out with about three quarters of it read. I have never not finished a book before. Brutal-diansky's writing style is terrible. I was amazed at his ability to take interesting topics, for example the aggressive behavior in dogs, and make me just not care about it. The amount of pages wasted on his so called scientific rhetoric was just absurd. Was he trying to write a science book or a fun fact finding book with anecdotal opinions? He approaches the subject of dogs in a clinical manner but after pages and pages of meandering just ends up being boringly opinionated. This would be fine if this was the intention of the book but let's be straight about it from the start. The author is not being very honest in this regard. On top of his horrific writing style and flip flopping between science and opinion the information given by him seemed like common sense. If you don't realize your dog is a dog and you are a human then for pete sake you need more than The Truth About Dogs from Stephen Brutal-diansky to read. I own two dogs and really thought I would learn more about them by reading this book. I was wrong. Very little of the information in this book was interesting and/or useful. A lot of it was just stuff you would already know if you owned a dog. I found this book a brutal read.
Rating:
Summary: Debunks Common Misconceptions about Dogs.
Review: In The Truth About Dogs, Budiansky offers an objective, insightful, and concise analysis of canis familiaris. His is a deliberate effort to understand dogs as they truly are, thus eliminating the anthropomorphic trappings most of us homo sapiens succumb to. He draws from an abundance of evolutionary and behavioral research, which he combines with relevant and oft funny examples. Budiansky starts by comparing wolves and the scavenger dogs from which modern dogs evolved. He discusses the structure of the wolf social-heirarchy and how it's been altered, but is still relevant in domestic canines. One of the most surprising and controversial assertion he makes is that humans probably didn't consciously domesticate dogs. Instead, it was a case of dogs exploiting humans. Individual dogs that were able to illicit a beneficial response from humans had a survival advantage over less-docile individuals. Humans were (and continue to be) a comparatively easy source of food (and other necessities) and thus certain dogs took advantage of this resources, thrived, and passed on these beneficial traits to their offspring. After setting the foundation, Budiansky procedes to debunk many of the myths most of us have (had) about canis familiaris. He argues, quite convincingly, that it's an anthropomorphic misconception to project human characteristics on dogs: They aren't loyal, selfless, or posses any number of human-defined attributes. Instead, canine behavior (like the behavior of all animals) is a combination of instinct and environmental conditioning. For instance, when a dog licks your face, it isn't out of love, but instead a show of submissiveness towards someone the dog perceives as a more dominant pack member. He continues to explain numerous other canine behaviors from the evolutionary-behavioral approach. It's understandable why so many other reviewers have denegrated this book. When long held falsities and misconceptions are so convincingly debunked, the natural reaction is offense and resentment: Many of my long-held delusions were shattered. However, even if you don't agree with his ideas, Budiansky has created soundly reasoned argument that is never tedious or pendantic. Inspite of what others have misunderstood (those who didn't finish the book), he writes out of love for dogs (he's lived with many in his lifetime) and a desire to cultivate a better understanding of their behavior. As two social species dogs and humans have much in common and Budiansky's work serves to enrich human-dog relations.
Rating:
Summary: The truth about this book
Review: There are a lot of lousy books about dogs, dog training, dog heroics, dog antics, etc., out there. This book is NOT one of them. Budiansky's thesis is simple: Dogs are dogs; they are not people. Dogs behave like dogs; they do not behave like people. Nonetheless, dog owners persist in thinking of their dogs as people and trying to understand dog behavior in human terms. This type of thinking is detrimental to dog and person alike--canine/human interactions are at their most rewarding when humans treat dogs as dogs. Budiansky goes on to explain dog behavior from an evolutionary perspective. That is, how does (or did) behavior X serve the survival and/or reproduction of the species? I'd rate this book a five, but I don't follow Budiansky's argument that dogs are wolves in arrested, or altered, juvenile development. He suggests that a genetic by environment interaction took place, but he doesn't lay out the mechanism for such an interaction clearly. His assertions may well be correct, but I would have liked to see more evidence on this point. Overall, however, I found the science to be concise and engaging. I recommend this book to people who wish to have a humane relationship with a dog and who want a dog to have a canine relationship with a human.
Rating:
Summary: The truth about this book
Review: There are a lot of lousy books about dogs, dog training, dog heroics, dog antics, etc., out there. This book is NOT one of them. Budiansky's thesis is simple: Dogs are dogs; they are not people. Dogs behave like dogs; they do not behave like people. Nonetheless, dog owners persist in thinking of their dogs as people and trying to understand dog behavior in human terms. This type of thinking is detrimental to dog and person alike--canine/human interactions are at their most rewarding when humans treat dogs as dogs. Budiansky goes on to explain dog behavior from an evolutionary perspective. That is, how does (or did) behavior X serve the survival and/or reproduction of the species? I'd rate this book a five, but I don't follow Budiansky's argument that dogs are wolves in arrested, or altered, juvenile development. He suggests that a genetic by environment interaction took place, but he doesn't lay out the mechanism for such an interaction clearly. His assertions may well be correct, but I would have liked to see more evidence on this point. Overall, however, I found the science to be concise and engaging. I recommend this book to people who wish to have a humane relationship with a dog and who want a dog to have a canine relationship with a human.
Rating:
Summary: dog lovers must read this
Review: This is not a dog training manual but if you love dogs it?s a must read. The Truth About Dogs provides a fascinating history of dogs; where they came from, their relationship with humans, and why they do what they do. Of particular interest is the section on purebred dogs, which turned me (a former purebred devotee) into a mutt lover.
Rating:
Summary: Seeing your dog in a whole new light.
Review: This isn't a book filled with cute animal stories; it's a serious examination of the evolution and social structure of dogs. Anyone who has a dog will benefit from reading this book. You will gain a whole new understanding of how your dog thinks and what he feels. I was particularly impressed with his discussion of dogs' superstitious behavior. I have a dog who will not stay in a room where there is a fire in the fireplace, but he is otherwise completely unafraid of fire (from candles or outdoor fires). I don't know when, but he was obviously burned by a flying ember from a fireplace. Stephen Budiansky would explain that he is unable to distinguish the circumstances of his injury from the cause of his injury. This and other insights into how my dog perceives the world are invaluable. Budiansky is not a professional biologist or veterinarian, but his research is thorough. He does a particularly good job distilling technical biology and psychology into comprehensible and interesting reading for the lay person. For example, his explanation of how dogs see colors is a fascinating blend of technical information and practical examples. It's not light reading, but any dog owner will be glad they read this book.
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