The Puppy Kindergarten: The New Science of Raising a Great Dog
The Puppy Kindergarten: The New Science of Raising a Great Dog
The Puppy Kindergarten: The New Science of Raising a Great Dog
Description
Description
The New York Times bestselling authors of The Genius of Dogs take us into their "Puppy Kindergarten," a center to study how puppies develop, to show us what goes in to raising a great dog. When husband and wife scientists Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods fell in love with a trained service dog named Congo, they wanted to understand what made him such a great companion. Given that there hadn't been a large-scale study of puppy development since 1950, they decided to start one, inviting generations of Labrador and Golden Retriever puppies and dozens of student volunteers to come to their lab at Duke University, and the Puppy Kindergarten was born. When and how do puppies develop key cognitive skills such as self-control or cooperative communication? Using the same kinds of cognitive tests and games that have become standard for understanding human infant development, they initially wanted to know if they could predict which qualities would make puppies grow up to be great assistance dogs. But they quickly realized that these special dogs have a lot to tell us about how all dogs navigate the world, solve problems, and learn from the people around them. Even the smartest dogs can't figure out how to make the water stay in their bowl, but they can read our gestures and respond to our emotions in a way that no other species can. Introducing us to the many puppies who contributed to this research and synthesizing findings from cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary anthropology, this delightful, informative book will teach readers how puppies begin to develop abilities that allow them to succeed as adults and flexibly solve problems, giving us a new window into who our dogs are, how they see the world, and the amazing things they can do.
About the Author
About the Author
Brian Hare is a professor in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology and the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University, where he founded the Duke Canine Cognition Center. Vanessa Woods is a research scientist at the Center as well as an award-winning journalist and the author of Bonobo Handshake. Hare and Woods are married and live in North Carolina. They are the authors of Survival of the Friendliest and The Genius of Dogs.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"As the ingenious minds behind starting a Puppy Kindergarten at Duke, there is but no question that Vanessa Woods and Brian Hare needed to write a book on puppies. Nor is there any question of the pleasures this book brings, for fans of science, puppies, and puppy science. Read it, and get a firehose of knowledge suffused with levity and charm."--Alexandra Horowitz, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Inside of a Dog "Insightfully and delightfully, Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods combine deep affection and wide experience with their unique scientific approach to puppy minds. Lots of people can tell you about dogs, but Hare and Woods--having worked with hundreds of puppies and collected data on thousands of family dogs--understand dogs in a unique way. This book isn't just about puppies. This book shows us who puppies are, how their minds develop, and how to raise a great dog. And it does so gently and lovingly."--Carl Safina, author of Beyond Worlds "This book answers questions I have asked myself all my life--can breeds predict personality? Are dogs intelligent, and is it heritable? Why do we feel so attached to them to the point that they are part of our families? This book satisfies me on all levels--as an ethologist, a volunteer who raises guide dogs, and as a dog lover."--Isabella Rossellini, actress and activist "Convincingly shows that each puppy is a unique puzzle--solve it and you will have a perfect friend."--Anderson Cooper, host of Anderson Cooper 360° "This book will make you a better dog parent! Packed with evidence-based advice and practical wisdom, this is the essential guide for understanding and rearing your next generation of furry best friends."--Laurie Santos, professor of psychology and director of the Canine Cognition Center at Yale University "Everyone wants the perfect dog. But dogs, like people, are all different, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach for raising a puppy. In Puppy Kindergarten, Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods describe cutting-edge research that, for the first-time, puts real science behind raising a great dog. A must-read for all dog lovers!"--Dr. Gregory Berns, author of How Dogs Love Us "Wonderful . . . These explanations of individual canine foibles will make raising your next best friend more fascinating, successful, and joyful than ever."--Richard Wrangham, author of The Goodness Paradox "I started to read and then could not stop. A fascinating exploration of a mind that is not human, which reminds us that we share the earth with many animal minds. Puppy Kindergarten is a thrilling account of the evolutionary journey from wolves to dogs, and how domestication allows us to expand our kinship to include not just dogs but these other wonderful animals that possess incredible minds."--Dr. Bernd Heinrich, author of Mind of the Raven
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Random House
Pub date:
2024-08-13
Length:
224 pages
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