Inside of a Dog -- Young Readers Edition: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz

Inside of a Dog -- Young Readers Edition: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know Reviews

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  Abigail S

  This book was amazing. It was sadly shelved wrong (which was not Ms. Morgans fault). This book is an informational book about dogs, not a biography. I learned new tricks for my dog and learned how to get his attention and what his body language means. After I read this book I was more patient and observant of my dog. If you are training a puppy or just want to learn what they are trying to tell you, this is a perfect book. The thing I liked about this book was the author would explain it in a way everyone would understand. She said that puppies were a lot like children, just based on there learning development and their body development. After reading this book Remy(my dog) knows three more tricks because I was able to communicate with him better. This would be a good book for anyone to read.
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  Barbara

  Pitched to a younger audience than its predecessor for adults, this book offers much insight into the behavior, characteristics, and world of dogs. The author clearly loves canines, and the inserted bits about her beloved Pumpkin--seemingly taken from her field notes or journal--offer insight into her relationship with Pumpkin and what she learned from spending time with her dog. Although Pumpkin wasn't the subject of her research since she studied many other dogs, she certainly was able to connect her work and her play as well as the time she spent in the office and her daily walks with Pumpkin. Even though some of what the author shares will be familiar to dog lovers, other comments are intended to challenge some assumptions many readers hold about dogs. For instance, it may be that a dog senses how uncomfortable its human is around certain individuals and not so much that the dog feels as though that person cannot be trusted, a finding that seems to make sense. There are small sketches of dogs throughout the book that add to its appeal. If nothing else, readers will close the book with the goal of letting dogs be dogs and understanding a great deal about their body language. Someone looking for training tips for dogs won't find a lot here, but she does discuss ways that owners can find ways to keep their dogs entertained and amused. while learning basic commands such as "Heel," "Come" and "Stay" are important, the author even explains why it might be hard for some dogs to learn to heel. This would certainly be a good title to share with anyone planning to add a new dog to the family.
• 
  Sarah

  Very interesting read. As Horowitz peppers the book with anecdotes about her dog Pump, my mind was full of similar stories about our beagle Jack and our current menagerie of dogs: Chloe, Jadzia and Liza. I feel like I know my dogs a little better, I have more empathy about their experiences having read this book.
• 
  Nhi ❤ Books

  Like everybody else who picked up this book, I love dogs. Though I don't own a dog anymore, I love meeting them while taking walks or being out somewhere. I have several friends who have dogs and I love petting them. I don't usually read nonfiction. I find some of them boring and not at all what I'm interested in. But I'm interested in dogs, so I picked up this book.
  This taught me so much about dogs that I never knew before. While we humans can't understand dogs fully, we can guess and use our imaginations to understand. This book gave me a helpful insight on what dogs are like. What they love and what they hate. While I don't currently own a dog now, I do plan on getting one in the future. This book isn't about how to train your dog, but there are useful pieces of information to help you train your dog better.
  It did get boring at some point and there were repeats but the book is quite short so I didn't mind it that much. I also love the additional glimpse into the author's life with her own dogs. It was really cute and made the book a lot more enjoyable. Overall, a very informational read, and I highly recommend if you're looking for books about dogs.
• 
  Connie D

  What do our dogs know and understand about the world? Alexandra Horowitz very beautifully explains the nature of dogs by including her own experiences with her dog, behavioral experiments with dogs, and adding suggestions for readers on how they can learn more about their own dogs. The result is much more than just facts. It's quite wonderful to imagine a young reader taking this information and these suggestions to heart and therefore really understanding their dogs as dogs.
  
  How can each dog be special to us? "What is special about each dog is the way his life joins with the life of an owner. What is special is the life story that dog and owner create together." If you, like me, are a dog owner, this will help us keep creating a wonderful life story together.
  
  (This is close to a 5-star book.)
• 
  Jessica

  My kids and I absolutely loved this book. They really pay attention to our dog's signals now.
• 
  Bella

  The book Inside of a Dog explains how dogs minds work. It talks about its umwelt and other senses. I felt that this book really connects with readers who have dogs. This book is a quick read. I learned so much about my dog and other dogs. Don't get mistaken by the tittle, at first I thought that the book really was about how the dogs heart and muscles work. But, as soon as I started reading I realized I was mistaken. The book is more geared towards the ages 10-14. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about dogs.
• 
  The Book Squirrel

  This book is a "young reader's edition" of Horowitz' book "Inside of a dog" for adults (which I haven't read, so I can't say exactly how much this edition has been abridged). This is still quite long and in depth, though. While the actual reading level would be about age 11, I think this book is best-suited to older ages. It would be ideal for a 14+ y.o. (up to adult) animal-lover who is interested in developing a deeper understanding of their own dog.
  
  It touches on animal behaviour (such as signs dogs give when they are getting another dog to play with them, or when they are trying to get human's attention), various experiments scientists have run to test dog's cognition (such as whether they have "theory of mind" - spoiler: they do, mostly), how dogs pay attention to their humans, what dogs know about our world, and what we know about how dogs experience the world (chiefly through scent and what they can lick).
  
  I laughed out loud in parts because my own dog displays some of these behaviours (like nudging the book in my hand when he wants me to stop reading and pat him) and it made me appreciate him more <3 :D .
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  Becky B

  Horowitz has spent hours observing dogs and studying dog interactions. She relates what she has observed to help humans stop viewing dogs as furry humans on four legs, and understand where their canine friends are coming from and why they do certain things.
  
  This is the student edition of Horowitz's book, but it was still packed with science facts and a look at Horowitz's animal behavior observation methods. It starts a little slow but picks up, and for anyone who has a dog, should be a very engaging read. Due to the sciency lingo and the length, this is probably best in the hands of young adult readers, upper middle grade, or very dog-obsessed lower middle graders. I do wish I had known some of these things when I had a dog. There are some very helpful tips for dog owners that would make life less frustrating for you and your furry friend.
  
  No content issues.
• 
  San Diego Book Review

  Reviewed by Hannah Hom for San Diego Book Review
  
  Have you ever looked at a dog and wondered what they were thinking? Well, if you have, this book is for you. Alexandra Horowitz takes you on a journey through a dog’s world. From head to tail, from shoulders to paws, she helps you understand what dogs see, smell, and know.
  
  You can read this entire
  review and others like it at
  San Diego Book Review.
• 
  Rachel

  The reviews I see here are all good, so maybe it's me. I got a few chapters in. But it seemed like she was talking down to kids. ("That point of view is terrifically neat," and "That's what I did, and boy, I'm glad I did.") And she explained her decision to use male pronouns as gender-nonspecific, which yeah, I used to defend, but I got over that by 1990 or so - it's sexist. Just use a mix, of "he" and "she," no big deal. Also, there was some stuff on dominance that I think is now being questioned. So I'm taking a pass on the rest of the book.
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  Yan

  It's a fascinating book, backed by research, about the science of dogs. I listened to the full adult edition on audiobook and read the young reader's edition on physical copy. The young reader's edition is much more condensed and encapsulates the core information, hence it's a lot more readable. This adult edition can get rather tedious at times and there's a fair bit of repetition. The writing style could be more succinct. The case studies are interesting, though.
  I'd definitely recommend this young reader's edition to children who love dogs!
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  Diane Carrozzo

  This book is the young reader's edition of the original by the same name. I'm glad I read this one, because though it was filled with much insight and fun anecdotes, it got a little long-winded at times. So, I figured if this one was long-winded, imagine how much longer-winded the adult version is. However, it was fine to read. I got some insight that will help me understand my dog a bit better.
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  Samantha

  An animal psychologist explains dog's behavior through scientific studies and her own personal experiences being a pet owner. I didn't realize this was the "young reader" edition when I bought it, but overall it was interesting and informative.
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  Keshia

  3.5 stars. This wasn’t a book I read straight through. I would pick it up on and off to read anywhere from a few pages to a chapter or more. This book has some really neat information that as a dog lover I found fascinating. However, it was also pretty repetitive the longer it went.
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  Lena

  This was a really interesting book about dogs senses and brains. It was a little dry and complicated, but definitely interesting.
  I would recommend to dog lovers, but you have to really want to know if you're going to plow through this one. It's dense.
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  Soleil

  I am really into dogs and animals in general, so I liked this book a lot. I learned tons about dogs!
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  Kafil Lecraft

  I love it😘