What's a Dog For?
The Surprising History, Science, Philosophy, and Politics of Man's Best Friend
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $24.06
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Don Hagen
-
By:
-
John Homans
About this listen
John Homans adopted his dog, Stella, from a shelter for all the usual reasons: fond memories of dogs from his past, a companion for his son, an excuse for long walks around the neighborhood. Soon enough, she is happily ensconced in the daily workings of his family. And not only that: Stella is treated like a family member - in ways that dogs of his youth were not. Spending humanlike sums on vet bills, questioning her diet and exercise regimens, contemplating her happiness - how had this all come to pass, when the dogs from Homans's childhood seemed quite content living mostly out in the yard?
In What's a Dog For?, Homans explores the dog's complex and prominent place in our world and how it came to be. Evolving from wild animals to working animals to nearly human members of our social fabric, dogs are now the subject of serious scientific studies concerning pet ownership, evolutionary theory, and even cognitive science. From new insights into what makes dogs so appealing to humans to the health benefits associated with owning a dog, Homans investigates why the human-canine relationship has evolved so rapidly - how dogs moved into our families, our homes, and sometimes even our beds in the span of a generation, becoming a $53 billion industry in the United States in the process.
As dogs take their place as coddled family members and their numbers balloon to more than seventy-seven million in the United States alone, it's no surprise that canine culture at large is also undergoing a massive transformation. They are now subject to many of the same questions of rights and ethics as people, and the politics of dogs are more tumultuous and public than ever - with fierce moral battles raging over kill shelters, puppy mills, and breed standards. Incorporating interviews and research from scientists, activists, breeders, and trainers, What's a Dog For? investigates how dogs have reached this exalted status and why they hold such fascination for us. With one paw in the animal world and one paw in the human world, it turns out they have much to teach us about love, death, and morality - and ultimately, in their closeness and difference, about what it means to be human.
©2012 John Homans (P)2012 Gildan Media LLCListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Secret History of Kindness
- Learning from How Dogs Learn
- By: Melissa Holbrook Pierson
- Narrated by: Ann Osmond
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An intimate, surprising look at man's best friend and what the leading philosophies of dog training teach us about ourselves. Years back, Melissa Holbrook Pierson brought home a border collie named Mercy, without a clue of how to get her to behave. Stunned after hiring a trainer whose immediate rapport with Mercy seemed magical, Pierson began delving into the techniques of positive reinforcement.
-
-
Warning: praises ABA done to autistic people
- By Rosslyn on 03-09-16
-
The Other End of the Leash
- Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs
- By: Patricia McConnell PhD
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Other End of the Leash shares a revolutionary new perspective on our relationship with dogs, focusing on our behavior in comparison with that of dogs. An applied animal behaviorist and dog trainer with more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell looks at humans as just another interesting species, and muses about why we behave the way we do around our dogs, how dogs might interpret our behavior, and how to interact with our dogs in ways that bring out the best in them.
-
-
A MUST READ for anyone who has or wants a dog!
- By Marion on 08-31-16
-
I Am Bunny
- How a ""Talking"" Dog Taught Me Everything I Need to Know About Being Human
- By: Alexis Devine
- Narrated by: Alexis Devine
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Bunny, a fluffy, black-and-white sheepadoodle, was eight weeks old, her guardian Alexis presented her with an odd gift: a button programed to say “outside” when pressed. Within a few weeks, Bunny was using it all the time and Alexis, encouraged by Bunny’s progress, continued to introduce more buttons and more words . . . Three years later, Bunny can now communicate using over one hundred buttons, stringing together important, relatable, philosophical phrases such as “Love you Mom,” “Dad went poop,” and “Ugh why?”
-
-
Ya gotta love animals
- By Vicky Snow on 10-31-24
By: Alexis Devine
-
The Genius of Dogs
- How Dogs Are Smarter than You Think
- By: Brian Hare, Vanessa Woods
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In their New York Times best-selling book The Genius of Dogs, husband-and-wife team Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods lay out landmark discoveries from the Duke Canine Cognition Center and other research facilities around the world to reveal how your dog thinks and how we humans can have even deeper relationships with our best four-legged friends.
-
-
Misleading title- My guess is that the Published
- By Howard on 08-26-14
By: Brian Hare, and others
-
Cesar's Way
- The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems
- By: Cesar Millan, Melissa Jo Peltier
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are at least 68 million dogs in America, and their owners lavish billions of dollars on them every year. So why do so many pampered pets have problems? In this definitive and accessible guide, Cesar Millan, star of National Geographic Channel's hit show Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, reveals what dogs truly need to live a happy and fulfilled life.
-
-
This Really Works!
- By L. Worthington on 07-14-07
By: Cesar Millan, and others
-
Be the Pack Leader
- Use Cesar's Way to Transform Your Dog...and Your Life
- By: Cesar Millan, Melissa Jo Peltier
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Filled with practical tips and techniques as well as real-life success stories from Cesar's fans, clients, and his popular television show Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, this audiobook will help you understand and read your dog's energy as well as your own, so that you can move beyond just correcting behavioral issues and take your connection with your dog to the next level.
-
-
Great Dog Book
- By Charles James on 01-19-08
By: Cesar Millan, and others
-
The Secret History of Kindness
- Learning from How Dogs Learn
- By: Melissa Holbrook Pierson
- Narrated by: Ann Osmond
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An intimate, surprising look at man's best friend and what the leading philosophies of dog training teach us about ourselves. Years back, Melissa Holbrook Pierson brought home a border collie named Mercy, without a clue of how to get her to behave. Stunned after hiring a trainer whose immediate rapport with Mercy seemed magical, Pierson began delving into the techniques of positive reinforcement.
-
-
Warning: praises ABA done to autistic people
- By Rosslyn on 03-09-16
-
The Other End of the Leash
- Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs
- By: Patricia McConnell PhD
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Other End of the Leash shares a revolutionary new perspective on our relationship with dogs, focusing on our behavior in comparison with that of dogs. An applied animal behaviorist and dog trainer with more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell looks at humans as just another interesting species, and muses about why we behave the way we do around our dogs, how dogs might interpret our behavior, and how to interact with our dogs in ways that bring out the best in them.
-
-
A MUST READ for anyone who has or wants a dog!
- By Marion on 08-31-16
-
I Am Bunny
- How a ""Talking"" Dog Taught Me Everything I Need to Know About Being Human
- By: Alexis Devine
- Narrated by: Alexis Devine
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Bunny, a fluffy, black-and-white sheepadoodle, was eight weeks old, her guardian Alexis presented her with an odd gift: a button programed to say “outside” when pressed. Within a few weeks, Bunny was using it all the time and Alexis, encouraged by Bunny’s progress, continued to introduce more buttons and more words . . . Three years later, Bunny can now communicate using over one hundred buttons, stringing together important, relatable, philosophical phrases such as “Love you Mom,” “Dad went poop,” and “Ugh why?”
-
-
Ya gotta love animals
- By Vicky Snow on 10-31-24
By: Alexis Devine
-
The Genius of Dogs
- How Dogs Are Smarter than You Think
- By: Brian Hare, Vanessa Woods
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In their New York Times best-selling book The Genius of Dogs, husband-and-wife team Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods lay out landmark discoveries from the Duke Canine Cognition Center and other research facilities around the world to reveal how your dog thinks and how we humans can have even deeper relationships with our best four-legged friends.
-
-
Misleading title- My guess is that the Published
- By Howard on 08-26-14
By: Brian Hare, and others
-
Cesar's Way
- The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems
- By: Cesar Millan, Melissa Jo Peltier
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are at least 68 million dogs in America, and their owners lavish billions of dollars on them every year. So why do so many pampered pets have problems? In this definitive and accessible guide, Cesar Millan, star of National Geographic Channel's hit show Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, reveals what dogs truly need to live a happy and fulfilled life.
-
-
This Really Works!
- By L. Worthington on 07-14-07
By: Cesar Millan, and others
-
Be the Pack Leader
- Use Cesar's Way to Transform Your Dog...and Your Life
- By: Cesar Millan, Melissa Jo Peltier
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Filled with practical tips and techniques as well as real-life success stories from Cesar's fans, clients, and his popular television show Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, this audiobook will help you understand and read your dog's energy as well as your own, so that you can move beyond just correcting behavioral issues and take your connection with your dog to the next level.
-
-
Great Dog Book
- By Charles James on 01-19-08
By: Cesar Millan, and others
-
Coyote America
- A Natural and Supernatural History
- By: Dan Flores
- Narrated by: Elijah Alexander
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Coyote America is both an environmental and a deep natural history of the coyote. It traces both the five-million-year-long biological story of an animal that has become the "wolf" in our backyards and its cultural evolution from a preeminent spot in Native American religions to the hapless foil of the Road Runner. A deeply American tale, the story of the coyote in the American West and beyond is a sort of Manifest Destiny in reverse.
-
-
Very Enjoyable Book, Subject Matter, and Reader
- By John Townsend on 03-17-17
By: Dan Flores
-
The Dogs That Made Australia
- By: Guy Hull
- Narrated by: Guy Hull
- Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Dogs That Made Australia pays tribute to the dogs that gave their all for our prosperity: the fearless hounds that saved fledgling colonies from famine; the courageous heelers and tireless collies that powered the rise of beef and wool; the tough little home-grown terriers that protected the homestead and garden; and the extraordinary police dogs, ahead of their time, loved by the nation. The selfless exploits of our heroic dogs are writ indelibly in our nation's heritage and identity.
-
-
Well researched
- By Cindy Huenke on 09-05-21
By: Guy Hull
-
How Dogs Love Us
- A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain
- By: Gregory Berns
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How Dogs Love Us answers the age-old question of dog lovers everywhere and offers profound new evidence that dogs should be treated as we would treat our best human friends: with love, respect, and appreciation for their social and emotional intelligence.
-
-
misleading title
- By Cindy on 08-06-15
By: Gregory Berns
-
Inside of a Dog
- What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
- By: Alexandra Horowitz
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Have you ever wondered what your dogs are thinking? What they're feeling? Now you can finally know! The answers will surprise and delight you as scientist and dog owner Alexandra Horowitz explains how our four-legged friends perceive their daily worlds, each other, and that other quirky animal, the human.
-
-
not very informative
- By Drew Lackovic on 12-03-17
-
Let Dogs Be Dogs
- Understanding Canine Nature and Mastering the Art of Living with Your Dog
- By: The Monks of New Skete
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Through abundant stories and case studies, the authors reveal how canine nature manifests itself in various behaviors, some potentially disruptive to domestic accord, and show how in addressing these behaviors you can strengthen the bond with your dog as well as keep the peace. The promise of this book is that, especially in an ever-accelerating world filled with digital distractions, you can learn from your dog's example how to live in the moment, thereby enriching your life immeasurably.
-
-
Raise dogs like your children
- By Drew on 08-14-20
-
For the Love of a Dog
- Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend
- By: Patricia B McConnell
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned canine expert Patricia McConnell answers the questions of dog lovers everywhere. Do dogs have emotions like we do? More to the point, does my dog love me? Sharing riveting dog stories from her experiences, Dr. McConnell also offers accessible science that clues listeners in to what's going on behind those puppy dog eyes.
-
-
needs photos
- By L. Adams on 08-06-07
-
Cesar Millan's Lessons from the Pack
- Stories of the Dogs Who Changed My Life
- By: Melissa Jo Peltier, Cesar Millan
- Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto, Cesar Millan
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this inspiring book, best-selling author and "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan uses decades of experience to reveal the many ways that dogs and people can enrich each other's lives, sharing eight essential life lessons imparted by a group of very special dogs he's trained over the years. From his roster of celebrity clients to his reality television series, Cesar Millan is America's most sought-after dog behavior expert. In this affecting book, he shares eight heartwarming stories about the dogs that have inspired him the most.
-
-
Insightful
- By Sandy Alstrin on 12-23-17
By: Melissa Jo Peltier, and others
-
Cesar Millan's Short Guide to a Happy Dog
- 98 Essential Tips and Techniques
- By: Cesar Millan
- Narrated by: Armando Durán
- Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After more than nine seasons as television’s Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan has a new mission: to use his unique insights about dog psychology to create stronger, happier relationships between humans and their canine companions. Both inspirational and practical, A Short Guide to a Happy Dog draws on thousands of training encounters around the world to present 98 essential lessons.
-
-
Good, But Not What I Expected Based On The Title
- By Jami on 02-11-16
By: Cesar Millan
-
Love Is All You Need
- The Revolutionary Bond-Based Approach to Educating Your Dog
- By: Jennifer Arnold
- Narrated by: Jennifer Arnold
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dogs are the most social animals on the planet, second only to humans in their ability to read and understand emotion. Even chimps and bonobos, our closest genetic relatives, are no match for dogs when it comes to social cognition. Jennifer Arnold understands this better than anyone, having spent the past 25 years training service dogs for people with disabilities at Canine Assistants. She is a pioneer in the emerging field of "bond-based" dog training.
-
-
Best book I have ever read about dogs. Period.
- By Brandon on 04-26-17
By: Jennifer Arnold
-
How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog)
- Visionary Scientists and a Siberian Tale of Jump-Started Evolution
- By: Lyudmila Trut, Lee Alan Dugatkin
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tucked away in Siberia, there are furry, four-legged creatures with wagging tails and floppy ears that are as docile and friendly as any lapdog. But, despite appearances, these are not dogs - they are foxes. They are the result of the most astonishing experiment in breeding ever undertaken - imagine speeding up thousands of years of evolution into a few decades. In 1959, biologists Dmitri Belyaev and Lyudmila Trut set out to do just that, by starting with a few dozen silver foxes from fox farms in the USSR and attempting to recreate the evolution of wolves into dogs in real time.
-
-
Amazing
- By paul on 10-26-17
By: Lyudmila Trut, and others
-
Our Dogs, Ourselves
- How We Live with Dogs Now
- By: Alexandra Horowitz
- Narrated by: Alexandra Horowitz
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We keep dogs and are kept by them. We love dogs and (we assume) we are loved by them. We buy them sweaters, toys, shoes; we are concerned with their social lives, their food, and their health. The story of humans and dogs is thousands of years old but is far from understood. In Our Dogs, Ourselves, Alexandra Horowitz explores all aspects of this unique and complex relationship that “dog lovers will savor and absorb” (Shelf Awareness). As Horowitz considers the current culture of dogdom, she reveals the odd, surprising, and contradictory ways we live with dogs.
-
-
All around awesome and honest.
- By Amazon Customer on 10-07-19
-
Dog Is Love
- Why and How Your Dog Loves You
- By: Clive D. L. Wynne
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every dog lover knows the feeling. The nuzzle of a dog’s nose, the warmth of them lying at our feet, even their whining when they want to get up on the bed. It really seems like our dogs love us, too. But for years, scientists have resisted that conclusion, warning against anthropomorphizing our pets. Enter Clive Wynne, a pioneering canine behaviorist whose research is helping to usher in a new era: one in which love, not intelligence or submissiveness, is at the heart of the human-canine relationship.
-
-
Beautifully written, beautifully read.
- By Anonymous User on 08-19-22
Related to this topic
-
The Secret History of Kindness
- Learning from How Dogs Learn
- By: Melissa Holbrook Pierson
- Narrated by: Ann Osmond
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An intimate, surprising look at man's best friend and what the leading philosophies of dog training teach us about ourselves. Years back, Melissa Holbrook Pierson brought home a border collie named Mercy, without a clue of how to get her to behave. Stunned after hiring a trainer whose immediate rapport with Mercy seemed magical, Pierson began delving into the techniques of positive reinforcement.
-
-
Warning: praises ABA done to autistic people
- By Rosslyn on 03-09-16
-
How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog)
- Visionary Scientists and a Siberian Tale of Jump-Started Evolution
- By: Lyudmila Trut, Lee Alan Dugatkin
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tucked away in Siberia, there are furry, four-legged creatures with wagging tails and floppy ears that are as docile and friendly as any lapdog. But, despite appearances, these are not dogs - they are foxes. They are the result of the most astonishing experiment in breeding ever undertaken - imagine speeding up thousands of years of evolution into a few decades. In 1959, biologists Dmitri Belyaev and Lyudmila Trut set out to do just that, by starting with a few dozen silver foxes from fox farms in the USSR and attempting to recreate the evolution of wolves into dogs in real time.
-
-
Amazing
- By paul on 10-26-17
By: Lyudmila Trut, and others
-
A Small Furry Prayer
- Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life
- By: Steven Kotler
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Steven Kotler was 40 years old, single, and facing an existential crisis when he met Lila, a woman devoted to animal rescue. "Love me, love my dogs" was her rule, and Steven took it to heart. Spurred to move by a housing crisis in Los Angeles, Steven, Lila, and their eight dogs - then 10, then 20, and then they lost count - bought a postage-stamp-size farm in Chimayo, New Mexico....
-
-
Great book
- By Shirley on 08-29-11
By: Steven Kotler
-
Dog Sense
- How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet
- By: John Bradshaw
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dogs have been mankind's faithful companions for tens of thousands of years, yet today they are regularly treated as either pack-following wolves or furry humans. The truth is, dogs are neither - and our misunderstanding has put them in serious crisis. What dogs really need is a spokesperson, someone who will assert their specific needs.
-
-
Good book
- By Fair Oaks on 08-31-11
By: John Bradshaw
-
Pit Bull
- The Battle over an American Icon
- By: Bronwen Dickey
- Narrated by: Randye Kaye
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Bronwen Dickey brought her new dog home, she saw no traces of the infamous viciousness in her affectionate, timid pit bull. Which made her wonder: How had the breed - beloved by Teddy Roosevelt, Helen Keller, and TV's Little Rascals - come to be known as a brutal fighter? Her search for answers takes her from 19th-century New York City dogfighting pits - the cruelty of which drew the attention of the recently formed ASPCA - to early 20th-century movie sets where pit bulls cavorted with Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton.
-
-
It Is a Racist or Class Thing
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 09-17-17
By: Bronwen Dickey
-
Animals in Translation
- Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior
- By: Temple Grandin, Catherine Johnson
- Narrated by: Andrea Gallo
- Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Temple Grandin’s professional training as an animal scientist and her history as a person with autism have given her a perspective like that of no other expert in the field. Grandin and coauthor Catherine Johnson present their powerful theory that autistic people can often think the way animals think—putting autistic people in the perfect position to translate “animal talk.”
-
-
Wonderful, but I have a bone to pick...
- By Tango on 05-06-13
By: Temple Grandin, and others
-
The Secret History of Kindness
- Learning from How Dogs Learn
- By: Melissa Holbrook Pierson
- Narrated by: Ann Osmond
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An intimate, surprising look at man's best friend and what the leading philosophies of dog training teach us about ourselves. Years back, Melissa Holbrook Pierson brought home a border collie named Mercy, without a clue of how to get her to behave. Stunned after hiring a trainer whose immediate rapport with Mercy seemed magical, Pierson began delving into the techniques of positive reinforcement.
-
-
Warning: praises ABA done to autistic people
- By Rosslyn on 03-09-16
-
How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog)
- Visionary Scientists and a Siberian Tale of Jump-Started Evolution
- By: Lyudmila Trut, Lee Alan Dugatkin
- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tucked away in Siberia, there are furry, four-legged creatures with wagging tails and floppy ears that are as docile and friendly as any lapdog. But, despite appearances, these are not dogs - they are foxes. They are the result of the most astonishing experiment in breeding ever undertaken - imagine speeding up thousands of years of evolution into a few decades. In 1959, biologists Dmitri Belyaev and Lyudmila Trut set out to do just that, by starting with a few dozen silver foxes from fox farms in the USSR and attempting to recreate the evolution of wolves into dogs in real time.
-
-
Amazing
- By paul on 10-26-17
By: Lyudmila Trut, and others
-
A Small Furry Prayer
- Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life
- By: Steven Kotler
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Steven Kotler was 40 years old, single, and facing an existential crisis when he met Lila, a woman devoted to animal rescue. "Love me, love my dogs" was her rule, and Steven took it to heart. Spurred to move by a housing crisis in Los Angeles, Steven, Lila, and their eight dogs - then 10, then 20, and then they lost count - bought a postage-stamp-size farm in Chimayo, New Mexico....
-
-
Great book
- By Shirley on 08-29-11
By: Steven Kotler
-
Dog Sense
- How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet
- By: John Bradshaw
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dogs have been mankind's faithful companions for tens of thousands of years, yet today they are regularly treated as either pack-following wolves or furry humans. The truth is, dogs are neither - and our misunderstanding has put them in serious crisis. What dogs really need is a spokesperson, someone who will assert their specific needs.
-
-
Good book
- By Fair Oaks on 08-31-11
By: John Bradshaw
-
Pit Bull
- The Battle over an American Icon
- By: Bronwen Dickey
- Narrated by: Randye Kaye
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Bronwen Dickey brought her new dog home, she saw no traces of the infamous viciousness in her affectionate, timid pit bull. Which made her wonder: How had the breed - beloved by Teddy Roosevelt, Helen Keller, and TV's Little Rascals - come to be known as a brutal fighter? Her search for answers takes her from 19th-century New York City dogfighting pits - the cruelty of which drew the attention of the recently formed ASPCA - to early 20th-century movie sets where pit bulls cavorted with Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton.
-
-
It Is a Racist or Class Thing
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 09-17-17
By: Bronwen Dickey
-
Animals in Translation
- Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior
- By: Temple Grandin, Catherine Johnson
- Narrated by: Andrea Gallo
- Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Temple Grandin’s professional training as an animal scientist and her history as a person with autism have given her a perspective like that of no other expert in the field. Grandin and coauthor Catherine Johnson present their powerful theory that autistic people can often think the way animals think—putting autistic people in the perfect position to translate “animal talk.”
-
-
Wonderful, but I have a bone to pick...
- By Tango on 05-06-13
By: Temple Grandin, and others
-
The Age of Empathy
- Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society
- By: Frans de Waal
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Is it really human nature to stab one another in the back in our climb up the corporate ladder? Competitive, selfish behavior is often explained away as instinctive, thanks to evolution and "survival of the fittest", but in fact, humans are equally hard-wired for empathy. Using research from the fields of anthropology, psychology, animal behavior, and neuroscience, Frans de Waal brilliantly argues that humans are group animals.
-
-
A Lot Of Things In Common With Our Animal Friends!
- By James on 08-14-11
By: Frans de Waal
-
Citizen Canine
- Our Evolving Relationship with Cats and Dogs
- By: David Grimm
- Narrated by: Graham Hamilton
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this fascinating exploration of the changing status of dogs and cats in society, pet lover and award-winning journalist David Grimm explores the rich and surprising history of our favorite companion animals. He treks the long and often torturous path from their wild origins to their dark days in the middle ages to their current standing as the most valued animals on Earth. For pet lovers or anyone interested in how we decide who gets to be a “person” in today’s world, Citizen Canine is a must-have. It is a pet tale like no other.
-
-
Cats and Dogs Unite!
- By Gillian on 03-03-15
By: David Grimm
-
The Bonobo and the Atheist
- By: Frans de Waal
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this lively and illuminating discussion of his landmark research, esteemed primatologist Frans de Waal argues that human morality is not imposed from above but instead comes from within. Moral behavior does not begin and end with religion but is in fact a product of evolution. For many years, de Waal has observed chimpanzees soothe distressed neighbors and bonobos share their food. Now he delivers fascinating fresh evidence for the seeds of ethical behavior in primate societies that further cements the case for the biological origins of human fairness.
-
-
Great research on apes, bad research on humans
- By Christian Bonnell on 07-18-14
By: Frans de Waal
-
How the Dog Became the Dog
- From Wolves to Our Best Friends
- By: Mark Derr
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
That the dog evolved from the wolf is an accepted fact of evolution and history, but the question of how wolf became dog has remained a mystery, obscured by myth and legend. How the Dog Became the Dog posits that dog was an evolutionary inevitability in the nature of the wolf and its human soul mate. The natural temperament and social structure of humans and wolves are so similar that as soon as they met on the trail they recognized themselves in each other.
-
-
Interesting and thorough, but not for everyone
- By N. Rogers on 12-12-11
By: Mark Derr
-
Our Wild Calling
- How Connecting with Animals Can Transform Our Lives - and Save Theirs
- By: Richard Louv
- Narrated by: Graham Winton
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Richard Louv's landmark book, Last Child in the Woods, inspired an international movement to connect children and nature. Now Louv redefines the future of human-animal coexistence. Our Wild Calling explores these powerful and mysterious bonds and how they can transform our mental, physical, and spiritual lives, serve as an antidote to the growing epidemic of human loneliness, and help us tap into the empathy required to preserve life on Earth.
-
-
Sharing our world
- By Scott Br on 10-06-21
By: Richard Louv
-
How Dogs Love Us
- A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain
- By: Gregory Berns
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How Dogs Love Us answers the age-old question of dog lovers everywhere and offers profound new evidence that dogs should be treated as we would treat our best human friends: with love, respect, and appreciation for their social and emotional intelligence.
-
-
misleading title
- By Cindy on 08-06-15
By: Gregory Berns
-
Coyote America
- A Natural and Supernatural History
- By: Dan Flores
- Narrated by: Elijah Alexander
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Coyote America is both an environmental and a deep natural history of the coyote. It traces both the five-million-year-long biological story of an animal that has become the "wolf" in our backyards and its cultural evolution from a preeminent spot in Native American religions to the hapless foil of the Road Runner. A deeply American tale, the story of the coyote in the American West and beyond is a sort of Manifest Destiny in reverse.
-
-
Very Enjoyable Book, Subject Matter, and Reader
- By John Townsend on 03-17-17
By: Dan Flores
-
Do Dogs Dream?
- By: Stanley Coren
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a conversational Q&A format, a leading dog expert answers the most commonly asked questions about how dogs think and act. Do dogs dream? Can they recognize themselves in the mirror or understand what they’re seeing on television? Are they more intelligent than cats? People have a great curiosity - and many misunderstandings - about how dogs think, act, and perceive the world. They also wonder about the social and emotional lives of dogs. Stanley Coren brings decades of scientific research on dogs to bear in his unprecedented foray into the inner lives of our canine companions, dispelling many common myths in the process.
-
-
Must read for dog lovers
- By Elad on 08-01-13
By: Stanley Coren
-
Cesar Millan's Lessons from the Pack
- Stories of the Dogs Who Changed My Life
- By: Melissa Jo Peltier, Cesar Millan
- Narrated by: Angelo Di Loreto, Cesar Millan
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this inspiring book, best-selling author and "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan uses decades of experience to reveal the many ways that dogs and people can enrich each other's lives, sharing eight essential life lessons imparted by a group of very special dogs he's trained over the years. From his roster of celebrity clients to his reality television series, Cesar Millan is America's most sought-after dog behavior expert. In this affecting book, he shares eight heartwarming stories about the dogs that have inspired him the most.
-
-
Insightful
- By Sandy Alstrin on 12-23-17
By: Melissa Jo Peltier, and others
-
In the Company of Bears
- What Black Bears Have Taught Me About Intelligence and Intuition
- By: Benjamin Kilham
- Narrated by: George Backman
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imagine raising an orphaned bear cub, carefully reintroducing her to the wild, then being welcomed back, almost daily, to observe her wild world for more than 17 years. Imagine visiting her in her feeding spots, watching her with her mates and her young, peering into her den, and, over time, observing the lives of all the other wild bears in her territory and surrounding ones. That is what happened to Ben Kilham.
-
-
Amazing book!
- By Sydney Mae on 12-01-24
By: Benjamin Kilham
-
Love Is All You Need
- The Revolutionary Bond-Based Approach to Educating Your Dog
- By: Jennifer Arnold
- Narrated by: Jennifer Arnold
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dogs are the most social animals on the planet, second only to humans in their ability to read and understand emotion. Even chimps and bonobos, our closest genetic relatives, are no match for dogs when it comes to social cognition. Jennifer Arnold understands this better than anyone, having spent the past 25 years training service dogs for people with disabilities at Canine Assistants. She is a pioneer in the emerging field of "bond-based" dog training.
-
-
Best book I have ever read about dogs. Period.
- By Brandon on 04-26-17
By: Jennifer Arnold
-
Cat Sense
- How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet
- By: John Bradshaw
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cats have been popular household pets for thousands of years, and their numbers only continue to rise. Today there are three cats for every dog on the planet, and yet cats remain more mysterious, even to their most adoring owners. In Cat Sense, renowned anthrozoologist John Bradshaw takes us further into the mind of the domestic cat than ever before, using cutting-edge scientific research to explain the true nature - and needs - of our feline friends. Tracing the cat’s evolution from solitary hunter to domesticated companion, Bradshaw shows that cats remain independent, predatory, and wary of social contact.
-
-
Not what I had expected
- By Terry on 03-11-14
By: John Bradshaw
What listeners say about What's a Dog For?
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tango
- 08-21-13
What's a Dog For? Ask a Dog!
As a SERIOUS dog lover (I have four and a foster currently and I'm actively involved in Rescue), I take interest in most books about dogs and there are a lot of them lately. Dogs seem to be the latest craze in books - slipping past Angels, almost up there with Zombies, but not quite at the level of Vampires yet. However, a fair number of these books seem to be written by people who don't really have much experience with dogs and "What's a Dog For?" is one of those. John Homans is a journalist so his writing is competent, but he admits that he has truly known only a couple of dogs - both Lab mixes - so he really isn't the ideal candidate in my mind to answer a question like: What's a Dog For? And, he doesn't answer the question in this book - OK, I guess it was rhetorical anyway - but he does do a good job of lining out the basic scientific study of the evolution of dogs and their cognitive abilities, the history of breeding and humane organizations, and the changes in cultural attitudes toward dogs.
This book will be interesting to most dog lovers, but I saw two major short comings. For a book titled, "What's a Dog For?", this book is decidedly short on the history and background of working dogs (other than hunting dogs like LABRADORS - Homans' dog). Search and Rescue, aids to the physically disabled, herding dogs, therapy dogs, police/military duty; there is an almost inexhaustible list of job functions dogs have taken on in history and still do. Homans talks much about how the "emotional side" of dogs and their physical characteristics have allowed them to mold themselves into human society, yet he skims over the fact that dogs (unlike his example of tamed foxes who are also cute and emotional) have made themselves almost indispensable to people independent of what jobs we ask of them or what environments we put them in. (Hey, dogs have gone over the mountains, into the deserts and arctics, across the oceans, and even into space to work with us!!) The fact that dogs always seem willing, even eager, to "partner" with us (even our family dogs protect our person and property) versus just being a pet like a gerbil may have a lot more to do with the dog's success in our society than just the fact that they are cute. Yet, I was still thinking that for scope and entertainment, this book was still a good 4 star until Homans came to the last hour or so and entered the debate on No Kill. Homans seems to ignore the fact that the No Kill movement has resulted in the annual euthanasia rate in the US dropping from 20 MILLION dogs and cats in 1970 to about 3 million today and that many city run pounds are now operating on No Kill principles. The current euthanasia number is still ghastly but hugely improved, yet Homans only reports this change from the perspective of the ASPCA, an organization that will lose its current raison d'être if No Kill succeeds. Homans paints Nathan Winograd (founder of the No Kill Advocacy Center) as a kook and a zealot as characterized by the head of the ASPCA without interviewing Nathan Winograd or anyone active in No Kill. He uses the large Pit Bull population in shelters as evidence that we must continue killing - can't get all those dogs into refuges like Michael Vick's dogs (quotes the ASPCA guy) - but, in fact, Michael Vick's dogs were fighting dogs which most pit bulls in shelters are not AND (this is a big AND), most of Michael Vick's pits were rehabbed and ADOPTED to regular people, not killed and not sent to refuge. So this was a totally specious argument and Homans as a journalist should have caught it. Homans seems to be arguing that a commitment to stop the killing through aggressive spay/neuter programs and education is tantamount to giving dogs person-hood. I just don't agree and I don't think he presented his arguments well in this area.
Ultimately, if you are interested in dogs, this book provides a quick fairly entertaining historical summary. If you actually care about what happens to all dogs in our society, this book presents an incomplete and somewhat skewed picture. If you want to understand dogs better, this is NOT the book - Homans clearly loves his dog, but doesn't seem to have much insight into dogs as a whole. If you really want an answer to What's a Dog For?, get a a dog!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J. Childs
- 01-14-13
A must if you are a dog lover
Would you listen to What's a Dog For? again? Why?
Homans provides an entertaining, yet informative perspective on how and why humans interact with dogs. Do dogs have rights? Should they be breed? How have they evolved? What makes them unique in their abilities to communicate with and befriend humans? These are just some of the questions addressed in this book. Well researched.
The audio quality was done well, but a little difficulty at times when played at 2x speed...which is what I normally do.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carpenters helper
- 02-20-15
Loved the information
A tremendous amount of information. Granted its an overview not a detailed analysis. The reader was a bit difficult to understand.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- N. Rogers
- 08-24-13
Probably the Best Book on Dogs I've Read!
I just loved this book! I’ve read quite a number of dog books: books about individual dogs, novels about them, and canine informational texts. This is probably my favorite from the lot. I was given the print hardcover version as a gift and really wanted to read it but hadn’t gotten far when the audiobook became available. We live with three large dogs and a military working dog foster puppy, all of whom need daily training, care, and handling. I honestly have no time for anything that requires much sitting--including writing book reviews. It took me only two days to finish the audiobook, and because I liked it so much, I am writing a brief review. I will retain the print version of What’s a Dog For? for reference. It is well-organized and contains useful information worth having available through an index.
John Homans writes well, and he has managed to skillfully weave the personal story of his rescued lab mix, Stella, into the larger “history, philosophy, and politics” of the dog world, past and present. He clearly loves his dog and all dogs in general, but he was able to present a reasonably balanced view of our relationship with this wonderful enigmatic creature that so many of us live with intimately. He covered theories on the evolution of dogs, dogs throughout history, the origin or pedigree dogs (as well as their serious genetic deficiencies brought about through by man’s attempt to engineer them), and the issues of dogs in our present society. I was surprised and pleased with how much information was condensed into this relatively short volume.
For me this book flowed smoothly from one topic to the next. In addition, the use of grown-up sentence structure and vocabulary enhanced my enjoyment of it. The narrator made it easy to listen to and absorb, although I will want to go back and review several sections in print. I’m surprised this book doesn’t have a higher overall rating. I suppose a reader , looking either for a personal memoir of a dog or a rigorous scientific treatise on dogs, might be disappointed. For me, however, What’s a Dog For? combines the two genre and does it well. I certainly recommend it to anyone with a dog or who might be thinking about brining one into their life.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 12-21-13
an elegant stroll through dog land
do you just love dogs ? / did you have a favorite dog as a kid ?
do you believe that dogs are unique within the animal world ?
does all the recent canine scientific research confuse you ?
john homans has written the perfect book for you
he is not an academic veterinarian or a research scientist
he is simply a NY magazine editor with a breezy and urbane curiosity
homans makes no attempt to be exhaustive or authoritative
he simply asks and answers the questions he thinks we'd like to know
the book has an ironic, humorous, sophisticated and affectionate tone
recent MRI research confirms that dogs can in fact "read" humans
they're also an antidote for the sadness and loneliness of modern city life
homans reminds us that most dog owners have known these facts for years
books by g. berns, c. warren, a. horowitz and t. grandin are more scientific
homans is happy to let them have their expertise and elegant theories
he simply wants to tell us what a real dog lover would want to know
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 01-04-19
the guy and his dog in the history of dogs
good book kind of drought which most dogs looks are.
is the story about a guy and his dogs that had had his life along with the history of the good and bad how we've treated dogs and how this came along for the ride...
definitely worth the listening
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- hermanous
- 05-05-13
Disappointing Book
This book meanders. It's in need of a stronger outline, to truly direct the reader from chapter and a narrator that doesn't sound like somebody's docile grandpa.
This book, as well, may be better intended for those on the periphery of dog interest and not someone who's truly into dogs and has developed his or her own perspective of canines. As I am of the latter camp, I found the author's tone at times to be off-putting and annoying, frankly.
Can you pick up nuggets of info? Yes, but because of the outline (or lack thereof), and because of the narrator, and because of the author's voice (tone), I found it to be a huge disappointment in what I was hoping for.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sailormom
- 12-20-17
Couldn't get through it
What could John Homans have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Not start out by speaking about dogs in insulting terms.
How could the performance have been better?
Get someone to do the reading with less monotone.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
I took some offense in the way he talked about dogs and their relationship with humans right from the get-go
Any additional comments?
I was so curious about so much of this information and spent well-earned credits to buy this, and was extremely dissappointed in the tone of the first few chapters that I stopped listening and haven't played it again for over two years.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!