Product Description

Dogs occupy a special position in human society. They were probably the first animal species to become domesticated, but their relationship with humans has always been ambivalent. Dogs form strong attachments to humans, even in the face of rejection and punishment, voluntarily allying themselves to us as faithful companions, uncomplaining child-substitutes, enduring workers, and excellent hunters and guards. Yet they are also reviled as vicious killers, unclean scavengers and outcasts. In this book, the many facets of dog behavior are set in the context of the dog's place in our society. Based on firm scientific research, the book dispells many myths and stereotypes about our canine friends, and it will be the definitive reference work on dog behavior for many years to come. Dog-lovers with an interest in understanding how and why dogs behave as they do will find this fascinating reading.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #487693 in Books
• Published on: 1996-01-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 284 pages

Review
Enjoy an unusually scientific approach to the natural history of the dog which examines its evolution, behavior, and interactions with humans rather than providing the usual photo display of breeds. From genetic predispositions towards behavior to social development and communication influences, this presents an intriguing survey of dog developments for students of science. -- Midwest Book Review

Review
"The technical quality of the data is high, the chapters well-written, and the book is well-organized. This title is a welcome addition to the scientific literature describing the behavior of dogs and dog-human interactions." Science Books and Films

About the Author
James Serpell is the Marie A. Moore Professor of Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, where he also directs the Center for the Interaction of Animals & Society. He received his bachelor's degree in Zoology from University College London (UK) in 1974, and his PhD in Animal Behavior from the University of Liverpool (UK) in 1980. He moved to his current position at the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. Dr. Serpell is the current President of the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ). He serves on the editorial boards of most of the major journals on animal welfare, applied animal behavior, and human-animal interactions. His research focuses on the behavior and welfare of companion animals, the development of human attitudes to animals, and the history of human-animal relationships. In addition to publishing more than 70 journal articles and book chapters on these and related topics, he is the author, editor, or co-editor of several books including Animals & Human Society: Changing Perspectives (1994), The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behavior & Interactions with People (1995), In the Company of Animals (1996), and Companion Animals & Us (2000).

Customer Reviews

Academic, researched, impartial book on dogs.
Does it seem that retail book stores stock dog books that appear opinion-based and poorly referenced or researched? The early chapters of The Domestic Dog concerning evolution may be a little bit factual and historically oriented (read: a tad dry) but presents an excellent understanding of how dogs came into contact with humans and the resulting reliance and interations. The book, in part, looks at areas of canus familiarus and human interaction from both a biological, survival necessity to what kind of kennel should be considered based on breed selection. There are many discussions on topics not normally covered in commercial or general appeal dog books that will compliment, inform and provide insight into otherwise unknown or insufficiently covered areas about dogs. Areas of new information include (but is not limited to): pack hierarchy, dog development and growth, dog psychology and others. It is one dog book I can rely on for its research, reference material and impartial analyses into breed types. It has helped me learn more about dogs than previously possible in other purported books based on fact. I do believe that one must be more interested in dogs than just a casual manner (i.e.: one must really want to get into the nuts and bolts) to enjoy and finish this book.

The Domestic Dog, James Serpell (Ed.)
For those people hungry for scientific literature on dogs and curious about what other references there are on particular dog topics, this is a must read/must have text; almost every chapter serves as a review of the scientific literature on that topic. Those who don't care for reading anything drier than James Herriot's "All Creatures Great & Small" should avoid it.

The book is probably used as a text for graduate students and upper division majors in ethology, comparative psychology, zoology, etc. It was published early in 1996 so the information is current as of that date. The book is in its 5th printing so some professors must share my judgment of it. Let's hope that by 2005 there's a revised edition including and evaluating recent work.

It has 17 chapters written (or co-written) by 21 specialists in their fields -- British, American, Italian -- (after an introduction) divided into 3 major divisions: I. Domestication & evolution (2 chapters) ; II. Behaviour & behaviour problems (8 ch.s); III. Human-dog interactions (6 ch.s). The chapters provide an excellent summary and the key references to the area discussed. A few chapters have a definite British flavor but American readers will be able to transpose when needed.

Dog breeders (& many owners) may be especially interested in the chapters dealing with what's known about heritability of traits, temperament, etc., as well as the role of early experience on later behaviors, disorders, etc.

A few chapters are filled with research results in tables and graphs. One is dense with specialist jargon. But all are readable if you're interested in learning what the applicable sciences know and do not know about the dog. All chapters have information I found important and to some, I'll refer back to many times.

A Serious Must for Serious Dog People
First published in 1995, nothing else as comprehensive and as carefully researched on canine behavior and development has been published. For the general reader, the writing style may be a bit dry; however, because each chapter has different authors, the writing style, while basically academic and fact driven, varies.

Any serious dog breeders, trainers, or owners will find themselves returning to certain chapters over and over again. Breeders and even new puppy owners would benefit from the chapter by Serpell and Jagoe on "Early experience and the development of behaviour," which updates the standard beliefs about puppy development resulting from the Bar Harbor experiments of over 50 years ago.

Excellent book!