Product Description

From the gray wolf and the dingo to the South American bush dog and the whistling hunter, this book covers the wild dogs that have been free spirits on every continent except Antarctica and have thrived in all environments. Described are dogs that roam free over the planet, the hottest and driest parts of Africa and Australia, the wettest forests of New Guinea and South America, and the coldest parts of the Arctic Circle. This up-to-date account discusses the skills, personalities, and lifestyles of these dogs. It includes information on wolves, foxes, coyotes, jackals, and dingoes, as well as details about rare dogs such as the dhole and the South American bush dog. Also provided are insights into the extraordinary group coherence of wild dogs; their faithfulness and intelligence; their ability to learn, remember, and solve problems; and what they have in common with domesticated dogs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1050186 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 248 pages

From Booklist
What makes a dog a dog? Rogers and Kaplan (Orangutans, 2000; Not Only Roars and Rituals, 1998) answer this question and others as they explore the world's wild dogs. Dogs were domesticated roughly 135,000 years ago, and although they have undergone remarkable physical changes from their gray-wolf ancestor, their behavior is remarkably similar to that of wolves. Wild dogs of various species are found on every continent except Antarctica, and the broad range of habitats they inhabit has affected their social structure and choice of prey. Communication is quite similar across canine species, but hunting techniques and reproduction vary. A chapter on intelligent behavior reveals their remarkable ability to learn, adapt, and solve problems. A fascinating chapter comparing domestic and feral dogs, with a discussion on the placement of Australia's dingo, demonstrates how close domestic dogs are to their wild relatives. This nice introduction to the scientific study of canines includes an extensive bibliography and will be welcomed by inquiring dog owners who want to know more about their pets. Nancy Bent
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Review
"A most readable and informative book that will give both dog owners and the ‘dog-less’ insight and pause." -- Kliatt

About the Author
Lesley J. Rogers and Gisela Kaplan are professors at the University of New England and are the authors of Birds, The Orangutans, and Not Only Roars and Rituals.

Customer Reviews

Outstanding and necessary
This book on wild dogs written by famous australian ethologists, L. Rogers & G. Kaplan is an outstanding piece of work. While there is a vast amount a literature on dogs, only a handful of it has the scientific value that is necessary to really understand dog behavior. "Spirit of the wild dog" is one of these books. It is written by 2 scientists who have a large comparative and evolutionary view which gives this book one of its unvaluable aspect. The scientific information contained in this comparative book beautifully contrast with anecdotes on dogs which unfortunately constitutes the bulk of dog literature. Therefore if one wants to know about dogs, he better buy this book easy to read and scientifically sound.

The Common Ground Among Canines
While I found the book to be informative and interesting, and I certainly don't regret buying it, it was somewhat different from what I had expected. I had expected the pages to devote more individual time to each specific canine species. Instead, the chapters were dedicated to exploring some of the characteristics shared among the canines (Intelligent behavior, Communication, etc.). I guess it wasn't as comprehensively expository of each species as I wanted it to be, but a good read nonetheless.

Good info....
even if written to an 8th-grade reader's level. A long time canine fan, I learned a thing or two from this book that I hadn't run across elsewhere. If you're a dog fan, you'll want to know more about their wild canine relatives.