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This book highlights the state of the field in the new, provocative line of research into the cognition and behavior of the domestic dog. Eleven chapters from leading researchers describe innovative methods from comparative psychology, ethology and behavioral biology, which are combined to create a more comprehensive picture of the behavior of Canis familiaris than ever before. Each of the book's three parts highlights one of the perspectives relevant to providing a full understanding of the dog. Part I covers the perceptual abilities of dogs and the effect of interbreeding. Part II includes observational and experimental results from studies of social cognition - such as learning and social referencing - and physical cognition in canids, while Part III summarizes the work in the field to date, reviewing various conceptual and methodological approaches and testing anthropomorphisms with regard to dogs. The final chapter discusses the practical application of behavioral and cognitive results to promote animal welfare. This volume reflects a modern shift in science toward considering and studying domestic dogs for their own sake, not only insofar as they reflect back on human beings.
List of contents
Part I: Orientation: Perceptual and Breed Effects on Behavior and Early Ethological Research.- Canine Olfaction: Scent, Sign and Situation.- Dog Breeds and Their Behavior.- The Significance of Ethological Studies: Play and Pee.- Part II: Behavior and Cognition: Observational and Experimental Results.- Dog Imitation and its Possible Origins.- Social Looking in the Domestic Dog.- Visual Attention in Dogs and the Evolution of Non-verbal Communication.- Cognitive Development in Gray Wolves: Development of Object Permanence and Sensorimotor Intelligence with Respect to Domestic Dogs.- Part III: The Future of Dog Research: Critical Reassessment of Methods and Practice and Practical Applications.- Measuring the Behaviour of Dogs: An Ethological Approach.- Looking at Dogs: Moving from Anthropocentrism to Canid Umwelt.- A Dog's-Eye View of Canine Cognition.- Canine Welfare Science: An Antidote to Sentiment and Myth.
Summary
This book highlights the state of the field in the new, provocative line of research into the cognition and behavior of the domestic dog. Eleven chapters from leading researchers describe innovative methods from comparative psychology, ethology and behavioral biology, which are combined to create a more comprehensive picture of the behavior of Canis familiaris than ever before. Each of the book’s three parts highlights one of the perspectives relevant to providing a full understanding of the dog. Part I covers the perceptual abilities of dogs and the effect of interbreeding. Part II includes observational and experimental results from studies of social cognition – such as learning and social referencing – and physical cognition in canids, while Part III summarizes the work in the field to date, reviewing various conceptual and methodological approaches and testing anthropomorphisms with regard to dogs. The final chapter discusses the practical application of behavioral and cognitive results to promote animal welfare. This volume reflects a modern shift in science toward considering and studying domestic dogs for their own sake, not only insofar as they reflect back on human beings.
