Social Dog: Behavior and Cognition

Domestic dogs are returning to popularity in behavior research. This book serves to summarize the growing body of research on their social behavior and thinking processes, and highlight areas where controversy exists and further research is indicated. The goal is to make this field accessible to professionals in various fields who might be interested from a variety of perspectives, from animal behaviorists to evolutionary scientists, to human cognitive specialists and dog trainers interested in how dog and human thinking and behavior interact. The book includes papers on both dogs' interactions with other dogs, and their interactions with humans; the editors believe both areas are necessary to understand the cognition and behavior of domestic dogs. Thirteen chapters are divided into three sections: theoretical aspects (canine evolution, domestication hypotheses), social behavior (in feral dogs packs, in pet play, auditory signaling, dog-human bonds, individuality, problem behaviors), and social cognition (social learning, understanding of human intentions, optimistic and pessimistic attitudes toward life, tail-wagging). This is a collection of scientific papers, but is designed to be more than usually accessible to seriously interested readers in other fields. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
Dogs have become the subject of increasing scientific study over the past two decades, chiefly due to their development of specialized social skills, seemingly a result of selection pressures during domestication to help them adapt to the human environment.The Social Dog: Behaviour and Cognition includes chapters from leading researchers in the fields of social cognition and behavior, vocalization, evolution, and more, focusing on topics including dog-dog and dog-human interaction, bonding with humans, social behavior and learning, and more.Dogs are being studied in comparative cognitive sciences as well as genetics, ethology, and many more areas. As the number of published studies increases, this book aims to give the reader an overview of the state of the art on dog research, with an emphasis on social behavior and socio-cognitive skills. It represents a valuable resource for students, veterinarians, dog specialists, or anyone who wants deeper knowledge of his or her canine companion.Reviews the state of the art of research on dog social interactions and cognitionIncludes topics on dog-dog as well as dog-human interactionsFeatures contributions from leading experts in the field, which examine current studies while highlighting the potential for future research