Dog Smart

Life-Changing Lessons in Canine Intelligence

By: Jennifer S. Holland

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

This cutting-edge science narrative, chock-full of heartwarming case studies, is one woman’s quest to learn the true meaning of dog intelligence.

This delightful narrative takes listeners on a powerful search to unlock the secrets of dog cognition, based on evidence from trainers, owners, behaviorists, and the animals themselves. With in-depth reporting and more than a few personal adventures, best-selling author Jennifer S. Holland digs into what intelligence really means.

Listeners will meet a pack of genius dogs, each of whom embodies a particular kind of smarts. Holland interviews Cat Warren, who trains cadaver dogs, to learn about "nose intelligence”. To unpack emotional intelligence, she examines an unlikely dog friendship; to unpack task learning ability, she seeks out an agility trainer. She interviews police-dog trainers (volunteering to be attacked by one in the name of science), service-dog trainers, and trainers who rehabilitate "bad" dogs. And she gets to know breeds that are considered especially intelligent—border collies, cattle dogs, and German shepherds—to discover whether they are truly "smarter" or just more in tune with humans.

In between field experiences, Holland spends time with dogs in a variety of settings—a rescue center, a dog park, a boarding facility—while pondering the lessons they teach us about ourselves. And she’ll pose entrancing philosophical questions: How do we define intelligence in another being? Where do "instinct" and "intelligence" meet and diverge?

Both surprising and heartwarming, this book is one woman’s quest to understand the world’s smartest dogs—and how they got that way.

©2024 Jennifer S. Holland. (P)2024 Audible, Inc.

Very thorough

I am glad I didn't look to see what else the author had written, I might have skipped this book if I had. Jennifer S. Holland does such a great job covering this subject. I have read a lot of books on dog training and dog psychology recently, and none of them have covered the topic so broadly. I will be listening to it again just to catch what I might have missed.

ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING

If you have a dog, then this is a MUST-LISTEN. I firmly believe that my cavalier is not the smartest dog on the block, but I'm rethinking my position since reading this. I shall be listening again, because I'm sure that I've missed a great deal. Wonderful, and even if you don't have a dog but just love animals, this is a fascinating way to spend a few hours.

Why can't I give it 6 stars?

The writers performance and pleasant voice

For dog lovers of all levels, this is a great resource for understanding our furry companions on their, elevated, level.

Understand your dog better

A very informative book. I have an 8 year old mixed breed rescue who had 6 years of living before he came to me, so he can at times have unusual behaviors. The most important thing the book does is give you a frame of reference from which to better understand your dog. It is common for people to judge a dog's behavior as if it had human motivations and not in terms of the way a dog behaves. The author looks at dog senses and how they influence its actions as well as canine evolution, training and examples of the abilities of several gifted dogs. You learn about how service dogs are trained and approach their work and how military, police and dogs who detect all manner of things with their smell learn to do their job and how it fits in with the nature of a dog or how it may not, If you love dogs or just want to understand them better this is a great book for anyone. The reader is enthusiastic and has a pleasant voice to listen to

I personally did not enjoy the listen.

While ‘Dog Smart’ by Jennifer S. Holland presents an intriguing exploration of canine intelligence, I found that the content didn’t fully meet my expectations. The concepts, while interesting, were sometimes presented in a manner that didn’t fully resonate with my personal experiences with dogs. Perhaps others might find the insights more applicable or engaging, but it left me wanting more depth or practical advice that could be directly applied in everyday interactions with my pet.