Sunday, January 8, 2012

How the Dog Became the Dog: From Wolves to Our Best Friends Customer reviews

How the Dog Became the Dog: From Wolves to Our Best Friends Review





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How the Dog Became the Dog: From Wolves to Our Best Friends Customer reviews


How the Dog Became the Dog: From Wolves to Our Best Friends Review by applewood (everywhere and nowhere)

The latest copy of the Wall Street Journal had a great summary of this book - which unfortunately has not gotten the accurate and positive reviews it deserves on Amazon yet.

From the Journal's excerpt it is clear this is a well written and engaging account of the human/dog relationship, going back much, much further than the 15 to 17,000 years conventional archaeology ascribes. Using a broader base of DNA testing and earlier archaeological evidence (placing the beginnings of the domestication process at least twice as far back with widely dispersed wandering hunter/gatherers instead of settled humans), Derr's account makes it clear that this co-evolution is both ongoing, beneficial and profoundly transformative for both sides.

I look forward to reading more of this fascinating story - no matter what format it may be....

(ps. follow up note on 11/08/11;

I just heard an interview with the author on NPR today, and it sounds like the story of social dog-wolf/human interaction/evolution is rich with detail (plenty enough to fill a whole book, apparently a concern of some people who are worried this new book is just a padded magazine article). Basically he is presenting a controversial theory that humans had less to do with the domestication of dogs (via selectively choosing docile/immature traits), than natural selection for cooperation between the two super social species.

As Derr puts it in the WSJ article, "The standard explanation was that once the dump-diver became a dog, humans took charge of its evolution through selective breeding, choosing those with desired traits and culling those who came up short.This account is now falling apart in the face of new genetic analyses and recently discovered fossils. The emerging story sees humans and proto-dogs evolving together: We chose them, to be sure, but they chose us too, and our shared characteristics may well account for our seemingly unshakable mutual intimacy. Dogs and humans are social beings who depend on cooperation for their survival and have an uncanny ability to understand each other in order to work together. Both wolves and humans brought unique, complementary talents to a relationship that was based not on subservience and intimidation but on mutual respect."

What is interesting about this to me is that it pushes the date of this early interaction much further back than previously accepted, and makes for dogs selecting for our traits as much us of theirs.

It's easy to take dogs for granted today, and see it only from the master's point of view, but besides their obvious companionship and work duties, I've heard elsewhere that basic domestication of herding animals would never have happened without them. This is just one hint at how they have molded our evolution. Obviously we have had a hand in selecting for all the variety of breeds, but I think we humans have been changed fundamentally by dogs as well (perhaps in such traits as our desire and ability to play and be emotionally open long past our childhood, especially for men). When and how this happened is fascinating. And as far as I can tell it's still happening.

I'm surprised there hasn't been a reader review on Amazon yet from someone who's actually read this book. It seems like it's getting a lot of exposure in the media, and stirring up some strong opinions...our evolution after all is a profound subject.)


How the Dog Became the Dog: From Wolves to Our Best Friends Review by Kevin Behan

If one wants to understand the nature of dogs, this is a must read. First of all, beware critical reviews that fail to address the specifics of the argument Derr is making, which he backs up with the latest science woven into a logical train of speculation, the connective tissue in any theory, and which is clearly delineated as such. These critics use a vague complaint in lieu of critical argument. Expect a lot of resistance to Derr's thesis due to the current state of political correctness in dogdom which is trying to write the wolf out of the domestic dog's makeup, most especially to counteract the media phenomenon of Cesar Milan. (Ironically several years ago Mark Derr wrote an Op Ed piece in the NY Times entitled: "Pack of Lies" rebutting Milan's approach.) This is straight science by an accomplished scientific journalist and if you're willing to consider a fuller as well as the latest findings on how the dog became the dog, this book should sit right next to Coppinger's "Dogs" in your library. And then let them have at it in your mind.


How the Dog Became the Dog: From Wolves to Our Best Friends Review by Patsy Mac

Mr. Derr's book shows an excellent understanding of dogs, dog behavior and dog/human evolution. It is a well written and cogent review of the science of dog evolution. I've been deeply involved with dogs for years. I have bred and raised many puppies. This book increased my understanding of dog evolution, breeding and behavior. I would highly recommend this book.

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