The Social Dog

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.

Autorentext
Dr. Juliane Kaminski ist promovierte Biologin und forscht am Max-Planck-Institut für evolutionäre Anthropologie in Leipzig.

Zusammenfassung

"... an excellent job distilling a vast amount of information into a highly readable synopsis that will appeal to students and general readers alike... Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries." --Choice Reviews Online, January 2015

"...an outstanding review of the scientific literature and current research regarding canine cognition and social behavior...an intelligent read and likely requires a strong scientific background for full comprehension." --Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, December 2014

"...provides a much-needed overview of...the role that research on dogs is playing in increasing our understanding of behavior and cognition more broadly...an excellent resource for researchers...as well as for trainers or veterinarians..." --The Quarterly Review of Biology

Inhalt

1. Introduction: Why dogsJuliane Kaminski and Sarah Marshall-Pescini2. Social cognition: The dog-wolf comparison.Friederike Range and Zsofi Viranyi3. The social organization of a population of free-ranging dogs in a suburban area of Rome: A reassessment of the effects of domestication on dogs' behaviorRoberto Bonanni and Simona Cafazzo4. Social behavior among companion dogs with an emphasis on playBarbara Smuts5. Auditory communication in domestic dogs: Vocal signalling in the extended social environment of a companion animalAnna Magdalena Taylor, Victoria Frances Ratcliffe, Karen McComb, David Reby6. The immaterial cord: The dog-human attachment bondEmanuela Prato Previde and Paola Valsecchi7. The personality of dogsÁdám Miklósi, Borbála Turcsán, Enik Kubinyi8. When the bond goes wrong: Problem behaviours in the social contextDaniel Mills, Emile van der Zee, and Helen Zulch9. Social learning in dogsPéter Pongrácz10. What dogs understand about humansJuliane Bräuer11. Dogs' sensitivity to human ostensive cues: A unique adaptation?Topál József, Kis Anna, Oláh Katalin12. Do dogs show an optimistic or pessimistic attitude to life? A review of studies using the 'cognitive bias' paradigmOliver Burman13. Wagging to the right or to the left: Lateralization and what it tells of the dog's social brainMarcello Siniscalchi and Angelo Quaranta