“For instance, it is high time we revamp the false notion that our dogs view us as their “pack.” The “pack” language—with its talk of the “alpha” dog, dominance, and submission—is one of the most pervasive metaphors for the family… — Alexandra Horowitz Copy Share Image
“By standard intelligence texts, the dogs have failed at the puzzle. I believe, by contrast that they have succeeded magnificently. They have applied a novel tool to the task. We are that tool. Dogs have learned this--and they see us as fine general-purpose tools, too: useful for protection, acquiring food, providing companionship. We solve the puzzles of closed doors and… — Alexandra Horowitz Copy Share
“Those canids such as foxes, who do not live in a social group, appear to have a much more limited range of things to… — Alexandra Horowitz Copy Share Image
“in training a dog you must reward only those behaviors you desire the dog to repeat endlessly.” — Alexandra Horowitz Copy Share Image
“Wasser’s (conservation detection) dogs are young mixed-breeds from shelters because that's where dogs with excessive energy and borderline-obsessive personalities wind up. A dog with… — Alexandra Horowitz Copy Share Image
“Part of seeing what is on an ordinary block is seeing that everything visible has a history. It arrived at the spot where you… — Alexandra Horowitz Copy Share Image
“There is no such thing as "fresh air" to a dog. Air is rich: an olfactory tangle that the dog's nose will diligently unknot.” — Alexandra Horowitz Copy Share Image
“Thus, these two components—perception and action—largely define and circumscribe the world for every living thing. All animals have their own umwelten—their own subjective realities,… — Alexandra Horowitz Copy Share Image
“When it comes to describing our potential physical and cognitive capacities, we are individuals first, and members of the human race second.” — Alexandra Horowitz Copy Share Image
“For any anthropomorphism we use to describe our dogs, we can ask two questions: One, is there a natural behavior this action might have… — Alexandra Horowitz Copy Share Image
“Few celebrate a dog who jumps at people as they approach--but start with the premise that it is we who keep ourselves (and our… — Alexandra Horowitz Copy Share Image
“Dogs are losing their noses. Other research has supported the odd and disturbing result that companion dogs are not only not using their smelling abilities to their capacity; they are forgetting how to be sniffers. In a human-defined, visual world, it seems that it does not pay to notice all the smells around the house, to sort their way through… — Alexandra Horowitz Copy Share
