Science Dogs

How well do you know our favorite furry companion? Did they really descend from wolves? What's the difference between a Chihuahua and a Saint Bernard? And just how smart are they? Join one friendly mutt on a journey to discover the secret origin of dogs, how genetics and evolution shape species, and where in the world his favorite ball bounced off to.

THE INSTANT #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER In this path-breaking guide, two of the world’s most popular and trusted pet-care advocates reveal how to delay aging and provide a long, happy, healthy life for our canine companions Like their human counterparts, dogs have been getting sicker and dying prematurely over the past few decades. Why? Scientists are beginning to understand that the chronic diseases afflicting humans—cancer, obesity, diabetes, organ degeneration and autoimmune disorders—also beset canines. As a result, our beloved companions struggle with preventable health problems throughout much of their lives. Because dogs can’t make health and lifestyle decisions for themselves, it’s up to pet parents to make smart, science-backed choices on their behalf. Rodney Habib and Karen Becker, DVM, travelled the world collecting wisdom from top geneticists, microbiologists and longevity researchers. They also interviewed people whose dogs have lived into their twenties and even thirties. The result is this unprecedented and comprehensive guide, filled with surprising information, invaluable advice and inspiring stories about dogs and the people who love them. The Forever Dog prescriptive plan can be tailored to the genetic predisposition of particular breeds or mixes. The authors discuss various types of food—including details commercial manufacturers don’t want us to know—and offer recipes, tips and easy solutions for ensuring our dogs obtain the nutrients they need. They also explore how external factors that we often overlook can greatly affect a dog’s overall health and well-being—including the role our own lifestyles and our vets’ choices play. Indeed, the health equation works both ways and can travel “up the leash.” This definitive dog-care guide empowers us with the knowledge we need to make wise choices and keep our dogs healthy and happy for years to come.

What if you could significantly improve your physical and mental health by taking a simple step thats easy, rewarding, and fun? Dr. Milena Penkowa says you can do that and more by owning a dog and yet people continue to invest time and money in costly treatments before even considering a furry friend. Dogs can stave off diseases and certain cancers, erase pain, and ease anxiety, depression, allergies, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders. Over the long term, they can also reduce the burden of dementia, epilepsy, stroke, Parkinsons disease, schizophrenia and autism. This guidebook explains the scientifically proven benefits of dogs, and youll learn how dogs: change the human brain so it reacts and thinks differently; improve the immune system to make you more resilient than dog deprived individuals; boost and invigorate the human spirit and secure happiness; promote a life of longevity and healthiness. Stop looking for fancy remedies to physical and mental problems, and start looking for a dog wagging its tail. Tap into a natural method to survive and thrive by learning about the fascinating connections between Dogs & Human Health.

From two of the world’s leading authorities on dogs, an imaginative journey into a future of dogs without people What would happen to dogs if humans simply disappeared? Would dogs be able to survive on their own without us? A Dog’s World imagines a posthuman future for dogs, revealing how dogs would survive—and possibly even thrive—and explaining how this new and revolutionary perspective can guide how we interact with dogs now. Drawing on biology, ecology, and the latest findings on the lives and behavior of dogs and their wild relatives, Jessica Pierce and Marc Bekoff—two of today’s most innovative thinkers about dogs—explore who dogs might become without direct human intervention into breeding, arranged playdates at the dog park, regular feedings, and veterinary care. Pierce and Bekoff show how dogs are quick learners who are highly adaptable and opportunistic, and they offer compelling evidence that dogs already do survive on their own—and could do so in a world without us. Challenging the notion that dogs would be helpless without their human counterparts, A Dog’s World enables us to understand these independent and remarkably intelligent animals on their own terms.

After injuring his spinal cord in an accident, Jasper the dachshund was unable to move his back legs. In 2012, scientists at Cambridge University tried an unusual experiment to help Jasper walk again. They took special cells from inside Jasper's nose and transplanted them into his spine. Why? Scientists knew that these cells constantly regrow to keep the nose working. Could these same cells somehow repair Jasper's damaged spinal cord? This is just one of many fascinating stories found in Science Dogs. For more than a century, dogs like Jasper have played a key role in scientific discoveries, from the invention of the pacemaker to a cancer-sniffing machine modeled after a dog’s nose. With dramatic, full-color photos, this book is sure to appeal to dog lovers everywhere.

My dog understands me! At least, many dog owners think so. New scientific studies actually show that dogs understand a lot about us humans. For example, they can figure out what humans can and cannot see. Some dogs can even distinguish large numbers of toys by name, like Rico, the internationally famous Border collie. But do dogs also understand our emotions? Can they grasp cause and effect relationships? What fascinates us humans about dogs? Is it only the proverbial ‘puppy dog eyes’ that make dogs look sympathetic? Or is it the fact that these animals have grown very well-attuned to humans and are willing to cooperate with them? In a total of ten chapters, Juliane Bräuer and Juliane Kaminski present the results of the most important scientific studies of the last twenty years on dog cognition.

Published in hardcover as What the dog knows: the science and wonder of working dogs by Simon & Schuster, New York, c2013.