What’s So Great About Dogs? The Science of Canine Love
Clive D.L. Wynne, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology and founding director of the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University. Previously, he founded the Canine Cognition and Behavior Laboratory at the University of Florida: the first lab of its kind in the United States. Professor Wynne has published pieces in Psychology Today, New Scientist, and The New York Times, and has appeared in documentaries on National Geographic Explorer, PBS, and the BBC. Professor Wynne is co-author of the book Animal Cognition: Evolution, Behavior and Cognition, and author of his latest book, Dog is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You.
Overview
Why Do Humans Love Dogs?
Every dog lover knows there is something special about dogs. But what is it exactly that makes them so great? Some scientists claim that dogs possess special forms of intelligence. They argue that over the course of thousands of years living alongside human beings, they have developed ways of understanding human intentions that no other animal shares. It is dogs’ unbounded desire to form strong emotional bonds with people, and not their really quite pedestrian intelligence, which is the key to understanding their success in a human-dominated world. A grasp of the true essence of their relationship will help both to live more satisfying lives together!