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Dogs are extremely popular household companions and a large percentage of these amazing beings are free-ranging with or without homes to which to return or feral and on their. Regardless of lifestyle and where they are encountered, they all share the basic behavior patterns that are used in a wide variety of social contexts and being fluent in dog—dog literate—is crucial for giving dogs the best lives possible no matter of where they’re encountered.1
I’ve always found making it fun to learn about the behavior of any nonhuman animal (animal) is a great way to become fluent in the way they tell others—members of the same or different nonhuman species or humans—what they know, want, and need.2 That is why a new book titled The Mind of a Dog: Science Meets Comics by Finnish animal behavior researcher Dr. Helena Telkänranta—which is beautifully illustrated by Maija Karala and Ville Sinkkonen, two internationally acclaimed artists known for their scientifically accurate yet lively depiction of animals—is so important for anyone who wants to learn more about these amazing beings and give them the best and happiest dog-appropriate lives they can.
For the animals living in the care of humans, a large part of their well-being depends on how much their caretakers know about their needs. Scientists now know more about the emotions and needs of animals than ever before—but the question is how to make this knowledge easily accessible to those involved with animals in their daily lives. There are many people who may not be in the habit of reading books but could enjoy the same information if it were presented in cleverly constructed pictures. The Mind of a Dog does this by depicting dogs in lively yet highly accurate ways, with facial expressions, nuances of body language, and vocalizations just right. Chapters include Learning and Training, Puppies, Social Behavior, Relationships with Humans, Emotions and Motivations, Breeds and Personalities, Health, Senses, Activities, and Agency, each accompanied by numerous scientific studies.
This outstanding fact-filled book offers an overview of up-to-date scientific knowledge on the factors affecting dog well-being. The author and illustrators show how and why the company of familiar, friendly humans is one of the most important necessities for a dog to have a good high quality life. They also show how to facilitate peaceful cohabitation such as how to enable the development of a wide variety of social skills from an early age and how to prevent aggression. For example, the cartoons below explain how to deal with commonly occurring leash aggression. Readers also are provided with animal-friendly ways to avoid inadvertently causing pain and how to recognize signs of illness and other issues.
Some other topics include: What kinds of emotions dogs experience, how their sensory perception differs from ours, and how dogs’ motivations, behavioral needs, and social hierarchies work. Also explained are ways to develop deeper dog-human bonds and how freedom of choice improves an individual’s well-being by allowing them to be an active agent in their life.
Learning more about the inner lives of dogs will make it easier for people to treat them with more respect and compassion. Getting to know the unique personality of each and every individual dog and how amazingly rich and deep the social and emotional lives of dogs truly are can be a transformative experience for all involved. A lot of the pain and suffering inflicted on dogs and other animals is not because someone wants to hurt them, but because they don’t know what else to do in different situations. Providing people with detailed knowledge of how to succeed with techniques such as positive reinforcement will help them avoid unintentionally harming a dog and free the dog to actively choose what they want and need, a win-win for all.
