The first scientific look at the world of dogs: why they do what they do, why they are what they are and how they got to be that way in the first place.
Stephen Budiansky holds that virtually everything previously written about dogs is either wrong or misguided. Instead he maintains that to understand the true nature of dogs we need to stop interpreting their behaviour in the human terms of loyalty and betrayal. The truth is far more complex and surprising.
The Dog Genome Project is currently laying the groundwork for identifying the genetic basis of why our dogs behave in the way they do. Other research investigates canine intelligence, and some remarkable experiments reveal what dogs can and cannot see. Budiansky brings together the disciplines of behavioural science, genetics, neuroscience and archaeology to show us how wrong we have been about man's best friend.
'There is much of interest in Mr Budiansky's book' - Sunday Telegraph
'The rest of the pack should lay their ears back and lower their tails: this is the top dog book' - Evening Standard
This witty, serious, enlightening book - Financial Times