Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 21-25 of 31
 Fun and insightful. February 23, 2007
Tamar Brooks (Los Angeles, CA USA)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I love my dogs and wish they could talk to me. Now I find that I can understand them even though they are not using words. This is amazing. I can read their ear positions. I always knew that it must mean something. Lots to learn here. My daughter says I can't really know that it is true, but rather the conjecture of the author. But her ideas make sense and seem to work in context of the situation.
A GREAT manual February 21, 2007
Donna D. Savoie (Massachusetts USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Very much enjoyed this book. It was informative, instructional and easy to read. I have 2 German Shepherds and one is reactive (some would call her aggressive). The photos and writings in this book are very helpful and insiteful for understanding what your dog or any dog is trying to say. Any dog owner or dog trainer will gain knowledge from reading this book. And it is entertaining.
 Highly Indispensable February 12, 2007
Lee Charles Kelley (New York City)
66 out of 87 found this review helpful
This is an amazingly comprehensive look at canine body language. In fact, what Aloff has done is almost unimaginably complete, making this an indispensable book for anyone - owner or trainer - who wants to understand canine emotions. (Notice I said "canine emotions", not "canine communication.") This brings up the fact that I found one major flaw in Brenda Aloff's view of body language (and yet the book is so valuable and worthwhile I almost hesitate to mention it, but...)
Here's what I mean: Aloff divides body language into two types: "deliberate communication" and "non-deliberate signals reflecting an inner state."
I can understand the difficulty authors like Aloff and Turid Rugass (whom Aloff has obviously read) have with the subject matter. It certainly seems at times as if dogs deliberately produce certain postures or facial expressions, or may even seem to change their carriage with the conscious intent to communicate something about themselves, their needs or internal states, etc., to another dog or a human being. And when viewed in a behavioral context - that is when the dog is FOCUSED on that other dog or person, not on something else - it's hard not to make the normal human-like leap, anthropomorphic though it may be, that the dog's focus on us indicates an intent to COMMUNICATE with us. The problem is, the intent to communicate requires third level cognition.
1st Level: Rex is aware of his own internal states.
2nd Level: Rex is aware that Daisy has internal states similar to his.
3rd Level: Rex believes that he can communicate something about his internal states to Daisy and that she will understand what his internal states are.
It might help to understand these levels better if we look at something Helen Keller said. "Before my teacher came to me," Keller wrote in 1908, "I lived in a world that was a no-world. I cannot hope to describe adequately that unconscious time of nothingness. Since I had no power of thought, I did not compare one mental state with another." But once Annie Sullivan awakened Keller's innate human ability to use and understand language, she was able not only to be aware of her own internal states, she was able to communicate them to others. Knowing what we do now about the human brain, and that our capacity for using and understanding language is hardwired, not simply learned, and that despite our love for our dogs, they don't show any ability to use symbols to communicate, this suggests that they probably aren't even capable of 1st Level Cognition, let alone 3rd. (Don't get me wrong; I think dogs are geniuses when it comes to pattern recognition, an ability software developers and artificial intelligence gurus have used to mimic linguistic ability in computer programs.)
Meanwhile, 3rd Level thinking is second nature to most of us. We don't even think about it, we just read and write, and talk and listen. But a dog's brain lacks the same capacity for this kind of thought. In other words, dogs may use body language to try and get another dog (or human being) to DO something, but they don't do it to COMMUNICATE the way we do.
Here's an example: A dog comes into the living room where his owner is watching TV, reading, or talking on the phone. The dog is holding a leash in his mouth. Is the dog (a) communicating that he wants to go for a walk, or (b) trying to motivate or manipulate his owner into TAKING him for a walk? I'd go with (b). Aloff seems to prefer (a).
Eugene Morton, of the National Zoo, has done an extensive study of the sounds made by numerous species of animals. He says that to really understand these sounds (that some people think is a kind of language), it's best not to try to understand what they MEAN, but what they ACCOMPLISH. If we translate that to canine body language we can see that it's not about what the postures and facial expressions MEAN to the other dog (or human), it's about what they get the other dog (or human) to DO: to back off, to come closer, to play a game, to not play so rough, etc. But the single underlying thing that dogs want to accomplish through interactions with us and with other dogs is to attain a more harmonious and satisfying feeling for themselves, not to try to communicate anything to anyone. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think if we're to truly understand our canine companions it's important for us to make this distinction.
4 Stars. (It's still an indispensable addition to any dog lover's library.)
Great pictures, great words February 2, 2007
TherapyDogs (Sacramento, CA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
The best book I own to clearly illustrate what I need to watch for in all sorts of circumstances with my dog, other dogs and the world. From scared, to aggressive to unsure to friendly and beyond, I can review a moment in time to demonstrate what it looks like, and read good advice that a single piece of body language alone doesn't mean everything, but a flood of them or constant, unabated behavior is something to pay attention to. I would recommend this book to any dog owner/lover that wants to better understand what dogs are saying to other dogs and to you! Worth more than it costs, and will be used as a reference for a lifetime.
Speak 'Dog' like a native! January 26, 2007
Ronna L. Roberts (Northwest PA, USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
No if's, and's, or but's...if YOU want to be better able to communicate with your dog, THIS is the book for you! Yes, it's deep, and requires time and study, but if you are truly motivated to understand your dog,there is no better aid.The pictures and text are without equal in presenting exactly the informaton you need to learn to 'read' adn 'speak' Dog.
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