No matter how cushy their lives, dogs live on our terms. They compromise their freedom and instinctual pleasure, as well as their innate strategies for coping with stress and anxiety, in exchange for the love, comfort, and care they get from us. But it is possible to let dogs be dogs without wreaking havoc on our lives, as biologist Marc Bekoff and bioethicist Jessica Pierce show in this fascinating book. They begin by illuminating the true nature of dogs and helping us "walk in their paws." They reveal what smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing mean to dogs and then guide readers through everyday ways of enhancing dogs' freedom in safe, mutually happy ways. The rewards, they show, are great for dog and human alike.
"Imagine having dogs stand up and tell you how to give them their best lives. While they can't (or, at least, it can be tricky to translate what they're saying), Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce can. This book beautifully uses the science of dogs to help dog people bring compassion to our lives with them."
Alexandra Horowitz, head of the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College
"This is not just another dog book. It's a dog manifesto! Written by two supremely gifted experts, Unleashing Your Dog reveals not only what your dog wants but why. You owe it to your dog to read this book!"
Sy Montgomery, author of The Soul of an Octopus and How to Be a Good Creature
"As always, Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce champion the dog's point of view. Unleashing Your Dog is a scholarly book that is also a delightful must-read for dogs' human companions. It will enrich their dog savvy and improve their dogs' quality of life by giving them the opportunity to experience life through their dogs' eyes - well, actually, their noses and ears. I loved this book."
Dr. Ian Dunbar, author of Before and After Getting Your Puppy
