Vanessa WoodsCritiques

I read this as a text in connection with a mooc on Coursera and it was a delight! So interesting and fun to read.

I found this an interesting take on the inner workings of dog brains. It’s worth the time, especially for those that care about dogs. Spoiler: my nephew Brent says that those Russian experiments on taming foxes and the suite of characteristics that come with taming them have recently been challenged. Apparently the Russians were cheating. Who would’ve figured.½

Light reading.

I'd give it 3 1/2 stars if he had mentioned how your librarian could help you track down all the (oddly referenced) literature he cited. Instead he just tells you to try Google Scholar or sending a note to the author. Another academic who doesn't use his library, I'm guessing.

Oops, I got distracted there. I did enjoy learning more about dog behavior.

Hare and Woods' careful research leads compellingly from the process of 'self-domestication' as a most effective survival tactic to a similar case with Homo Sapiens. Dogs began following hunter-gatherers, eating their leavings (yes, everything) but were tolerated as cleaning up the camp was useful, over time they made themselves useful in other ways, barking at approaching predators, and eventually even as hunting companions. Point being, some dog-loving human did not embark on the kind of selective breeding program we think of now, hunter-gathering lifestyle precluded that option. The changes happened slowly over time. From there the authors shift to humans, theorizing (as a layman I found their research compelling but I am no scientist) that the big change that separates homo sapiens from all the others is that we self-domesticated ourselves--enough to be able to live in large groups which enabled cooperation and collaboration, the secret of our success. However, only up to a point. As with many innovations the undesirable tags right along with the desirable. In this case, the same hormones (mainly oxytocin triggered by eye contact and touch) that causes humans to feel loving to their children and families and their own 'group,' also gives rise to increased leeriness of outsiders. There are degrees to this that range from mild to horrific, the horrific level being when a human being will 'decide' that some other human being is NOT a human being and can therefore be sacrificed and disposed of any old how. (When push comes to shove how many men think this way about women? The authors leave this aspect untouched, btw.) This was the subject of Karl Ove Knausgaard's final book in the 'My Struggle' saga and what he was working towards throughout. His shock at realizing the mechanism of savage violence to other humans and how Hitler, a deeply damaged and incredible intuitive person could manipulate others with inflammatory rhetoric reverberates and echoes backwards through the novels.
Can anything be done? Well, democracies do better than anyone else at equitable governance, all the checks and balances are critical, as are limits to free speech and types of demonstrations. Peaceful. No weapons. And, most critically, no pushing of the dehumanization button. The book follows many interesting avenues of research and is very convincing. If only the people who need to read it would or even could. Another gem: Darwin's Survival of the Fittest idea has led to many disastrous (think eugenics) pursuits, but he did not mean strongest he meant the most effective at promoting survival. The former concept was already lodged deeply in the popular imagination from the 19th century interpretation of his work and was intensified through imagery put forth by Life Magazine in the 1960's (I remember this book!) so that a huge group of people still take the idea for granted as meaning that the strongest in a group (literally, most violent) survive the best. It ain't so. Research is very very clear on that. Violence breeds more violence and doesn't end until everyone is exhausted. Non-violent change has a far better chance. Further and thought-provoking research indicates that once a mind closes, the only way to re-open it is through personal contact, i.e. through friendship. Tall order. This is quite a radical read, I think. *****

The book's title makes it sound like it's going to be some wishy-washy sentimental essay about how smart dogs are. It's anything but. It's actually an engaging, evidence-backed discussion of how dogs have evolved and how they learn new things. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on breed differences and on training approaches; they are short and less in-depth than what I'd like but they are full of great references for further reading.

http://www.susanhatedliterature.net/2015/09/the-genius-of-dogs/

Obviously this book is aimed more at dog lovers than at any more general reader, so if you aren’t interested in how and why your dog, or any dog, does what it does then you won’t be too interested in what this book has to say.

However if you are looking for a scientific book then this isn’t really the one for you. It is very much a popular science book, it references plenty of studies and articles in passing, but it is an easy read, skipping from topic to topic without ever going hugely in-depth into any one area. In my opinion this is what makes this book work. It is intended for exactly that audience and it delivers.

It also branches out into the differences between how dogs and other animals react to humans, how dogs are so much more responsive because of how people and dogs have evolved to live together. And how they really really aren’t wolves in disguise, and shouldn’t be treated however you think a wolf should be treated i. Most of the research he mentioned I was vaguely familiar with as I have an interest in it. A surface interest mind, I wouldn’t be off reading scientific papers, just the pop-round up version. I did find the chapter about Skinner and behaviourism and how maybe clicker-training works because it affects the human rather than the dog a very interesting read.

All in all it is an entertaining read, providing a decent over view of where we are at the moment in relation to trying to understand dogs and their behaviour.

No index, no table of contents. Apparently we should read this as fiction.½

This book is loaded with a history of reasearching dogs. All kinds of interesting facts from the beginning of time.

Though it mentions a number of studies, it is not a scientific survey or study; although it covers the author's development of the importance of studying dogs and, in particular, their interaction with people, it is not a biography. It's a hybrid that will teach you some new things about dogs and is also quite approachable. The downside is that it's written for about an eighth grade reader and lacks the meat a more serious book would have. When I had to leave it, I rushed back to resume reading, but ultimately I felt unfulfilled and wish there were more to it.

This memoir was well written withal distinctive voice and surprisingly wide range of topics. I enjoyed the rumination on what makes us human, I teared up when I was supposed to, and appreciated the history of the Congo. The last chapters felt a bit preachy but I am in wholehearted agreement with her on issues of extreme poverty.

*book received through GoodReads giveaway*

I can't be the only person out there who, despite greatly enjoying reading books dealing with science, often has a hard time trudging through them because of the dense argot that they employ. On the flipside, it is very easy for a book like this to turn into an anecdotal portrait of the author's dog extrapolated onto the canine group as a whole. Count your blessings: this book belongs in neither of these camps. John Grogan put it best when he said it is "thoroughly researched and written in the voice of a brainy scientist sitting at your kitchen table".

Among other topics, Hare discusses the unusual relationship between man and wolf, the lineage of the dog, Belyaev's fox-breeding experiment, the importance of intraspecies cooperation in the survival of a species, the extraordinary ability of dogs to read the intentions of humans, the minute genetic differences between the vast majority of dog breeds, the poor treatment of dogs in many societies (in the USA and abroad), and the interdependence of dogs and humans. All of these topics are bolstered with numerous references to studies and thorough (yet not exhaustive or overwhelming) analysis.

Hare does include anecdotes, but they are not meant to be "the last word" on any aspect of dog intelligence, so much as a way of relating to the facts that you read by adding a personal touch and coloring the path that the author took. For every anecdote in the book, there are references to about ten studies. The information he presents is not merely telling people what they are likely wanting to hear; in fact, there's a whole chapter devoted to a list of skills that have been dulled during the wolf-to-dog transition.

As an animal lover and an inquisitive person, I really picked up a lot from this book and appreciated the vast amounts of research and dedication that went into it. I didn't always agree with the conclusions that the author drew, but he still gets full marks because he was quick to tell that they were just opinions and not unequivocal.

The author was young and didn't really know what she wanted to do with herself beyond have adventures. She met her fiancee, Brian, at a chimpanzee sanctuary and he convinced her to come with him to Congo to do some research on bonobos, a type of chimp. The book includes memoir of her and Brian + info about both chimps and bonobos + info on Congo and the political upheaval that has gone on there throughout its history.

I really enjoyed this. I love reading/learning about animals, and I have an undergraduate degree in anthropology (cultural, but I also took some primate classes). The Congo info was interesting, as well. Being a neighbour to Rwanda, much of the Tutsi/Hutu genocide carried over into Congo, as well. I will say, though, that I wasn't crazy about the author, herself - I didn't like her much. However, I still really enjoyed the book.

The authors, both scientists of canine cognition, explain the results of scientific testing about how dogs make inferences and solve problems, and they also share interesting research and theories about the effects of domestication. The findings are presented in an entertaining way and provide lots of background on wolves versus dogs, as well as interesting insights into what your dog is really “thinking.”

Some highlights:

Perception and projection skew our assessment of dog characteristics. For example, “…contrary to popular belief, there is no experimental evidence that dogs experience the feeling of guilt or that they have a human-like concept of guilt. Currently we only have evidence that dogs react to their owner’s frustrated behavior.” That is, the dog may understand you are stressed, and this in turn will stress the dog, but it is too much of a leap to identify this response as guilt.

Pit bulls are blamed for most dog-bite-related incidents, but many people incorrectly identify aggressive dogs because of their preconceived beliefs about pit bulls. One study found that people blamed pit bulls for “a notable proportion” of 84 dog bites in children, even though the actual rate was only 13 percent. Yet another study showed that, when shown pictures of an identical dog appearing in one picture with a scruffy looking owner versus another with a nicely dressed owner, people were more likely label the first dog as the aggressive one, even though they were looking at the very same dog.

Even adoption agencies can’t be relied upon to tell breeds apart; in one study they were asked to identify a series of dogs. Then blood samples of those dogs were sent for DNA analysis. The breed was misidentified two-thirds of the time.

Domesticated dogs and foxes, as well as bonobos (similar to chimpanzees but much less aggressive) are different from non-domesticated close genetic relatives both in terms of their social skills with each other and in the nature of their interactions with humans. In addition to a less aggressive demeanor, other traits seem to have accompanied domestication, such as smaller body size and sometimes floppy ears and curly tails.

It is believed that bonobos domesticated themselves; the authors speculate that early humans might have gone through a similar process. Maybe it wasn’t the smarter people who had the survival advantage, but the friendlier people - those most apt to cooperate with others. Cooperation can lead to better food, better protection, and more knowledge sharing, all of which would help contribute to higher intelligence. As the authors suggest:

"Before humans could become ultra-cooperative, we had to become ultra-tolerant. This tolerance preceded the evolution of more complex forms of human social cognition. Inferential reasoning, planning, and skills for coordination do little good in planning for hunting or finding shelter if no one can tolerate engaging in group activities or even listening to what others have to say. … [S]elf-domestication may have … catalyzed an evolutionary chain reaction leading to the evolution of completely new cognitive abilities…”

At the end of the book, the authors reverse the focus of the book and include a small section on how humans react to dogs.

Evaluation: This book will interest ethologists and dog-lovers alike.½

Amazing story about the lesser known relative of the chimpanzee, the bonobos. BEYOND fascinating and extremely informative! Thanks to Vanessa Woods wonderful book I now know about these fantastic creatures and their struggle to survive in the wild. They only live in one country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and their numbers are declining due to human threats such as hunting and poaching. The adults are killed and then sold on the black markets for bush meat and the orphaned young are sold as pets. The bonobo is highly endangered and facing possible extinction.

Vanessa Woods accompanied her fiance to the Congo to study the differences between chimps and bonobos. Unlike chimps, bonobos are a peaceful great ape and are highly cooperative. Bonobos are sexually active creatures and often sex serves to promote bonding, reduce tensions, and share pleasure. Bonobo Handshake is a story that begins as a scientific study but transforms into a love story, an eye opener, valuable lessons learned and the journey towards healing and understanding.

This book does NOT read like some scientific journal. It is an amazing, gripping true story about an ape that is so much like ourselves, sharing more than 98% of our DNA. It is the true story about a country in complete turmoil. It is the true story about an Africa that is losing it's greatest assets to war and rebel soldiers. Had I not picked up this book I would have never known that by 2009, the death toll could be estimated at 5.9 million. BH has definitely opened my eyes to the wonders of nature and the cruelty of man. I reached the last page with tears in my eyes. I hope the beautiful bonobos will forever have a safe haven at Lola Ya Bonobo.

A terrific book for dog lovers (or for those interested in evolutonary biology)! Hare and Woods take the reader on a tour of how dogs developed as a species, but more specifically how and why they, and not other animals, became our "best friend."

There is a little dry description of some of the tests and experiments with dog cogntion, which slows the book down very slightly but definitely does not detract from the enjoyment,

Hare personalizes the book by including anecdotal information and stories about his own dogs, including Oreo, the very first one he ever owned.½

This fascinating book rounds up the author's, and other scientists', recent researches into how dogs think. How is it that neither wolves nor chimpanzees can understand when a human being attempts to point out where a treat is hidden, but dogs can? The author's thesis is that dogs have adapted themselves to be a partner to human beings, and given themselves a certain kind of genius. As a former dog owner, this went a long way to explaining what was going on behind my dog's dark eyes. Worth reading whether you're a fan of dogs or simply fascinated by the subtlety of evolution.

Enjoyed this though it took me awhile to get through. I found the chapters on wolves & domestication interesting, but felt it could have taken up less of the book. While the history of Russian biology was interesting, I'm not sure all of the detail was essential to the book. Definitely a fun and enlightening read for any dog owner.

Was I the only one who did not know what a bonobo was? Apparently not, spell check just underlined it! This book is a great mixture of science, history and memoir and made me a lover of these primates. Highly recommended.

I won this book through First Reads and I really tried to like it. But I'm afraid it is going to go on my 'not finished' list. It really isn't a TERRIBLE book, and after reading about half the book, I CAN say I learned something about both Chimps and Bonobos. I also learned quite a bit about the Congo and the politics there. But I feel like the author had a lot more fun writing and reminiscing than I am in reading this book. I DO plan to finish it at some point, and if I change my mind, I will edit my review. But for now, I can only say "It's OK".

When I picked this book up out of a pile of Advance Reading Copies, I had only a vague idea of what a Bonobo was, and an even vaguer grasp of what was happening in Congo. I'd heard plenty of news reports about atrocities, but, I'm sorry to admit, the who and the why confused me. Vanessa Woods not only introduces us to the social lives of the Bonobos in a way that will melt the heart of the crankiest reader, but also provides an effortless synopsis of modern Congolese history for those of us who needed to be brought up to speed. She's also got a sense of humor that veers between saltiness and pure slapstick, so lest you think you're in for some tofu-munching, holier-than-thou, delicate forest creature: think again. Woods is a delightfully earthy guide to this corner of the world. Highly recommended.

Interesting so far, but I'm having a bit of a hard time sinking into it.

A fun look into the life of these amazing apes and the colorful researchers who study them. I learned a fair bit about the world of primate research and conservation, but not as much as I wish I had about the bonobos themselves. The author gives us some vivid personality portraits - I'll never forget the gay fashionista bonobo, even if I bristled a bit at the stereotype - but she doesn't go very deep into their psychology, evolutionary history, or even the basic question of why they differ so significantly in behavior from chimps when they are biologically so close. Even the bonobos' profligate sexuality - the thing they are most famous for - is depicted in a rather superficial manner. Yes, it's interesting to see some of these behaviors in action, but I was left wanting to know more.

This is a very complex study of the history of the Congo, sex, violence, war, love, marriage, forgiveness (which I did not always agree with) science and academia. This is such a wonderful book. I would love to visit Lola the Bonobo sanctuary, but wouldn't even consider going to the Congo to do it. This is a very brave woman.
On a side note, I was surprised to find that this book is the source for most of the characters, both animal and human, for Eliot Schrefer's novel Endangered.

When Vanessa Woods met and fell in love with primatologist Brian Hare she had no idea that she would follow him to the Congo and also fall in love with bonobos.

This book is fascinating on so many levels. It's such a cliché to say that by looking at our closest relatives we learn about ourselves, but that rings true in this book.

There's more to this book than primatology, though. There's history, psychology, current affairs in Africa, and the Congo, poltics, and Woods' personal story.

I loved feeling as if I'd gotten to know each of the bonobos personally. In general, they seem highly sexed, very peaceful, , and to have complex emotional lives. I was saddened by the personal histories of some of the bonobos, and by how fragile they seem to be.

I was enchanted by the bonobos and found this to be an engaging book. It left me with questions I'd still love to see answered someday. I also learned so much from this book. One key thing I learned is that although I find the bonobos endearing, I would avoid a "bonobo handshake" at all cost!