How Dogs Love Us

A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain

De: Gregory Berns

Narrado por: LJ Ganser

The powerful bond between humans and dogs is one that’s uniquely cherished. Loyal, obedient, and affectionate, they are truly “man’s best friend.” But do dogs love us the way we love them? Emory University neuroscientist Gregory Berns had spent decades using MRI imaging technology to study how the human brain works, but a different question still nagged at him: What is my dog thinking?

After his family adopted Callie, a shy, skinny terrier mix, Berns decided that there was only one way to answer that question - use an MRI machine to scan the dog’s brain. His colleagues dismissed the idea. Everyone knew that dogs needed to be restrained or sedated for MRI scans. But if the military could train dogs to operate calmly in some of the most challenging environments, surely there must be a way to train dogs to sit in an MRI scanner.

With this radical conviction, Berns and his dog would embark on a remarkable journey and be the first to glimpse the inner workings of the canine brain. Painstakingly, the two worked together to overcome the many technical, legal, and behavioral hurdles. Berns’s research offers surprising results on how dogs empathize with human emotions, how they love us, and why dogs and humans share one of the most remarkable friendships in the animal kingdom.

How Dogs Love Us answers the age-old question of dog lovers everywhere and offers profound new evidence that dogs should be treated as we would treat our best human friends: with love, respect, and appreciation for their social and emotional intelligence.

An Audible for Dogs Pick: Make your dog's day. Cesar Millan shares how audiobooks can make dogs happier and calmer. Learn more.©2013 2013 by (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“This book’s abundant appeal and value come from following Berns through the challenges of constructing the experiment and especially of training his dog to participate. ‘Like a catcher and pitcher,’ he writes, he and his dog ‘became a team.’ The satisfaction of that relationship perhaps explains why our two species have lived together so long and happily.” ( The Boston Globe)

"A neuroscientist wonders what goes on in the minds of our pet dogs: Do we delude ourselves when we believe that they love us? [ How Dogs Love Us is] a solid introduction to an appealing new area of research." ( Kirkus)

"The book is as much a scientific exploration of how the canine brain might function as it is a deeply personal story about Berns's relationship with dogs as pets and colleagues. Ultimately that connection is what makes the book compelling." ( Scientific American MIND)

Interesting, but could have been edited

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, for the most part. For the first half of the book, I wondered if the author was ever going to answer the question raised by the title, "Do dogs love us?" and "How"? By the time I finished the book, I felt he had answered the question. However, there is a lot of detail about how he came up with the idea and how he trained the dogs to get into an MRI and remain still for the scanning, how he designed the research and got approval, etc. Although that part of the book is interesting, I felt it went on too long.

Were the concepts of this book easy to follow, or were they too technical?

The concepts in the book were easy to follow. The author makes the information very accessible.

Did LJ Ganser do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

no

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

maybe

Any additional comments?

I think this book would be interesting to dog lovers, although if you could just read his paper and the results, you would probably get almost as much out of them as you would from the book with the extra material.

I loved the way the author treated the dogs as his research partners, and I could relate to how much he loved dogs.

An informative listen on our best friends

If you are worried that you will not understand a lot of this book you will be pleasantly surprised to know that you do not need a science background. All you really need is an interest in dogs. Information is conveyed in such a way learning about different brain functions is fun and enjoyable. Best part is at the end , when you realize you will now have have a greater appreciation for your pet.

3 Star Average

Reviewing this book was difficult - some parts I would give a 1, and some were a 5, so I split the difference. There was really too much extraneous detail that drew the book out quite unnecessarily, but I did learn some things and enjoyed hearing about The Dog Project and all the pups. I’m glad to have read the book and appreciate the author’s respect for and kindness towards the dogs.

You'll enjoy it almost as spending time with a dog

Loved it. Very useful as a doctoral student trying to gain a foothold in interspecies communication and super endearing as a dog person. From the academic perspective the first several chapters are almost unnecessary but they do make for good foundational storytelling.

I was pleased to hear about Berns' struggles with departmental approval and ethical quandaries as a grad student asking many of the same questions. The most provocative question left unasked though; if animals are sentient and empathetic do we have the right to eat them? but if carnivorous diets lead to an increased capacity for interspecies social learning, i.e. empathy, then can we afford to become herbivores? Free research questions!

Ganser, the performer is mostly good but sometimes very off tone. In sincere, emotionally fraught situations he often sounds like he's narrating the trailer of the next summer blockbuster. Additionally, they must have changed the name of the golden retriever at some point because the name "Lyra" (even though it is explained through a direct reference) is almost certainly cut into every single mention of her toward the back end of the book. It's incredibly jarring and really frustrated me during solemn scenes.

Overall, definitely worth listening but dont be like me and try to do the whole thing in one sitting.

Great for Engineer/Scientist dog lovers.

Maybe not for everyone, but I love the technical depth with which it was written. I was able to learn while enjoying the story.