By Deborah Taylor-French at www.dogleadermysteries.com
Nothing rivets like original thinking.
Temple Grandin supplies innovative thinking with specific examples for dogs, cats, horses and farm animals.
Animals Make Us Human
In Animals Make Us Human, Temple Grandin bucks accepted thought on dog training. Inside a chapter devoted to “A Dog’s Life,” Grandin debunks common knowledge about dogs by citing current research. “Dogs need parents, not pack leaders.” Grandin supports this unpopular statement with research observations of wolves in their natural habitat. Also she asks why dogs would need aggressive dominant pack leaders when their wild ancestors, wolves live in small families, not massive man-made packs. Wild wolf families share food, avoiding dominance challenges.
She points out that most human families do not have forty different dogs from forty different breeds, which might require a pack leader mentality to keep dogs from fighting and vying for leadership. National polls show most families have one dog. A single dog living in a family best compares to a child living with parents. Most dogs see their roles as puppies, wanting to please. Dogs watch people for clues on how they should behave.
Specific chapters feature Grandin’s personal and unique observations on cats, horses, pigs, chickens and cattle. No one who loves animals should pass up the chance to read this book.
The book’s conclusion does not sum up the huge scope of this book. I hope Grandin will take on this challenge in her next book.
Be Original Like Temple Grandin
You can purchase her books on her Website: Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
Read a brief review of the movie made on Grandin’s life on Second Floor Librarians
View her TED Talk on the different types of thinkers.
http://youtu.be/9PP7kYVYjxk
More book reviews on Amazon. Enjoy!
Deborah Taylor-French Book Reviews
Thank you for pointing me here. This is a great review. I found the book in the ibook store and bought it. 🙂
Excellent. So you read my review? I’ll need to go back and read it too, I love that book and wish everyone would read it.
Yes, it made me want to read the book. 🙂
I’m thrilled. I have a paperback copy and refer to it from time to time. It’s a classic and under read essential for animal welfare.
This book is the best book for dog training & behavior insights. I have been studying dog training for many years and have read all of the literature. This book finally helps me understand the mind of the dog better than the others.
Thanks for your appreciation of this book, I also believe Temple Grandin has understood and conveyed the basic needs of cats, dogs, chickens, cows, horses and pigs beyond what any other person as done before.