This was a fun read! I enjoyed the science-based research about dog behaviour but my favourite parts were the anecdotal stories of the different dogs the author saw at the park. This highlighted how each and every dog has an unique personality. One of the things I appreciated is that the author stresses how there is so much we still need to learn from our canine friends.

The biggest takeaway from this book was that pet owners should be careful not to think of their dog as "the Mythological Dog". There is no correct way for a dog to act and behave and it is important to treat them based on their unique predisposition. There is so much information in this book that multiple reads will help you get the most out of it. I will definitely read it again when I am a dog owner in the future.

I received a free copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While I really liked this author and how much he clearly adores dogs, I really expected to learn more about dogs from the book. It is filled with anecdotes describing dogs the author has known or witnessed at dog parks and lots of talk about what dogs love and need, but very little in terms of actually understanding dogs.

I actually started reading this book last fall and got bored and set it aside. It sat on my Kindle for months and I felt guilty for not making myself finish it. Then we adopted a new dog, Moose, from a shelter and I had so many questions that I hoped this book could answer. It promises to teach why dogs do what they do in the title, after all. Moose is a one-year-old rescue who came with absolutely no information since he was picked up as a stray (unlike our last dog, whose back story we knew and helped understand her behavior), and there are so many things that I wanted to understand like why he suddenly barks at us for no reason (that we can tell) sometimes. He's enormous so it's a little unsettling to sit down in a rocking chair to read a book and all of the sudden have a dog look at you from the couch and loudly bark at you. Looking online there were possible reasons but none of them fit. We weren't keeping him from anything, he didn't seem to want to play, he didn't seem to need anything obvious and there wasn't any obvious trigger. I was hoping Bekoff would have insight but there was less than one paragraph in the whole book about why dogs bark, and it was sort of "we don't know" for the most part. I was also hoping for more nuts-and-bolts advice on how to use positive training methods, but this isn't that kind of book either.

I did learn that dogs have incredible senses of smell (even more so than I ever knew), absolutely love to play, will almost never devolve to fighting when playing with other dogs, and some other basic information. Bekoff stresses again and again that all dogs are unique and have their own personalities, needs, types of intelligence and reasons for doing things so you can't generalize about anything with them. He advocates for them well and clearly adores them, but the book would more accurately be titled "Stories from the Dog Park." Still an interesting read, especially for people who really love dogs.

My rating system:
1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

Students love dog books, and this is a great nonfiction read! I enjoyed it, and I know that my students will enjoy it and also learn a lot! (This is the sort of book that they will see a classmate reading and then want to check it out next.) I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

*Ahem* Well, that was one of the most annoying additions I've ever had to a kindle book, even it is a review copy. Every second or third page has in slightly lighter font than the actual book "You are reading copyrighted material published by the University of Chicago Press" breaking up the page- and I mean breaking it. This is written in the middle of sentences, so that you can never forget it. You do however, grow to greatly resent the way the writing is broken up constantly. :/

This is a well researched book (as evidenced by the fact that the Kindle edition stops at 75% and the rest is notes and index) but in all honesty there isn't much here that you don't know or assume after owning dogs for many years. There has only ever been a period of around a year or two in my life where I didn't personally own dogs, and I visited my parents and their dogs regularly in that period anyway. That being said, there are plenty of people completely ignorant to what their dog may be feeling or doing, and this book is more for them. Not all of it is genuine research, but some opinion formed from years of observation, but I generally agreed with his theories.

I read this through in a single sitting, but it might read better broken up as sometimes the information is in huge chunks. Still, a welcome addition to the world of canine observation. Three stars.

Okay, what can I say about this book? I absolutely and wholeheartedly adored it! As a veterinarian in real life, I'm always excited when it comes to books centered around dogs and their endless magic and wonder. While this book reads more academic than I was expecting, I still enjoyed it to a great extent. Slowly but thorougly, this book reminded me why dogs are considered man's best friend. Marc Bekoff is one of the most famous ethologists of the modern era, and this book deeply reflects his effort and research on dogs' behavior, traits and personalities. Even though some parts are somewhat detailed and may seem boring to the beginner writer, "Canine Condidential" as a whole reads as a fantastic novel on dogs' special characteristics. I definitely recommend it to teens or young people who are interested in learning more about the life -and minds- of animals. All in all, an amazing book!

Canine Confidential by Marc Bekoff promises to explain Why Dogs Do What They Do. Mr. Bekoff is obviously a dog lover. I enjoyed reading his interactions with the dogs he lives with and observes. Much of the book focuses on dogs at dog parks. I did find the book informative and entertaining even though I live in an area with no dog parks. Most of the information will be common knowledge for anyone who has spent time around dogs, but it is still a good refresher. It reminded me to let my own dog be a dog. New dog owners will glean a wealth of information from Canine Confidential.

Despite the sometimes rambling narrative of this book and constant repetition, I actually found a lot of interesting information about canines based on research. I have to caution that I did have to skim and dig. The book isn't terrible well organized, and the author goes off on tangents far too often. The "cute" dog park stories are annoying, but if you're truly interested in what makes a canine mind work or what explains certain common behaviors, then it's worth a read.

This is so dense that it is basically an encyclopaedia on dog behaviour. I tried reading it like a normal book, and despite my vested interest in dogs and their behaviour I could not get into this and found it quite dull. But, for someone who has the time to read each topic carefully, this would be a great read.

Very informative and entertaining. A must read for any dog lover.
Many thanks to Netgalley and University of Chicago Press

Canine Confidential
Why Dogs Do What They Do
by Marc Bekoff
This is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary.
I enjoyed this book and the love for animals that the author has for animals oozes from each page. It is an easy to read book and great for beginners that haven't had much experience with dogs.
I didn't find anything new in it for those of us that have read everything under the sun. Good easy read and would suggest for teens or new to exploring this subject.

I want to start of by saying I am a complete animal lover. It does not matter, I love them all. I do not prefer cats over dogs or vice versa. I am an equal opportunity animal lover, lol. I had high hopes for this book to expand my knowledge of why and how to handle my pack (I currently have four (4) dogs and three (3) cats) of babies, mostly the dogs. To be honest I already knew almost all of the information provided in this book. My only other problem with the book was that it was a struggle to read the book, it reads like a school book from elementary school. I am not saying that the book is not any good, but if you have had dogs your entire life then you probably already know everything that is in this book.

This is a non-fiction book, so I am quite honestly not a reader of non-fiction so my review is not as in depth as it would be for a fiction book. I rarely read non-fiction so I apologize for the lack of depth to my review.

Well, I love dogs, and pretty much love articulate writers who clearly love dogs as well. This book was a pleasure to read, not only for the humor but for the thoughtfulness and care.
Great book, loved it. Read it. Read it to your dog. Maybe to your cat.

Marc Bekoff sounds like a wonderful human being, and I only wish more people, and especially more dog owners, were like him. I love his blog, and his Twitter feed is full of timely and relevant issues.

The compassion, kindness, and sensitivity of this author is the most outstanding feature of the book. However, most of his observations and insights seemed familiar: I'd read this, heard this, before. Especially the advice to approach dog "training" with kindness, patience, and positive reinforcement. Bekoff notes that he is not a dog trainer.

To be fair, maybe a lot of dog trainers advocate one simple technique and expect it to work for all dogs. If this is so, then “Canine Confidential” may be a must-read. For me, it states the obvious, e.g., “Not all dogs are alike.” People “want quick fixes for this or that problem with their dog, but a rapid remedy is not always forthcoming because it depends on the individual dog.”

For dog lovers who have not read much yet about the science and history of their beloved companions, this book might offer something new. However, I’d recommend something more concise. "Canine Confidential" is discursive and rambling. I kept thinking, "Tell me something I didn’t already know." I do not regard myself as an expert on anything, and I forget most of what I read, but the most informative parts of the book are the quotes from Alexandra Horowitz, Tracy Krulik, and other dog trainers.

This book is anything but concise, but Being a Dog: Following the Dog Into a World of Smell by Alexandra Horowitz, which I read as a NetGalley ARC in 2016, showed Horowitz’s tremendous amounts of research, reading, experimenting, and fun with dogs. A lively narrative, enriched with science and citations.

“Canine Confidential” reads more like an essay in need of an editor. It could be trimmed and tightened.

The publisher’s synopsis should have tipped me off:

There’s still much we don’t know, but at the core of the book is the certainty that dogs do have deep emotional lives, and that as their companions we must try to make those lives as rich and fulfilling as possible. It’s also clear that we must look at dogs as unique individuals and refrain from talking about “the dog.” Bekoff ...advocates strongly for positive training—there’s no need to dominate or shame dogs or to make them live in fear—

Maybe it's social media, with links to the latest studies and news items, that causes me to think "nothing new here" when I read a book. As a book lover with a degree in English teaching, that concerns me.

Then again, I can't resist the URLs to authors and their blogs, websites, and social media platforms. E.g., this one from Bekoff's Psychology Today blog:


The ethology, compassion, kindness, and sensitivity
of this book makes it a worthwhile addition to the canon of dog lore.

Links
Marc Bekoff's blog at Psychology Today
Connect with Marc Bekoff on Twitter
See more about this book at University of Chicago Press

*Thank you, NetGalley and University of Chicago Press, for the ARC.

I would recommend this book to a friend who is very interested in dogs, has a pet dog and observes their dog's behavior (which almost always happens). This is something a dog's human should definitely consider reading to bust some of the myths and help treat our furry friends better.

I started to read this book expecting it would be full of humor (book cover) and interesting facts (topics), but it read like a research paper sometimes. I did find interesting information but the length did stretch on quite a bit on the same topics. This would make a good gift for dog lovers.

I did relate to a lot this book, growing up I had 5 different dogs as my pet and I have done a fair bit of observing myself. I have grown up in India where there are a lot of feral/street dogs as well. And I have noticed the activities which are frowned upon in the USA, pets in India get a free reign. Even in the city, a pet dog is never hushed or rushed (partly because in India it isn't expected to pick up after your dog) and street dogs/feral dogs don't get put on death rows. I agree there are many cons to this approach but humans just built cities and said they were theirs, I don't think animals understand or are interested in real estate. I also felt the point of view in this book might be specific to the US audience.

Kudos to the writer to put a good and comprehensive book on this topic out there.

This is more educational than funny and relatable I think it's well researched but not entertaining to read

As a dog lover, I was excited to receive Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do as an ARC for my honest review. While this book reads more academic than I was expecting, I enjoyed the reminders of why dogs are man's best friend. Marc Bekoff is apparently one of the world's leading ethologists and has devoted his life to understanding the nature of dogs, as well as, other animals by constant observation, interaction and interviews with other human owners, observers, ethologists. In Canine Confidential, Bekoff describes many observations and ideas that are familiar to me, however, he does often state that "further research is needed". I enjoyed the fact that it was apparent to me that Bekoff is a compassionate lover of animals who had great empathy for their well being. I recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs or who wants to learn more about dog behaviors.

Interesting look at “man’s best friend”. While the answer to many questions remains “we need more research” this provided some good insight.