THINK LIKE A DOG

An exploration of the minds of our canine friends.

Golbeck, a computer scientist and AI researcher known as the “internet’s dog mom,” applies the principles of Positive Psychology to the behavior and thinking of dogs, advancing the idea that our positive traits are not fixed but can be expanded through training and application—and so it is with dogs, too. Dogs, she says, “possess some aspects of theory of mind,” such as the ability to interpret the intentions and emotions of other creatures, including people. Dogs also have core strengths that can be built on, assuming humans can themselves adapt to such things as a puppy’s chewing a book or peeing on a wooden floor. With a population of six golden retrievers as her onsite study group, Golbeck looks at ways that dogs can be trained, for example, to expand their self-regulation, improve their focus, stay on task, and curb their less attractive instincts, “whether it’s ignoring street pizza or resisting the urge to hurl themselves at the front door when they hear the doorbell.” There’s a bit of a gee-whiz air to the prose here and there (“when we give them the space to grow into their best, truest, golden selves, something incredible happens”), but there’s also abundant good science that helps overturn bad information: For one thing, Golbeck writes, dominance “is built on a myth,” meaning that there’s no basis for a human to try to out-alpha a dog; for another, praise is as rewarding as food treats to many (but not all) dog breeds, a good way to keep Rover from becoming too husky. Overall, her book encourages kindness, consistency, and focus on the part of both humans and dogs, and it underscores the thought that we should stop worrying about what a dog is “doing wrong” instead of helping them do right.

An instructive, smart treat for dog lovers.