Inside of a Dog: Umwelt and More

After a long halt, 1 book had been read in 2014. it's a book i bought in January, to mark a new year, but I didn't quite manage to read seriously. It's been put off for a while, then I realised I needed to finish it in order to understand my dog better. So I take up where I left, continued reading eagerly, and finally finished it 2 days ago.

The book, as the title has clearly stated, is about dogs, and a scientific, more dog-friendly approach to understanding a dog as a dog, and taken their umwelt (read: oomvelt) into consideration.

This book addressed so many wrong perceptions people had had on dogs, most popular i think is the stereotype that dog is colour blind. It might sound ridiculous to you, but your dogs aren't colour blind. They just simply recognise less colours than you, and thus making the world through their eyes less colourful.

It is hard to describe this book as a training book, because it's not. Alexandra Horrowitz, as an animal behaviourist, attempted to explain to us how dog feels, thinks, and sees. Does your dog know you as you know them? Does your dog miss you when you're not home? Does your dog feel bored? And more common questions we often ask, sometimes forgetting that our dogs are not humans, though they can be more human than us in some ways.

Dogs, in fact, is a keen observer. They excel at looking at our micro expressions and listening to our intonations, and behave accordingly. These explain why you feel like your dogs see straight to your soul when you make eye contact, why you feel like your dogs understand you when you're sad, depressed, happy or excited.

Inside of a dog has given me a new perspective on dogs, definitely makes my relationship with Rocky, my naughty cheeky white cross-bred forever puppy (that's a long description), better and I am starting to understand why he does things the way he does. Does it make sense?

Dogs that do not exactly have knowledge about time and age, are amazing creatures that make great company to human. The way they live in the now and never looking back is something I would like to learn, and through Rocky I see that as clear as the sky. I understand now why whenever he's in pain he will still lick my hand, nudge me, and be his usual self again the next day; why whenever I scold him he would cringe and curl up in the corner but start joking with me again few minutes later. He is a jewel, and thanks to this book I am able to look at him a little bit differently, and I'm learning to take his umwelt into consideration. After all, he will not stand by me forever. Though sad, I want to cherish what I have now, and make sure his purpose is fulfilled.

In conclusion, Inside of a Dog is a must-read book for all dog lovers and owners out there who dream of improving their relationship with their dogs, and who are curious about what it's like to be dogs, even just a little bit. Because at the end of the day, humans will never know exactly how is it like to walk on four legs, closer to the ground, sniffing, and licking.