Why We Love the Dogs We Do: How to Find the Dog That Matches Your Personality [Paperback]

"Why is it that some people form lasting and warm relationships with their dogs, while others get no joy at all from their pets?" Dr. Stanley Coren, author of The Intelligence of Dogs, asks this question in Why We Love the Dogs We Do: How to Find the Dog That Matches Your Personality. Coren sets out not only to answer this question--an extremely worthy one considering that 4 out of 10 dogs fail to last the first year with their adoptive owners--but to revolutionize the way people think about prospective pets.

Relying on his background in psychology and dog intelligence--as well as the input of several animal experts--Coren created seven new groups of dogs based on canine characteristics that "had the most influence on people's satisfaction and lifestyle": friendly, protective, independent, self-assured, consistent, steady, and clever. Coren then asks that you calculate your personality using a pared-down version of the Interpersonal Adjective Scales--a personality test that measures in terms of extroverted/introverted, trusting/controlling, dominant/no-so-dominant, and warm/cool. The findings of this test, when coupled with Coren's new canine classification system, pinpoint the dog/dogs perfect for your personality.

Sprinkled throughout Coren's fascinating scientific discussion are a multitude of entertaining tales--which serve to further illustrate Coren's findings--including Sigmund Freud and his well-suited chow chow, Jo-Fi, who attended Freud's therapy sessions; playwright Eugene O'Neill and his beloved dalmatian, Blemie, for whom O'Neill bought a four-poster bed; and novelist John Steinbeck's poodle, Charlie, who accompanied the Nobel Prize-winning novelist on his travels across the United States. Both informative and highly entertaining, Why We Love the Dogs We Do paves the way for a mutually beneficial owner/dog relationship. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Charles Darwin so loved his little West Highland white terrier, Coren reports, that he often wrote of his dog adventures around the house. Yet, the same man so loathed a big hound he had been given (he called it "graceless, noisy and drooling") that he ultimately had the dog shot. Dog expert Coren (What Do Dogs Know?) offers a scheme that describes why different types of people favor certain species of dogs. Entertaining the reader with historical anecdotes and odd facts, the author describes case after case of dogs who fitAor, disastrously, don't fitAan owner's temperament and lifestyle. Coren includes a conversation he had with Picasso about the many dogs the painter lived with, and reveals that Richard Nixon, who was greatly distrusted by the American public, liked dogs. Actor Jimmy Stewart was apparently as nice a man as the characters he played, and he, too, loved (and spoiled) dogs. Coren categorizes according to their basic temperaments some of the more than 400 breeds of dogs recognized by international kennel clubs. Golden retrievers and Labradors are warm and friendly, he explains, while dalmatians are independent and strong-willed. Coren supplies a personality inventory, "the interpersonal adjective scale," to enable readers to rate how well they are described by various adjectives that run the gamut from dominant to submissive, gregarious to cold, thus helping them to pick the appropriate dog for their personality. This is an engaging, edifying work, but the author's academic background does manifest in his prose from time to time. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

As we all have unique and distinct personalities, so do the dogs we choose as pets and companions. Coren, a psychology professor, renowned dog trainer, and author of The Intelligence of Dogs (LJ 3/15/94), provides an interesting study of dog breeds, their personality characteristics, and how these breeds match up with different types of people. Abandoning the traditional Kennel Club breed listing, Coren has used statistical analysis to reclassify the most popular dog breeds by personality types. He then offers a simplified personality test for humans, evaluating people in four areas. Merging the personality test with the dog-breed analysis results in a listing of the most compatible dog breeds for various types of people. Coren is a little excessive in providing historical background, but he is fun to read even when not especially relevant. Of interest to "dog people" everywhere, this book is recommended for most pet collections.ADeborah Emerson, Monroe Community Coll., Rochester, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Coren, author of the bestselling The Intelligence of Dogs, wants you to get the right dog and to cut back on the alarming human-dog divorce rate, and here he delivers the kind of goods a professional matchmaker would be proud of. This is a book of pure good intention: Deploying his background in psychology and dog intelligence, Coren endeavors to hitch people and canines in a lasting, mutually beneficial relationship. Considering that four out of ten dogs don't last one year with their adoptive families, it is a worthy project. He emphasizes the importance of emotional attraction and companionship over image, and devises a new classification of dogs that, in contrast to the classic kennel-club standards, groups them by behavioral characteristics and temperament (this is accomplished with the input of veterinarians, trainers, dog-show judges, and canine psychologists): friendly, protective, independent, self-assured, consistent, steady, and clever. He then provides a personality test for readers to measure their own extroversion, trust, dominance, warmth, and such. In subsequent chapters, he outlines what dogs fit what categories, including psychological detailings and copious anecdotes (a kind of dog styles of the rich and famous): why Steinbeck had a poodle, Eugene O'Neill a Dalmatian, Emily Bront a boxer, Picasso an Afghan hound, what dogs presidents have chosen, and those selected by queens. Then he delves into the mechanics of his personality profiles, how readers can use them to find an appropriate dog, or maybe even to learn that they are, like Goethe and Napoleon, not meant to have a dog at all. The final chapter, a listing of the dogs of celebrities, is gratuitous, as readers will likely have little clue as to the glitteratis real personalities. Coren, a humble dog lover and a longtime student of the beast, has the best interests of both dogs and humans at heart. His is a scheme worth a gamble. (8 pages b&w photos, not seen) (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Michael Capuzzo USA Today Coren concocts nothing less than an entire classification system...based on personality. The book is filled with compelling stories.

Ranny Green The Seattle Times Coren's newest work...may rank as dogs' best literary friend -- ever.

Elizabeth Abbott The Globe and Mail (Toronto) All dog lovers should read Why We Love the Dogs We Do, and humane societies and breeders should adopt it as their bible.

A Dog's Best Friend

In Why We Love the Dogs We Do, Stanley Coren provides a foolproof guide to understanding which dog will make the best lifetime companion. He brings together his expertise in the fields of human psychology and animal behavior to provide a completely new approach to the dog/human relationship.

Working with a team of animal experts, Coren has identified seven groups of dogs based on characteristics such as friendliness, protectiveness, independence, and steadiness. Each group contains dogs from different breeds that share similar personality traits -- a unique departure from the familiar American Kennel Club breed groups. Perhaps even more fascinating are the results of Dr. Coren's extensive work matching human personality types with canine characteristics. Using his personality tests, anyone can determine which dog is the right match and which dog is almost certain to cause heartbreak.

Rich in anecdotes and grounded in scientific study, Why We Love the Dogs We Do offers us the tools we need to find happiness in what can be among the most satisfying relationships of a lifetime.

Stanley Coren, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, is a recognized expert on dog-human interaction who has appeared on Dateline; The Oprah Winfrey Show; Good Morning, America; 20/20; Larry King Live; and many other TV and radio programs. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a beagle, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, and a Nova Scotia duck-tolling retriever, as well as his wife and her cat.