Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior, and Evolution

Description

Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior, and Evolution

by Raymond Coppinger and Lorna Coppinger

ISBN: 9780226115634

Publisher:  The University of Chicago Press

Publication Year: 2001

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 352

From the back cover:

“Biologists, breeders and trainers, and champion sled dog racers, Raymond and Lorna Coppinger have more than four decades of experience with literally thousands of dogs. Offering a scientifically informed perspective on canines and their relations with humans, the Coppingers take a close look at eight different types of dogs – household, village, livestock guarding, herding, sled-pulling, pointing, retrieving, and hound. They argue that dogs did not evolve directly from wolves, nor were they trained by early humans; instead they domesticated themselves to exploit a new ecological niche: Mesolithic village dumps. Tracing the evolution of today’s breeds from these village dogs, the Coppingers show how characteristic shapes and behaviors – from pointing and baying to the sleek shapes of running dogs – arise from both genetic heritage and the environments in which pups are raised.”