Alexandra Horowitz is a cognitive scientist who teaches courses like canine cognition and animal behavior at Barnard College in New York. She’s also an acclaimed author, and a sampling of her books include The Year of the Dog, Our Dogs Ourselves, The Year of the Puppy, and Inside of a dog. Suffice it to say that Alexandra knows quite a bit about dogs, and she’s an expert at sharing her knowledge. That’s why we are so excited to have her on the podcast this week.

In our conversation we travel wide ground, and discuss things like how barking is unique to dogs, why it’s a mistake to say that one dog breed is friendlier than another, how dogs have been selected to seek our attention, and the extreme subtlety of inter-dog communication. We end on a discussion of what walking with other people and listening to them observe teaches you about how to observe. 

Regardless of whether you have a dog, are a dog observer, or just a generally curious person, Alexandra Horowitz has a great deal to share.