Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I hoped for so much out of this book, having read early reviews, and was so disappointed. I found the book to be primarily a testament to the enormity of the author's ego, starting with the description of an epiphany he experienced about the nature of dogs. At age 26, having read (and dismissed) college-level biology and behaviorism texts as well as a lifetime of his father's training experience, he knew better. He concluded that dogs have no intention whatsoever; their behavior is entirely a function of emotion, namely, desire. Thus, "when a dog went to bite me, I could see that the dog didn't intend to hurt me, dominate me, or defend himself or his territory ... there was something positive about me the dog was attracted to. The dog had no goal: he was simply attracted to me with a force of desire that for some reason was blocked, hence the aggression." That absurd notion became the foundation of Behan's work with dogs. I have to disagree with a previous reviewer who insisted that the author doesn't say that dogs don't think. In fact, the author repeats that ridiculous assertion many times throughout the book, along with another favorite mantra, "A dog cannot remember, yet it never forgets." Add to that his insistence that dogs cannot perceive any point of view other than their own, dogs have no intentions or goals, and that everything a dog does can be traced to some emotion in the owner, and I quickly found myself wondering whether this guy had ever -- honestly and with an open mind -- LOOKED at a dog. Communicated with a dog. Bonded with a dog. Because anyone who has, knows that dogs think, feel, are self-aware, and can absolutely empathize and understand another's viewpoint -- whether that other is canine or human. While I agree with the author that emotion is a primary driver of dog (as well as human) behavior, I disagree that it is the dog owner's emotion that is solely responsible. Dogs are separate beings from us, not merely empty vessels that reflect the worst of our emotional pasts back to us. They are brilliant and intuitive beings who deserve to be loved and valued for the individuals they are. Regarding them as our "mirrors" -- as extensions of ourselves -- is arrogant and egocentric and a terrible disservice to all dogs.