Born to Bark by Stanley Coren Read Free Book Online

work when I can hear the noise of a dog breathing nearby.
    Often, when there were issues that I had to work through, decisions that I had to make, or parental decisions that I was supposed to abide by, I would close the door to my room and “discuss” them with Penny. Nowadays, psychologists have shown that it is not unusual for people to talk to their dogs in much the same way that they might talk to another human—conversationally. A lot of evidence has accumulated that such interactions between people and their dogs can be important for psychological health. For most people the bulk of their social interactions come from other humans. However, elderly people, those who live alone, or someone who was having difficulty speaking to his family about important matters (as I did) can get some of the same benefits from talking to a dog. Certainly my conversations with Penny helped me over some rough spots in my life and ultimately allowed me to make some important decisions—including some that would not please my parents.
    One scientific survey, published in the 1990s, found that 96 percent of all people talk to their dogs in this way. Nearly everybody admitted that they usually greet their dogs when they come home and also usually bid them farewell when they leave.Sometimes they will explain to the dog that some recent behavior was “stupid,” “naughty,” “helpful,” or “funny.” Sometimes they will extend the comment into a short narrative such as “It’s a good thing that I found this mess before Mom did. You would catch a lot of grief if she knew what you did.” Virtually everyone admits to asking questions of their dogs about matters they feel the dogs care about, such as “Do you want to go for a walk?” or “Do you want a snack?”
    Conversations with canine companions also include questions that the dog really can’t be expected to answer (or even care much about), such as “Do you think that there is any chance that it might rain today?” or “Do you think that Alan will forgive me for forgetting about our scheduled meeting for lunch yesterday?” Of course, this talking usually is a monologue, since the dog provides a friendly presence but no real input.
    Some “dialogues” with dogs are more complex interactions, where there appears to be some give and take between the dog and the person, even though only the human is speaking. Overhearing this kind of conversation is similar to listening to one side of a phone conversation. A snippet of it might go, “I’ve asked Sally out to dinner with me on Saturday. Where do you think we should go?” [Pause for a few seconds.] “No, I took her out for Chinese food last time. How about an Italian restaurant this time?” [Another brief pause.] “You know, you’re right, there is that new Argentinean restaurant with all the meat served from skewers.” [Pause.] “Of course! I had forgotten that on Saturdays they have that Latin band there. This could be a lot of fun. That’s a really good suggestion, Lassie.”
    In another variety of human-and-dog conversations that is familiar to many dog owners but might appear to be strange to an outsider, the person not only talks to the dog, but also provides audible answers, essentially speaking the words that he believes the dog would say in response. Parents often engage in this kind of conversation when talking to youngbabies: when amother gives her child a toy, she might say something such as, “Would you like this teddy bear?” When the baby smiles or reaches, she adds (often in a higher-pitched, more childlike voice),
“Oh yes, Mommy. I like that bear.”
When a person provides both his own dialogue and that of his dog, however, the conversation sounds much like the often used Hollywood movie sequence where a mentally deranged individual carries on an argument among his various multiple personalities—each with a distinctive voice and character.
    Perhaps the best-known such conversations with a dog