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  • How Dogs Love Us

  • A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain
  • By: Gregory Berns
  • Narrated by: LJ Ganser
  • Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (35 ratings)

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How Dogs Love Us

By: Gregory Berns
Narrated by: LJ Ganser
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Publisher's Summary

The powerful bond between humans and dogs is one that’s uniquely cherished. Loyal, obedient, and affectionate, they are truly “man’s best friend.” But do dogs love us the way we love them? Emory University neuroscientist Gregory Berns had spent decades using MRI imaging technology to study how the human brain works, but a different question still nagged at him: What is my dog thinking?

After his family adopted Callie, a shy, skinny terrier mix, Berns decided that there was only one way to answer that question - use an MRI machine to scan the dog’s brain. His colleagues dismissed the idea. Everyone knew that dogs needed to be restrained or sedated for MRI scans. But if the military could train dogs to operate calmly in some of the most challenging environments, surely there must be a way to train dogs to sit in an MRI scanner.

With this radical conviction, Berns and his dog would embark on a remarkable journey and be the first to glimpse the inner workings of the canine brain. Painstakingly, the two worked together to overcome the many technical, legal, and behavioral hurdles. Berns’s research offers surprising results on how dogs empathize with human emotions, how they love us, and why dogs and humans share one of the most remarkable friendships in the animal kingdom.

How Dogs Love Us answers the age-old question of dog lovers everywhere and offers profound new evidence that dogs should be treated as we would treat our best human friends: with love, respect, and appreciation for their social and emotional intelligence.

©2013 2013 by (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

“This book’s abundant appeal and value come from following Berns through the challenges of constructing the experiment and especially of training his dog to participate. ‘Like a catcher and pitcher,’ he writes, he and his dog ‘became a team.’ The satisfaction of that relationship perhaps explains why our two species have lived together so long and happily.” ( The Boston Globe)
"A neuroscientist wonders what goes on in the minds of our pet dogs: Do we delude ourselves when we believe that they love us? [ How Dogs Love Us is] a solid introduction to an appealing new area of research." ( Kirkus)
"The book is as much a scientific exploration of how the canine brain might function as it is a deeply personal story about Berns's relationship with dogs as pets and colleagues. Ultimately that connection is what makes the book compelling." ( Scientific American MIND)

What listeners say about How Dogs Love Us

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    3 out of 5 stars

Lovely book but also academically interesting

Who doesn’t want to know what their dog is thinking, saying your dog loves you often has sceptics raising an eyebrow & accusing you of anthropomorphism, however, that’s never stopped me from thinking my dog is a comical little clown who loves to entertain. Dr G. Berns takes an in-depth view through MRI technology to try to answer this question. Sometimes the book is a bit dry but it’s a difficult area to cover so I think it’s necessary. I throughly enjoyed the book & if you are a dog lover or just interested in knowing how their brain’s work, this is worth listening to. I hope Dr Berns continues with his work, it’s fascinating.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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How can you make an entire book about an mri scan?

This is terrible!! the entire book is about one dog getting an mri scan and the scientists daughter who they micromanage to get good grades. Don't pay for this book.

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Great listening

This is a fascinating book that has a lovely mix of science and humour. The author eloquently describes his thoughts and feelings through this scientific experiment. He has an exceptionally tolerant wife. He would be great to work with. I plan to follow the outcomes of his research.

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I love my dog even more now!

I thought I loved my dogs as much as I possibly could …. Now I love them even more. Such an interesting ‘story’. As a researcher myself this book has definitely changed my approach. I appreciate my interactions with my own furry family even more than I did. I loved this book and learnt a lot about dogs and the brain!

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What an interesting and beautifully told story

This was a fascinating account from a scientific perspective told in a very very beautiful way. Loved it!

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