Here are 100 books that The Genius of Dogs fans have personally recommended if you like The Genius of Dogs. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know

Beth Sharp Author Of Think Like a Dog: Understand Your Dog's Behavior, Improve Communication, and Apply the Same Principles to Every Area of Your Life

From my list on understanding your dog even when they’re naughty.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a professional dog trainer, volunteer foster home for rescue dogs, and a dog owner myself, understanding the canine mind is a passion for me. Helping people live more harmoniously with their dogs drives me to read, learn, and apply what the experts in the field are offering. Any book that gives credible insight into the behavior, thoughts, and feelings of dogs brings us closer to deepening our relationship with them, improving our communication with them, and solving behavior problems in ways that are effective, intelligent, and humane.

Beth's book list on understanding your dog even when they’re naughty

Beth Sharp Why Beth loves this book

The detailed descriptions of the inner workings of each of a dog’s senses are fascinating to me. I often go back to reread those sections. This book gave me much greater insight into how truly different the beasts I share my home with really are.

Knowing the science behind why dogs do what they do allows me to see their dog-ness more clearly rather than relating to them as just my adorable pets (which, of course, they also are!).

By Alexandra Horowitz ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Inside of a Dog as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

As an unabashed dog lover, Alexandra Horowitz is naturally curious about what her dog thinks and what she knows. As a cognitive scientist she is intent on understanding the minds of animals who cannot say what they know or feel.

This is a fresh look at the world of dogs -- from the dog's point of view. The book introduces the reader to the science of the dog -- their perceptual and cognitive abilities -- and uses that introduction to draw a picture of what it might be like to bea dog. It answers questions no other dog book can…


If you love The Genius of Dogs...

Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex Among Apes

Rick Shenkman Author Of Political Animals: How Our Stone-Age Brain Gets in the Way of Smart Politics

From my list on why voters often behave irrationally.

Why am I passionate about this?

Rick Shenkman is a New York Times bestselling author, historian, and journalist who, after reading and writing history books for 40 years, decided to spend the past decade discovering what social scientists have to say. To his great joy, he learned that since he had last studied their work in college they had come to a vast new understanding of human political behavior. He now uses their insights into political psychology, evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and genetics to help explain our fucked up politics.

Rick's book list on why voters often behave irrationally

Rick Shenkman Why Rick loves this book

This is a highly readable and fun book published back in 1982 by one of the leading primatologists of our era. A close student of ape behavior, Frans de Waal shows how smart apes are and what we can learn about ourselves by studying their behavior. He demonstrates that, contrary to common belief, it is not by physical strength alone that an alpha ape hangs onto its power at the top of the social pyramid. More important than their muscles is their ability to form coalitions with others.  

If your mental image of an alpha ape is a brawny male, forget it. De Waal profiles one female ape, Mama, who manages for years to dominate a group by exercising power more prudently than her male rivals, who shriek and throw tantrums when they don't get their way. This is the good news. The bad news…

By Franz DeWaal ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Chimpanzee Politics as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first edition of Frans de Waal's Chimpanzee Politics was acclaimed not only by primatologists for its scientific achievement but also by politicians, business leaders, and social psychologists for its remarkable insights into the most basic human needs and behaviors. Twenty-five years later, this book is considered a classic. Featuring a new preface that includes recent insights from the author, this anniversary edition is a detailed and thoroughly engrossing account of rivalries and coalitions-actions governed by intelligence rather than instinct. As we watch the chimpanzees of Arnhem behave in ways we recognize from Machiavelli (and from the nightly news), de…


Book cover of Honeybee Democracy

Mathieu Lihoreau Author Of What Do Bees Think About?

From my list on bees from a bee expert.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a French scientist fascinated by the beauty and complexity of nature. I study bees since about twenty years now and I am still regularly astonished by the level of sophistication of this alien miniature world. We are much more insects than we think. And I am not saying this just because I am fan of science fiction or poetry!

Mathieu's book list on bees from a bee expert

Mathieu Lihoreau Why Mathieu loves this book

This is another scientific book by an inspiring colleague. This time, Tom focuses more specifically on collective intelligence in honeybees. We learn in great detail how large groups of animals manage to agree based on partial knowledge and different opinions, often leading to optimal decisions.

The author makes bold but justified parallels with collective decisions in human societies. There is a lot to learn!

By Thomas D. Seeley ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Honeybee Democracy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Honeybees make decisions collectively - and democratically. Every year, faced with the life-or-death problem of choosing and traveling to a new home, honeybees stake everything on a process that includes collective fact-finding, vigorous debate, and consensus building. In fact, as world-renowned animal behaviorist Thomas Seeley reveals, these incredible insects have much to teach us when it comes to collective wisdom and effective decision making. A remarkable and richly illustrated account of scientific discovery, "Honeybee Democracy" brings together, for the first time, decades of Seeley's pioneering research to tell the amazing story of house hunting and democratic debate among the honeybees.…


If you love Brian Hare...

Book cover of I, Robot Alien

I, Robot Alien by Joel R. Dennstedt,

“Intelligent, unique, and tremendously entertaining.” - Readers' Favorite 2025

BOOKLIFE EDITOR’S PICK!

EARTH… CENTURIES AFTER THE FALL!

I was created by beings who couldn’t touch this world... only watch it crumble. Every twenty years, a new tribe... a new hope... a new failure.

I was told, “Do not interfere.” But…

Book cover of Sounds Wild and Broken: Sonic Marvels, Evolution's Creativity, and the Crisis of Sensory Extinction

Christian McEwen Author Of World Enough & Time: On Creativity and Slowing Down

From my list on for taking time to stop and listen.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a writer and educator, originally from the British Isles. Perhaps because of this, I am more than usually aware of the distraction and speed of contemporary American life. As a long-time meditator, and the author of World Enough & Time: On Creativity and Slowing Down, I am encouraged and inspired by any book that draws attention to our “hurry sickness” and offers practices or suggestions to help us to slow down.

Christian's book list on for taking time to stop and listen

Christian McEwen Why Christian loves this book

Like me, David George Haskell was born in Britain, and currently lives in the United States. He is a trained scientist, who is also an astonishingly gifted writer. His focus on “sensory extinction” is close to my heart. He understands the joy of listening to the wild music of the world, and also that such music is under siege. In a world of increasing racket and distraction, he recognizes the importance of slowing down. Like Jay Griffiths, he combines deep research with an emphasis on wonder, reverence, and delight.

By David George Haskell ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sounds Wild and Broken as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"[A] glorious guide to the miracle of life's sound." -The New York Times Book Review

A lyrical exploration of the diverse sounds of our planet, the creative processes that produced these marvels, and the perils that sonic diversity now faces

We live on a planet alive with song, music, and speech. David Haskell explores how these wonders came to be. In rain forests shimmering with insect sound and swamps pulsing with frog calls we learn about evolution's creative powers. From birds in the Rocky Mountains and on the streets of Paris, we discover how animals learn their songs and adapt…


Book cover of The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time

David Horwell Author Of Galapagos Wildlife

From my list on the Galápagos Islands.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up near Darwin’s house in Kent. Although only vaguely aware of his influence. My interest grew as I studied biology at school and geology at university. The evolutionary significance of Darwin’s finches stayed with me. I longed to sail in tropical waters like him and was fortunate enough to do so in the iconic Galápagos Islands. I was employed as a resident naturalist guide on yachts when tourism was just starting to take off. Instead of settling down to a regular job I became a tour leader. I wrote an educational book about the islands and then with a colleague Pete Oxford, the wildlife guide for Bradt.

David's book list on the Galápagos Islands

David Horwell Why David loves this book

When I was in the Galapagos, I volunteered to help scientists study the finches on Daphne Major Island. There were just two of us on an island surrounded by sharks. Every Darwin's finch had been ringed, and I had to observe what they ate. It was an experience that has left an indelible mark on my psyche.

The research was part of a project by Peter and Rosemary Grant, who spent twenty years following in Darwin's footsteps. Not only did they demonstrate the robustness of his theory, but they also showed that the process works in decades, not millennia.

Jonathan Weiner's The Beak of the Finch is a Pulitzer Prize-winning summary of Grant's work. He manages to eloquently summarise number-crunching academic work for the layman. It is a rare achievement to write an unputdownable book about science. 

By Jonathan Weiner ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Beak of the Finch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • A dramatic story of groundbreaking scientific research of Darwin's discovery of evolution that "spark[s] not just the intellect, but the imagination" (Washington Post Book World).
 
“Admirable and much-needed.... Weiner’s triumph is to reveal how evolution and science work, and to let them speak clearly for themselves.”—The New York Times Book Review

On a desert island in the heart of the Galapagos archipelago, where Darwin received his first inklings of the theory of evolution, two scientists, Peter and Rosemary Grant, have spent twenty years proving that Darwin did not know the strength of his own theory.…


Book cover of Do Dogs Dream? Nearly Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know

Michelle Waitzman Author Of Be as Happy as Your Dog: 16 Dog-Tested Ways to Be Happier Using Pawsitive Psychology

From my list on understanding what your dog is thinking.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a lifelong dog lover and the author of four nonfiction books. I currently live with two rescue dogs, Marlowe and Nuka (the unofficial co-authors of my book). I decided to write a self-help book after noticing two trends during the recent pandemic: people were struggling to feel happy and optimistic, and people were adding a dog to their household, many for the first time. We all marvel at how our dogs find it so easy to enjoy life, and I was determined to find out what we could learn from them! During my research, I learned so much about how dogs think and feel, and I love sharing this information with other dog lovers.

Michelle's book list on understanding what your dog is thinking

Michelle Waitzman Why Michelle loves this book

Dr. Stanley Coren has been studying dogs for decades, and he has written many books on the subject.

It was hard to choose just one for this list, but I really liked the format of Do Dogs Dream? It answers some of the most common questions about dog behavior and communication in short, simple chapters. If you’ve ever been curious about why your dog does what they do, you’ll be very likely to find the answer in this book.

This book is no doubt a response to the hundreds of questions people asked him over the years. Compiling a volume with the most popular topics, he has presented a primer on understanding your dog. 

By Stanley Coren ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Do Dogs Dream? Nearly Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Do dogs dream? Can they recognize themselves in the mirror or understand what they're seeing on television? Are they more intelligent than cats? People have a great curiosity-and many misunderstandings-about how dogs think, act, and perceive the world. They also wonder about the social and emotional lives of dogs. Stanley Coren brings decades of scientific research on dogs to bear in his unprecedented foray into the inner lives of our canine companions, dispelling many common myths in the process. In a conversational Q&A format with illustrations, Coren answers approximately 75 questions often asked of him during his nearly fifty-year career…


If you love The Genius of Dogs...

Book cover of An Heir of Realms

An Heir of Realms by Heather Ashle,

An Heir of Realms tells the tale of two young heroines—a dragon rider and a portal jumper—who fight dragon-like parasites to save their realms from extinction. 

Rhoswen is training as a Realm Rider to work with dragons and burn away the Narxon swarming into her realm. Rhoswen’s dream is to…

Book cover of Dogs Demystified: An A-Z Guide to All Things Canine

Michelle Waitzman Author Of Be as Happy as Your Dog: 16 Dog-Tested Ways to Be Happier Using Pawsitive Psychology

From my list on understanding what your dog is thinking.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a lifelong dog lover and the author of four nonfiction books. I currently live with two rescue dogs, Marlowe and Nuka (the unofficial co-authors of my book). I decided to write a self-help book after noticing two trends during the recent pandemic: people were struggling to feel happy and optimistic, and people were adding a dog to their household, many for the first time. We all marvel at how our dogs find it so easy to enjoy life, and I was determined to find out what we could learn from them! During my research, I learned so much about how dogs think and feel, and I love sharing this information with other dog lovers.

Michelle's book list on understanding what your dog is thinking

Michelle Waitzman Why Michelle loves this book

“A dog’s feelings matter to them, and they should also matter to us.” This quote from Dr. Marc Bekoff’s new book, Dogs Demystified, sums up his longtime advocacy for dogs and other animals.

He respects them as thoughtful beings with full emotional lives, and strongly believes that every individual animal matters, whether a household pet or a wild predator. 

Bekoff has been writing about animals for a long time, and this book on dogs is an effort to whittle down his vast knowledge into a manageable read. If you feel a lot of empathy toward dogs and other animals, you will definitely enjoy reading Marc Bekoff’s books, including Dogs Demystified.

The book also features a foreword from the incredible Jane Goodall and illustrations by 1960s folk music icon Joan Baez.

By Marc Bekoff ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dogs Demystified as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An all-encompassing and fun reference from an award-winning scientist and dog lover

Dr. Marc Bekoff is an expert at turning cutting-edge science into practical, reader-friendly information. The encyclopedic entries in this book cover everything related to dog care, dog-human relationships, and dog behavior, cognition, and emotions, making this the accessible book that every dog lover should have. In concise, readable A-through-Z entries, Bekoff covers it all, from aggression to pack formation to zoomies, and explores why dogs do what they do; exactly how to meet any dog eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose, and ear-to-ear to understand their world better; and how tuning…


Book cover of Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You A Better Friend to Your Pet

Michelle Waitzman Author Of Be as Happy as Your Dog: 16 Dog-Tested Ways to Be Happier Using Pawsitive Psychology

From my list on understanding what your dog is thinking.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a lifelong dog lover and the author of four nonfiction books. I currently live with two rescue dogs, Marlowe and Nuka (the unofficial co-authors of my book). I decided to write a self-help book after noticing two trends during the recent pandemic: people were struggling to feel happy and optimistic, and people were adding a dog to their household, many for the first time. We all marvel at how our dogs find it so easy to enjoy life, and I was determined to find out what we could learn from them! During my research, I learned so much about how dogs think and feel, and I love sharing this information with other dog lovers.

Michelle's book list on understanding what your dog is thinking

Michelle Waitzman Why Michelle loves this book

Dr. John Bradshaw is a (now retired) anthrozoologist. That means he spent his career studying animal-human interaction.

His bestselling book about dogs is a great overview of how dogs function. He delves into the ways in which dogs are like wolves, and the ways they are different. He talks about the unique ability of dogs to form strong bonds with both other dogs and humans—to essentially have two “packs” under the right circumstances.

I found his insights very helpful and his writing style easy to follow and engaging.

By John Bradshaw ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dog Sense as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Dogs have been mankind's faithful companions for tens of thousands of years, yet today they are regularly treated as either pack-following wolves or furry humans. The truth is, dogs are neither- and our misunderstanding has put them in serious crisis. What dogs really need is a spokesperson, someone who will assert their specific needs. Renowned anthrozoologist Dr. John Bradshaw has made a career of studying human-animal interactions, and in Dog Sense he uses the latest scientific research to show how humans can live in harmony with- not just dominion over- their four-legged friends. From explaining why positive reinforcement is a…


Book cover of Cowpuppy

Janet Jones Author Of A Horse's World

From my list on horse and human interaction.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a neuroscientist and horse trainer, my twin lifelong passions are horses and brains. I’ve learned along the way that most people are fascinated by both topics when rendered in plain language, regardless of whether they’ve ever touched a horse or inspected a brain. I worked on horses and brains separately for most of my life. But combining these two passions changed everything, allowing me to apply neuroscience to form a deep insight of the animal I’ve always loved most. I also enjoy translating equine life to those outside it, so everyone can get a stronger understanding of the minds, bodies, and hearts of these magnificent prey animals.

Janet's book list on horse and human interaction

Janet Jones Why Janet loves this book

I love Cowpuppy because it’s about another common prey animal, the cow.

Gregory Berns is well known for his work on the brains of dogs and their ability to love humans. Now he turns his lens to cattle, whose prey brains are akin to horses’.

Berns writes with a beautiful balance between the scientific, scholarly, and everyday—I found this book a joy to read.

By Gregory Berns ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cowpuppy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the author of the bestselling How Dogs Love Us, a fascinating glimpse into the cognitive and emotional lives of cows.

"Hilarious, humble, and heartwarming-get ready for the best true story you will read this year." -Dr. Brian Hare, author of New York Times bestseller The Genius of Dogs

"I am a farmer, but Cowpuppy made me feel like a neuroscientist too. It is heartfelt, absorbing, and vivid."? -Rosamund Young, bestselling author of The Secret Life of Cows

When Emory University neuroscientist Gregory Berns and his wife decided to venture into sustainable farming in rural Georgia, they knew that cows…


If you love Brian Hare...

Book cover of The Tao of Poison

The Tao of Poison by Isham Cook,

A poisonous maiden, a Daoist sex cult, and a violent insurgency.

The polyandrous Yan family in China's rural Shaanxi Province takes in two carpenter brothers. When one brother is convicted of murder after killing their neighbor in a dispute, a constable threatens to expose the family's rumored polyandry and extorts…

Book cover of Kazan: The Wolf Dog

Tabitha Ormiston-Smith Author Of Bloodsucking Bogans

From my list on featuring realistic dogs.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since I brought home my first rescue thirty years ago, my life has been full of dogs and dog-related activities that I can hardly imagine the person I would've been without them. My own books often feature one or more dogs, not because I particularly decide to write about dogs, but more because I live with dogs, it’s what I know. When I’m browsing for a good read, if a book features a dog, that’s a draw for me, just because dogs are dogs; they are such good creatures, so infinitely lovable, that their presence enhances a book for me just as their presence in my life enhances my every day.

Tabitha's book list on featuring realistic dogs

Tabitha Ormiston-Smith Why Tabitha loves this book

This is an old book, in the tradition made so popular by Jack London. There were a number of these ‘proud, free dog of the North’ type of books published, and they are all great reads, yet this one is in my opinion the finest of them. It never descends into mawkish sentiment, but tells Kazan’s story from his own viewpoint; there is little of the human world, and we get a glimpse of just how alien a wild animal is, how different from our own, more domestic companions. 

A tremendously exciting read, with not a dull page in it.

By James Oliver Curwood ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Kazan as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This carefully crafted ebook: "Kazan, the Wolf Dog" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents.
Excerpt:
"Kazan lay mute and motionless, his gray nose between his forepaws, his eyes half closed. A rock could have appeared scarcely less lifeless than he; not a muscle twitched; not a hair moved; not an eyelid quivered. Yet every drop of the wild blood in his splendid body was racing in a ferment of excitement that Kazan had never before experienced; every nerve and fiber of his wonderful muscles was tense as steel wire..."
James Oliver Curwood was…


Book cover of Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
Book cover of Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex Among Apes
Book cover of Honeybee Democracy

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Interested in dogs, chimpanzees, and hares?

Dogs 441 books
Chimpanzees 18 books
Hares 11 books