In this week's episode, Chrissy chats with Dr Marc Bekoff about understanding your dog through the eyes of a field biologist and ethologist in which they discuss his extensive work on animal behavior and emotions.

Marc emphasizes the importance of understanding the commitment required to care for a dog, likening it to having a child. He stresses the need for dog literacy and responsible guardianship, advocating for careful observation and understanding of individual dog behaviors.

Marc and Chrissy also highlight the significance of accurate terminology in animal behavior studies, particularly regarding dominance and social hierarchies. Marc shares insights from his fieldwork and collaborations with Jane Goodall and other experts.

As always I'd love to hear your thoughts about the episode and if any of the topics resonated with you.
Leave a comment or join the conversation on my Instagram or Facebook page, The Nature of Animals.

More about Marc:

A professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Marc has published 31 books (or 41, depending on how you count multi-volume encyclopedias).

He has won many awards for his research on animal behavior, animal emotions (cognitive ethology), compassionate conservation, and animal protection, has worked closely with Jane Goodall as co-chair of the ethics committee of the Jane Goodall Institute, and is a former Guggenheim Fellow. He also works closely with inmates at the Boulder County Jail. 

In June 2022, Marc was recognized as a Hero by the Academy of Dog Trainers. His books include The Animals' Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age, Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do, Unleashing Your Dog: A Field Guide to Giving Your Canine Companion the Best Life Possible, and A Dog's World: Imagining the Lives of Dogs in a World Without Humans. Marc’s latest books are Dogs Demystified: An A to Z Guide to All Things Canine, the second edition of The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy―and Why They Matter, and Jane Goodall at 90: Celebrating an Astonishing Lifetime of Science, Advocacy, Humanitarianism, Hope, and Peace. He also publishes regularly for Psychology Today.
His homepage is marcbekoff.com.
Fun fact: In 1986 Marc won the Master’s Tour du Haut, aka the age-graded Tour de France.