The Culture of Dogdom

People are in constant conversation with their dogs, says dog scientist Alexandra Horowitz, and dogs pick up on things like our tone of voice. "We think meaning is all in the words but for them, the meaning is in the context, and they’re working very hard to understand it.” Horowitz studies dog cognition and the relationship between dogs and their human owners. She runs the Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College and has written widely about dogs. In a wide-ranging discussion with Aspen Ideas Festival Executive Director Kitty Boone, she talks about how dogs may have been domesticated, why some dogs are serious-minded and others easy-going, and the best thing we can do for our dogs (it's easier than you think).