Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution Book

Coppinger has written an exceptionally important work, and I have rated it highly for the ideas it contains, not for the writing. In my opinion, Coppinger frequently reverts to a difficult and obtuse style, which seems to me perhaps more academic than general audience.

In spite of the sometimes annoying nature of the writing style, the ideas that Coppinger has brought forward through decades of research have already revolutionized how we think of and look at dogs. Since it was published, in 2001, his ideas have spread like wildfire throughout the dog community, even when people are not aware of it. There are some people arguing against Coppinger's primary thesis, but even their arguments have been changed by this.

Coppinger's primary thesis is that all dogs have evolved from village dogs, and village dogs essentially probably "domesticated" themselves in order to take advantage of the waste left by man. He certainly has other themes in the book, though. One other is that the whole idea of "breeds", and more particularly breeding for looks instead of behavior, has created dogs who are unhealthy and dying younger and younger in pursuit of those breed standards.

While I highly recommend reading Coppinger because of the importance of his ideas, I can't tell you it will be a fun read, although there are interesting and enjoyable anecdotes interspersed.