‘The Year of the Puppy’

In her new book, dog researcher Alexandra Horowitz 'keeps a lens on the puppy’s point of view, how they see and smell the world, make meaning of it, and become independent.'

A healthy dog’s first year of life is a fun, curious, adventurous time full of important milestones. In her latest book, Barnard College dog researcher Alexandra Horowitz tracks her puppy, Quid, from the moment she opens her eyes until her first birthday. Through her weekly observations, Horowitz reveals how puppies begin to understand the world around them, how they develop their own personalities, and bond with the people in their lives.

This rambunctious dog tested her patience and taught her some important lessons about herself. This hour, we’ll talk about Horowitz’s investigation into the early life of dogs and what she found out about Quid while writing The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves.

Dr. Alexandra Horowitz (@DogUmwelt) is a Senior Research Fellow and Principal Investigator at The Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College. Her latest book is, The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves.

The New York Times Bringing Home Some ‘Hairy Joie de Vivre,’ and Taking Notes “Long fascinated by canine umwelt — how they experience the world — [Horowitz] had never before studied a puppy’s development from its origins as ‘a mewling splodge of fur,’ as she writes, into adolescence and beyond.”