Author Interview: Cat Warren (What the Dog Knows)

I am so, so excited to have author, Cat Warren, on the blog today. She is the author of the recently released What the Dog Knows: The Science and Wonder of Working Dogs. You all know I am a crazy dog lady, so when I heard about this one, I was thrilled, and when I was given the opportunity to interview Cat, I jumped on it! I just HAD to pick her brain about dogs. Her German Shepard, Solo, is a cadaver dog. They search for the dead! How unbelievably cool are they?! Anyway, check out Cat’s responses to my questions below, and learn a ton about dogs!

I have a dog and am absolutely nuts about him. We are best friends. What do you think makes the bond between humans and dogs so special and strong? Why do humans bond best with dogs over any other animal?

I know exactly what you mean. I’m nuts about Solo, my German shepherd, who is on the cover of my book. Just looking into his chestnut brown eyes makes me smile. Dogs and people figured out pretty early on in history that they were meant for each other. What is very cool is that a new study shows that dogs may have branched off from wolves about 32,000 years ago. The more scientists look, the earlier they see evidence of the creation of the dog-and-human partnership. The term “co-evolution” always seems a bit removed from that paw-in-hand relationship we have with dogs, but when you look more closely at what that actually means, it makes perfect sense.  Evolution wasn’t a one-way street. We changed wolves into dogs, but they also changed us along the way.

What kinds or breeds of dog are best suited to working?

Every kind of breed, and even mixed breeds, can be working dogs. It depends on the particular dog, and on what their job is. Any working dog has to have the desire to work! That’s it in a nutshell. For some kinds of work, like a police dog, you probably don’t want to use a miniature poodle because you want a dog that’s large enough not only to look intimidating, but be able to back that up, if needed. But beagles are used everywhere in airports and other spots for sniffing out illegal imports, like fruits and vegetables. In England, you’ll see a lot of springer spaniels being used for bomb and drug detection. They’re a great size, can be easily used in crowds, and have what working dog people call “hunt drive.” For them, it doesn’t matter that they’re hunting for a particular smell, rather than a partridge.

How intelligent do you believe dogs are? Are different dogs more intelligent than others? I have a small breed. Are large breeds more intelligent than small breeds?

I’m prejudiced, of course, but I think that dogs are quite intelligent, and that we are only beginning to understand their capacities and their intelligence. And of course, different dogs have different kinds of intelligence. Your little rescue, Dakota, is plenty smart, I bet—especially since he’s good at making you laugh. Large breeds aren’t any smarter than small breeds. There can be more variation between dogs of the same breed, sometimes, than between one breed and another. Then there’s the question: What kind of smart are we talking about? Solo as a pup was missing a kind of emotional intelligence with other dogs that my new German shepherd pup, Coda, has in spades. Coda can go into a room with other dogs, and sidle up to them, and pretty soon, everyone is playing. Even now, Solo would go in, hackles raised. But that’s because he was the only pup in his litter, and he simply never learned to speak dog properly. But he’s whip smart about so many other things. Like search work.

What inspired you to get into dog training? What inspired you to write this book?

I always loved animals, especially dogs and horses, even as a small child. I grew up reading every animal book I could get my hands on. One of my favorite books as a child was about a cocker spaniel who became an obedience and hunting champion. What I did to that book, reading and re-reading it, gave a new definition to the term, “dog eared.” But it was my first German shepherd, Tarn, who taught me that having a well-trained dog meant that you could have more fun with them. Tarn was my first “best friend” dog who went everywhere with me, even on cross-country trips. I never felt alone with him at my side. Solo, my cadaver dog, who is featured in this book, isn’t just central in my life — he really changed my life. He inspired me to write What the Dog Knows. I wanted to share our journey with other people, and also write about other people who work and train and live with all sorts of amazing dogs who use their noses for us.

Are working dogs as affectionate as dogs who are non-working pets?

What makes dogs so wonderful is that they are all so different! It depends on the dog. It also depends on what one means by affectionate. Solo doesn’t like to cuddle, but he wants to be near both me and my husband. I find him one of the most affectionate dogs I’ve ever had because it feels as though we are one unit, whether we’re working or playing together. I think that affection between a dog and a person is really something that builds with both the time you spend with a particular dog, and the kind of time you spend. Most working dogs have close bonds with their handlers because they are together every day doing pretty complicated tasks where they depend on each other. That builds love and mutual trust. There’s nothing that feels better to me than that sense I can count on Solo, and vice versa.

Cat, thank you so much for answering all of my questions! What you and Solo do is fascinating!