Dogs & Umwelt

Briar

"What Dogs See, Smell and Know" by Alexandra Horowitz was reviewed in this Sunday's NYT. In order to fully understand a dog, Horowitz argues we have to know their umwelt, their subjective or 'self world.' And unlike wolves, dogs like to stare at our faces,

“Though they have inherited some aversion to staring too long at eyes, dogs seem to be predisposed to inspect our faces for information, for reassurance, for guidance.” They are staring, soulfully, into our umwelts.