Book review: ‘Think Like a Dog’

Think Like a Dog: How Positive Psychology Can Help Your Dog Thrive by Jen Golbeck. Simon and Schuster, 2026. Hardcover, 224 pages.

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Jen Golbeck, author of Think Like a Dog: How Positive Psychology Can Help Your Dog Thrive, knows what she is talking about. A scientist and trusted authority on canine behavior, Jen is also the person behind The Golden Ratio on social media, where she shares stories about her family of rescued golden retrievers who have special needs.

In this follow-up to The Purest Bond: Understanding the Human-Canine Connection, Jen continues to explore how we interact with our beloved dogs and how to enhance that relationship.

Readers familiar with her research — a combination of neuroscience and anecdotal evidence — will know that Jen approaches what most would call “problem-solving” from a positive perspective. Rather than focusing on a dog’s inappropriate behaviors, she looks at a dog’s strengths and builds on them to elicit desired outcomes.

What sounds like common sense is, in reality, a ground-breaking approach based on our ever-evolving knowledge of canine cognition. Jen is that rare individual who can mix neuroscience and stories about her own and others’ dogs and come up with a book that is enlightening and enjoyable to read.

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