Dog cognition researcher Horowitz brings her expertise on canine development to bear in a personal way when her family adopts a puppy during what turns out to be the first year of the pandemic. Horowitz observes the litter's birth, then visits weekly until "Quid" is ready to join her family - two adults, one kid, two adult dogs, and a cat.

Annoyingly memoir-esque. A book about how instead of training your dog you just learn to not mind your rude dog. A slight exaggeration but not really. Her tone is kind of—oh you mind your dog barking? you obviously don’t appreciate your dog do you? It’s annoying, cutesy toned and overly precious. For someone who studies dog behavior she puts on a faux air of “I know nothing” that just grated me.

Much more congenial than her previous Our Dogs, Ourselves: How we live with dogs now. A product of pandemic times, this one focuses tightly on a rescued litter of eleven, week by week, till one of them is selected to join Horowitz's household, and then the spotlight is on her, the winsome Quiddity. Along the way, Horowitz observes, records, and explains the pup's development from birth to the one-year mark - sensory, physical, emotional and social. Scientific studies are lightly peppered throughout, and there is ongoing comparison between what a puppy can do at what stages and what a human baby can do. She also compares the upbringing and teaching (she pleasantly prefers the term "teaching" to "training") of this litter of mixed-breed pups who will become family companions to that of a Labrador litter carefully bred to become search and rescue dogs. It's lovely to see that both goals are approached with a whole lot of treats, toys, high-pitched happy voices, games and wagging tails.

After her harsh criticism of the spay/neuter movement in her previous book, Horowitz now addresses this issue in a far more measured way - she neuters her dogs, while timing the procedure to allow for full physiological benefits of natural hormone levels. The best thing about this book is its closely-observed understanding of a dog's natural development, desires, and talents, and how we humans can best accommodate or allow for those things to keep our dogs healthy, happy, comfortable, and cheerful members of the human society we make them live in.

There may be a limit to how long one can listen to / read someone who goes on for pages about every single movement, facial expression, tail wag, vocalization, possible thought process, etc. of their dog, even with a serious intention of analysis and education. Even I found myself skimming sometimes. Still, this is an enjoyable, illuminating, friendly exploration of puppies, and is recommended for anyone who finds themselves in that "uh-oh, what I have done?!" place with one! And now, if someone out there has written a book with this level of detail and corroborating evidence about cats, I for one really want to read it. ( )

A day in the life expose of a dog from gestation to late adolescence. And a revelatory exploration of how a puppy starts to grow up as well as how its masters grow as a result (training each other). The author's family of animals (people, dogs and a cat) grow used to each other - learning not only about physical, but also psychological progress in the development of their puppy. A moving examination told with empathy and without too much scientific jargon. ( )