Very interesting, well written, memoir about scent dogs (especially cadaver dogs), their history, training, capabilities. Awesome endnotes. I liked this book and I learned a lot. ( )

More of a personal memoir on the struggles of Cat Warren's entry and hobby with cadaver dogs than getting to know "scent, science, adn the amazing ways dogs perceive the world." The focus on pure bred dogs, a clearly defined line between human and animal, and her continued self deprecation was extremely distracting. I read the entire book hoping for more science, but it failed to produce. ( )

What a fascinating book. The author adopted a dog who was an "only child" in its litter and thus not well socialized. But she found a niche for this dog as a cadaver dog and shares the experience and the knowledge she gained with the reader. It took dedication and hours of training for both Ms Warren and her dog Solo; she manages to convey both the rewards and tribulations they endured in a straight forward, unemotional manner. ( )

What the Dog Knows is both a memoir of the author and her German shepherd dog and an interesting account into the lives of working dogs, particularly cadaver and police dogs. Whatever Warren and her husband were expecting when she went to collect her third German shepherd, what she got was not it. An only puppy, he had tons of energy and no sense of boundaries. It turns out that single puppies frequently have behavior problems because they lack any siblings to figure life out with. After all obedience training failed, she remembered a dog park acquaintance and began training him to be a cadaver dog: that is, a dog who searches for bodies. This marking the beginning of a new hobby/obsession for her and an outlet for him.

In the process of hearing Warren's story readers also learn a lot about dogs, what human science knows about dogs, and how police dogs are trained. I've lived with dogs my entire life (mostly setters and hounds) and I still learned a lot here. Perfect for anyone with an interest in dogs (particularly shepherds) or in the training and lives of working dogs. ( )