Originally published: New York : Scribner, ©2001.

Includes bibliographical references and index (pages 327-337).

Introduction : studying dogs -- Why study dogs -- How to study and who studies, dogs -- pt. 1. The evolution of the basic dog : commensalism -- ch. 1. Wolves evolve into dogs -- The Pinocchio hypothesis of dog origin -- Taming the wolf -- Training the wolf -- Domesticating the wolf -- Speciation requires populations that evolve, not individuals -- Speciation requires differential mortality -- ch. 2. Village dogs -- The mesolithic island -- ch. 3. Natural breeds -- People become conscious of dogs -- pt. 2. Working dogs and people : mutualism -- ch. 4. Developmental environments -- Livestock-guarding dogs -- In the nest : shaping the behavior -- The transhumance : distributing and mixing genes -- The transhumance : evolving the size and shape -- Breed genesis : selecting for color -- Walking hounds -- ch. 5. The physical conformation of a breed -- Sled dogs : how do they run -- The shape of the team -- Running is social behavior -- The society of a sled dog team -- The value of the breed standard -- ch. 6. Behavioral conformation -- Herding dogs, retrievers, and pointers -- The border collie's behavioral conformation -- Motor patterns -- pt. 3 Are people the dog's best friend : parasitism, amensalism and dulosis -- ch. 7. Household dogs -- Measuring the benefit to humans of the household dog -- ch. 8. Assistance dogs -- pt. 4. The tail wags the dog -- ch. 9. What's in the name canis familiaris -- ch. 10. The age of the dog -- ch. 11. Why dogs look the way they do -- How to change size -- How to change shape -- The shape of intelligence -- Rapid evolution of breeds -- Neoteny, paedomorphism, and the evolution of dogs from wolves -- ch. 12. Conclusion.