An insightful examination of our canine friends
What do dogs think about? Why do they behave the way they do? The answers to these questions (and more) are explored in the new Netflix documentary Inside The Mind Of A Dog.
With expert opinion and footage of dogs in action, we are given the opportunity to get to know our four-legged friends better. We learn more about the origins of dogs, for example, and how they evolved from wolves. We discover how they learned to interact with humans – one expert calls it the “survival of the friendliest” – and how one of the ways they ingratiate themselves into our affections is by pulling back their eyes (the so-called ‘puppy dog eyes’).
The documentary is narrated by Rob Lowe, which is quite apt considering he’s a dog lover himself and that he starred in the recent Netflix movie Dog Gone. His voice is calming and sometimes quite jovial, so he’s always a pleasure to listen to. He thankfully doesn’t go down the Disney narration route by giving the animals under discussion human traits and personalities. That being said, one expert in the documentary makes reference to the fact that many canine owners treat their pets as if they were humans, so you might be disappointed that some of the topics under discussion are quite clinical.
Dogs are cleverer than we think they are, so we shouldn’t refer to them as “dumb,” as one researcher tells us. Sure, they do silly things like chasing their own tail and drinking water out of a toilet bowl, but they counter this with their sensory intelligence, using smell, hearing, and intuition to carry out tasks that other intelligence beings aren’t capable of.
It’s because of these skills that some dogs are trained to be companions for people with special needs. We meet some of the people looking for a dog in the doc and how the people at Canine Companions match their service animals to the right owners. We also discover why some dogs are chosen to be service animals while others are more suited as pets.
Some of what is said in the documentary isn’t particularly new. Most of us will likely know that dogs don’t see colours in the way that we do, for example. But we do find out why dogs can’t see certain colours, from a researcher who takes us into the anatomy of a canine eye, so this information might be fresh for a lot of people.
While some of what we hear is familiar, a lot of it might be new to you. Did you know that dogs have 16 different facial expressions, some of which they have learned from humans? Do you know why border collies are so good at steering sheep? Are you aware that dogs have the capacity to trace whales? Admittedly, that last trait isn’t something you would notice unless you were sat aboard a whaling vessel!
If you’re a dog lover, you’ll probably go googly-eyed over the dogs that are featured in the documentary. All kinds of breeds are put under the spotlight, including golden labradors, basset hounds, and perhaps most adorably, Siberian huskies. Even some of the animal researchers on the programme go a bit nutty for the dogs they’re talking about, which some might find endearing while others might consider insufferable!
At just around 75 minutes long, the documentary packs a lot in over a short space of time. As such, the doc might not be as in-depth as you’d like but it might be a starting point for further research if it gives you paws for thought (sorry).
Read More: Inside The Mind Of A Cat Review