Of Mice and Dogs: Their Personalities May Be Up To Us
Most of us easily acknowledge the likelihood that specific behaviors can be influenced by learning, in ourselves and in other species, including the one closest to us, our companion dogs. We can learn to tie our shoes, and our dogs can learn to walk next to us. We can even learn rules of etiquette and […]
NCRC Video Interview with Janis Bradley
Janis Bradley, veteran dog trainer and author of the NCRC Vision Series publication, ‘The Relevance of Breed in Selecting a Companion Dog,’ discusses whether breed is a useful indicator of the suitability of a companion dog. Click to view other NCRC Video interviews.
Study underscores that we can only learn what dogs are capable of from capable dogs.
The human community has changed dramatically in the modern era. Both dogs and people are continually adjusting to new phenomena (trains, cars, streets teeming with other people and other dogs, to name a few) and new expectations that arise from our living in closer proximity to each other. It’s challenging enough for people. How do […]
Study shows owners and non-owners recognize animal emotions
“‘Sometimes I read about someone saying with great authority that animals have no intentions and no feelings, and I wonder, ‘Doesn’t this guy have a dog?”’ – Frans De Waal, quoted in The New York Times June 26, 2001 Charles Darwin argued that emotions evolved in both humans and animals; and scientists who have studied […]
HSUS “Pets for Life” toolkit: empowering pet owners in under-served areas and yielding significant results for animals in the creation of humane communities
All of us who love dogs – whether we live with them, raise them, provide professional services for them, or use them for a purpose – recognize the value they hold in our society. Yet the human-canine bond may be weakened by a disparate amount of resources and support available to human beings in under-served […]
One-hundred years ago, companion dogs were among the victims and survivors of the Titanic.
With the passing of the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s voyage, a new focus has been put on the other passengers of the historic ship: pet dogs. While stories of dogs on the Titanic have been largely unheard until now, it is reported that at least twelve were brought on board, three of which survived […]
The quality of a dog’s relationship to humans is a crucial determinant of social behavior
Note: This blog was originally written in 2012, the below document was updated in 2016 to reflect the most recent research. For almost 2 decades, The Family Dog Project has been at the forefront of research demonstrating that dogs have a special ability that few other animals possess: to notice and respond to social […]
Canine Companions in Life Honored in Death
In an October 2011 essay in The New York Times, Kelly Oliver, W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University, observed that, “love and emotional dependence – most especially the love of animals – are still seen as too feminine, too lightweight, to be serious philosophical issues.” “Loving animals as friends and family is seen […]