Is your dog interested in

participating in our studies?

We investigate dogs’ learning in a variety of contexts including dogs’ physical problem-solving abilities (e.g., how to get treats out of puzzles) and their understanding of social information (e.g., following a pointing gesture or learning from a demonstration). Our research takes the form of short, interactive games and training exercises that are designed to be fun and engaging to dogs. We record dogs’ actions when interacting with people, toys, and puzzles, and the choices they make to learn more about their understanding of the world. Our findings help us understand how our canine companions’ minds work, which can also help us to improve programs for dogs who are trained to help humans. Learn more about the different types of studies that we run below.

To participate in our research studies, your dog:

• must be up to date on rabies vaccinations (we will need to see a valid tag or certificate upon visiting the lab)
• must be generally healthy at the time of participation
• must not have a record of aggression toward humans
• ​must be 4 months or older