What is the Canine Cognition Lab at Harvard?

• We are a newly formed psychology lab at Harvard University that is interested in studying how dogs think; specifically, how dogs process information, learn, make decisions, make inferences, and perceive their environment.

What do you do at the Lab?

• We focus exclusively on noninvasive behavioral testing that we believe will be fun for your dog and of interest to you. The particular tasks that your canine friend will participate in depends on the research interests of the Lab, but they will typically involve problems where your dog will make a choice among a set of options, and will often receive a food treat for making a particular choice. Because we need your help in these experiments, and want to make sure you don't unconsciously cue your dog to move in particular ways, we will not tell you about the specific study until after we finish. After the experiment ends, we will provide you with a debriefing and be available to answer any questions on the tasks you just observed.

Where are you located?

• We are located at William James Hall on Harvard's campus at 33 Kirkland Street in Cambridge, MA.

What happens after I sign up my dog?

• Your information will be entered into our secure database. We will then contact you, ask for your dog's proof of rabies vaccination (the vaccine must be current), and schedule a session at your convenience. Signing up does not obligate you to participate, and you may ask to be removed from our database at any time.

I signed up a while ago, but no one's contacted me yet. What should I do?

• Please be patient. We have over 1000 dogs currently in our database, and our numbers grow every day! Because we have limited staff and time, it may take up to several weeks, or longer, for us to be in touch.

I sent in my dog's rabies vaccine certificate a while ago, but I haven't been scheduled yet. What should I do?

• Please be patient. The time it takes for us to schedule your dog depends on a number factors, including, but not limited to, your availability and our experimenters' availability. For example, it may take longer for us to be able to schedule a dog whose owner is only available on Saturday afternoons than a dog whose owner is available any day of the week. But don't worry - we promise to schedule every dog owner who is interested in participating.

Will you separate me from my dog?

• No. As a matter of fact, we would prefer if you would be willing to participate! We find that dogs are more attentive and less nervous if you are with them. Furthermore, by participating, you directly learn about the science. If you don't want to participate, a second experimenter is available to handle your dog during testing while you quietly watch from behind a one-way mirror.

How long will my session take?

• If you are only planning on bringing one dog with you, you'll be here for about an hour, sometimes less.

Will I be required to come back to the Lab after my first session?

• We are not currently running any multi-session experiments, so we will only ask you to visit us once; however, many of our past participants have already requested to be invited back for future studies! Each test session that your dog completes provides you with a certificate of graduation. The more tests your dog completes, the higher the level of achievement; there is a certificate for each level completed.

Can I sign up my puppy?

• We are not currently doing any developmental work with dogs, and thus, we are not actively recruiting puppies. Once your puppy has had her first rabies vaccine administered, she qualifies to participate in the same experiments as adult dogs.

I have more than one dog. Can I bring all my dogs at once?

• The maximum number of dogs that you may bring at one time is two. This is due to restrictions on the resources needed to test each dog. You are welcome, however, to sign up all of your dogs, and bring them in separate one- or two-dog sessions. Please remember that two-dog sessions last about two hours.

My dog is afraid of/does not like men/women. What should I do?

• Please let us know of any gender preferences your dog may have so that we can schedule you with an experimenter that is best suited to your dog.

My dog is afraid of/does not like tall/short people. What should I do?

• Please let us know of any physical preferences your dog may have so that we can schedule you with an experimenter that is best suited to your dog.

My dog is completely blind. Can he participate?

• Unfortunately, we are not currently testing dogs that are blind, since the trials require that your dog respond to visual cues.

My dog is losing her sight. Can she participate?

• Please mention this issue when you are contacted for an appointment. She may or may not qualify for the experiment.

My dog can only see with one eye. Can he participate?

• Please mention this issue when you are contacted for an appointment. He may or may not qualify for the experiment.

My dog is deaf. Can she participate?

• Your dog is welcome to participate as long as she responds to visual or tactile cues that indicate a release and potential to approach a target area.

My dog has three legs. Can he participate?

• Your dog is welcome to participate as long as he has no trouble moving.

My dog can be aggressive in certain situations. What should I do?

• If your dog has any aggression issues, please make sure to notify us when you schedule your session. She may or may not qualify for the experiment for the sake of our experimenters' safety.

My dog is a very picky eater/is on a special diet. Can I bring my own treats?

• By all means, yes! Although we have a variety of dog treats available, if you know your dog will respond to a particular kind of food/treat, then please bring that kind of food/treat with you for the session. We want your dog to be as comfortable and happy as possible! Please check with us when scheduling to know the maximum number of treats we will need to use for the session. Furthermore, because we carefully control the amount of food given in a session, it is essential that any food treat you bring is divided into small, equally-sized pieces.

Can I bring family members or young children to my session?

• You may bring family members to watch the session so long as they are able to sit quietly behind a one-way mirror for the duration of the experiment. We do not recommend bringing babies or very young children to the Lab.

Is there anything I should do before coming to the Lab for my session?

• Since the tasks that your dog will participate in are food motivated, we suggest that you do not feed your dog for several hours before coming to the Lab. This is to assure that your dog is motivated to find hidden treats during the session; however, it is not a requirement.

Are you trying to determine which breed is the smartest?

• No. We are studying all dogs to see what they, as a species, can do. We are interested in studying any and all breeds, both purebred and mixed.

Will you be able to tell me how smart my dog is compared to other dogs?

• No. We're not analyzing the intelligence of any one particular dog, but are testing all dogs on the same experiments to determine what they, as a species, can do. Whether your dog does well or poorly on a particular task may not necessarily be a reflection of his intelligence, but more likely of his motivation, level of attention, or interest in the task.

I believe my dog is gifted in some way. Are you looking for exceptional dogs?

• We're testing each dog in the same way, regardless of any special abilities they may have. We are not looking specifically for dogs with unique talents or abilities, nor are we designing experiments to focus exclusively on the abilities of any particular dog. Again, we are exploring what dogs, as a species, can do. However, we do encourage you to let us know of any exceptional qualities you feel your dog may have, as we may develop future studies that could take advantage of those.

Will the results of your studies be published? If so, when?

• It is our goal to publish our findings, but studies can take a long time to be published in journals - up to several years. Please check the publications section of our website - this is where our dog studies will be posted once they are published, and where you can learn about our other research on animal behavior, the evolution of language, and human moral judgments.

My dog has been acting up, is difficult to train, etc. Can you help me with behavioral analysis or training techniques?

• We cannot provide any advice on any behavioral problems your dog may be having, as we do not specialize in the area of dog training or behavioral analysis. We do recommend that you get in touch with veterinarians or dog trainers who are better suited to help.

You run a psychology lab and must know how much humans and their animal counterparts love a good incentive. Do I get anything for coming?

• Yes! We can offer you a stylish Canine Cognition Lab at Harvard leash for your dog, a Canine Cognition Lab at Harvard certificate for completing a session, and of course, a belly full of dog treats from our testing session!

Thank you for your interest!

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