Pet Expo 2011 CRU Information Sheet

Canine Research Unit

Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland

June 2011

Dogs-R-Us
The Canine Research Unit (CRU) is composed of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students in the Department of Psychology and the Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Programme at Memorial University who are interested in the behaviour of both domestic and wild canids.
The question of why dogs behave as they do has probably intrigued people for thousands of years. No other species shares the same history with humans as do dogs. In a real sense, humans have shaped dogs into what they are today. But what do we really know about them? Until recently, with a few exceptions, domestic dogs were not considered real animals worthy of scientific study. Researchers were far more interested in wild canids, such as wolves, which were very difficult to get close to. Because of this, early work on wolf behaviour involved captive wolves, who were often housed in small zoo enclosures. Not surprisingly, these wolves showed high levels of aggression and disturbed social behaviour, leading to misunderstandings about wolf pack structure. More recent field work, carried out by researchers such as David Mech (www.wolf.org), has revolutionized our views of wolf social hierarchies. The idea of alphas as top dogs is now considered biologically incorrect by wolf biologists. Unfortunately, much of what had been believed about wolves made it into our popular understanding of dog behaviour. This is now changing, too! Science has recognized that domestic dog behaviour should be studied, and what were finding out about dogs is changing the way we think about them. While dogs and wolves share ancestors and some aspects of their biology, the ways in which they have diverged over thousands of years is helping us understand that dogs are a fascinating and unique species, perhaps because they have shared their lives with people for so long. At CRU, our research focuses on the social behaviour of dogs. We study what dogs do naturally, and examine the factors that influence how dogs behave with other dogs and with humans. By participating in one of our studies, you and your dog can help us all better understand what makes dogs the amazing animals that they are.

Spit Happens...
Dog drool is far more interesting than you may think! Some of our studies use saliva to examine how hormones, such as cortisol and testosterone, are related to a dogs social behaviours. Taking a dog spit sample is fairly simple, and most dogs dont appear to mind at all- especially when they get a yummy treat at the end! We provide study participants with both written instructions and an instructional video on how to take a saliva sample, and were always available if you have questions.

http://dogsbody.psych.mun.ca/cru

Pet Expo 2011 CRU Information Sheet

Current Research
Top Dog... REALLY??

Were currently recruiting for dogs and owners to participate in three studies in the St. Johns area. Interested in participating? Check out our website for further details.

Is there really such a thing as top dog? Maybe, maybe not! Recently, our views of wolf pack hierarchies have shifted. Where does that leave what we know about dogs? There is no doubt that many animals have a social rank structure that we can measure. However, there have been very few studies of social rank formation in domestic dogs, and there are no studies of dogs living in their natural state, i.e., on the couch with their people! We are interested in visiting homes that have 2 or 3 dogs living together, and using a questionnaire, saliva samples, and videotape of the dogs interacting with each other, we just might find out whether top dogs truly exist.

Ms. Congeniality
Anyone who lives with a dog knows that every dog has a unique personality. We can measure these personality traits using the Monash Canine Personality Questionnaire (Revised), developed by Drs. Jacqui Ley, Paul McGreevy, and Pauleen Bennett at Monash University in Australia, to examine whether a dogs personality is related to his or her social behaviour. This study will ask owners to complete the MCPQ-R while allowing their dog to be videotaped at the dog park for 20 minutes. A quick saliva sample will follow. Are you interested but dont take your dog to the dog park? Let us know. There are more studies where this one came from.

Good Stress/Bad Stress?

Do our dogs enjoy playing with other dogs? Does it matter whether their play partners are familiar or unfamiliar to them? Does a change in cortisol (a stress hormone) after a 20 minute romp in the dog park, compared to, lets say, after a walk, tell us anything about how dogs respond to other dogs? Are other dogs stressors? Is this good stress or bad stress, and how can we tell the difference? Weve been investigating these questions, and need a few good dogs to help us complete this study. So, lace up your runners, grab a leash and join us at the dog park. But call us first for your very own spit-sampling kit!

Questions or Comments?
Or contact us: Visit our website: http://dogsbody.psych.mun.ca/cru

Dr. Carolyn Walsh, cwalsh@play.psych.mun.ca, 864-4738; Dr. Rita Anderson, rita@play.psych.mun.ca, 864-8496