Welcome to the Canine Minds Collaborative!
The Canine Minds Collaborative, established in 2023, is a collaboration between researchers at Johns Hopkins University and local pet owners, teaming up to advance our understanding of canine minds and behavior.
Owners can sign their dogs up to participate in our fun behavioral studies HERE. (tinyurl.com/dogsJHU)
What do we do?
We study dog intelligence and behavior with the help of local pets from our community, who are brought into the lab by their owners. During their visits to our lab, dogs have the opportunity to engage in a variety of fun cognitive games and activities that are designed to be mentally stimulating and enjoyable. The choices and responses that dogs make during these games help us to understand how they think and solve problems. Owners are always either involved directly in these activities or able to watch their dog’s participation through a live video feed from the next room.
Through our carefully designed studies, we can gather valuable data on a dog's problem-solving abilities, decision-making processes, memory, attention, and social behavior, while providing mental enrichment for our participants. A session at our lab will provide a positive enrichment and socialization opportunity for your dog (and treats!).
We prioritize the well-being and comfort of our canine participants. We are committed to conducting non-invasive research, which means that our studies do not involve any procedures or interventions that would cause harm, stress, or discomfort to the dogs. Dogs choose whether they want to participate, and our protocols adhere to ethical guidelines and regulations to ensure the highest standards of animal welfare. All research is evaluated and approved by Johns Hopkins University’s Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC).
We study dog intelligence and behavior with the help of local pets from our community, who are brought into the lab by their owners. During their visits to our lab, dogs have the opportunity to engage in a variety of fun cognitive games and activities that are designed to be mentally stimulating and enjoyable. The choices and responses that dogs make during these games help us to understand how they think and solve problems. Owners are always either involved directly in these activities or able to watch their dog’s participation through a live video feed from the next room.
Through our carefully designed studies, we can gather valuable data on a dog's problem-solving abilities, decision-making processes, memory, attention, and social behavior, while providing mental enrichment for our participants. A session at our lab will provide a positive enrichment and socialization opportunity for your dog (and treats!).
We prioritize the well-being and comfort of our canine participants. We are committed to conducting non-invasive research, which means that our studies do not involve any procedures or interventions that would cause harm, stress, or discomfort to the dogs. Dogs choose whether they want to participate, and our protocols adhere to ethical guidelines and regulations to ensure the highest standards of animal welfare. All research is evaluated and approved by Johns Hopkins University’s Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC).
Who are we?
Our research team is comprised of experts in animal intelligence, dog behavior, and comparative psychology. The director of the Canine Minds Collaborative is Prof. Christopher Krupenye, who is a psychology professor at Johns Hopkins University. You can see a full list of the members of our research group HERE. We also collaborate widely with other research groups at JHU and around the world.
Our research team is comprised of experts in animal intelligence, dog behavior, and comparative psychology. The director of the Canine Minds Collaborative is Prof. Christopher Krupenye, who is a psychology professor at Johns Hopkins University. You can see a full list of the members of our research group HERE. We also collaborate widely with other research groups at JHU and around the world.
How can you help?
The best way to aid our research is to bring your dog into our lab to participate in our studies! To do so, follow THIS link to our participant sign up page. Signing up just takes 5 minutes. As part of the process, you will provide some information about your dog that helps us to determine their eligibility for particular studies. Some studies might focus on dogs of particular ages or breeds, for example. We'll then reach out in the future to invite them to participate!
If you have visited our lab and enjoyed the experience, or you know someone else who might, we would appreciate you sharing this page with them. Word-of-mouth is the best way to recruit study participants, and we welcome dogs of all ages, breeds, and sizes! Our ability to understand the mental lives and experiences of our close companions depends on owners like you!
We also have a limited number of volunteer research assistant opportunities. Interested students and members of the community studying for, or in possession of, a degree in Psychology, Biology, Cognitive Science, Veterinary Medicine, Animal Behavior and Welfare, Anthrozoology, or related fields can express interest by reaching out to [email protected].
The best way to aid our research is to bring your dog into our lab to participate in our studies! To do so, follow THIS link to our participant sign up page. Signing up just takes 5 minutes. As part of the process, you will provide some information about your dog that helps us to determine their eligibility for particular studies. Some studies might focus on dogs of particular ages or breeds, for example. We'll then reach out in the future to invite them to participate!
If you have visited our lab and enjoyed the experience, or you know someone else who might, we would appreciate you sharing this page with them. Word-of-mouth is the best way to recruit study participants, and we welcome dogs of all ages, breeds, and sizes! Our ability to understand the mental lives and experiences of our close companions depends on owners like you!
We also have a limited number of volunteer research assistant opportunities. Interested students and members of the community studying for, or in possession of, a degree in Psychology, Biology, Cognitive Science, Veterinary Medicine, Animal Behavior and Welfare, Anthrozoology, or related fields can express interest by reaching out to [email protected].
|
How can you find out more about our research?
Once our research findings are peer-reviewed and published in scientific journals, we will share them widely with the community. If you would like to receive an email regarding any new study findings, you can sign up to our newsletter by emailing [email protected] with the subject line “NEWSLETTER”. As we have just gotten started, we expect the first published studies to be available from Summer 2024 at the earliest. You can also follow researchers like Professor Krupenye on Twitter! |
|