Description: Brain organization differs among domestic dog breeds, and it correlated with ancestral behavioral specializations like hunting, guarding, and companionship. The aim of the present behavior test is to understand whether such neuroanatomical differences are reflected in behavioral differences in specific cognitive domains. Therefore, we developed a battery of tests that investigates specific cognitive functions, particularly visuospatial information processing and motion planning, as well as emotional control in the human/dog-specific social sphere and the nonsocial sphere.
Study Details: The study takes place in the Canine Brains Project’s laboratory suite at Harvard University’s Center for Brain Science in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Free parking is available. Participants will take part in the behavior experiments with their dogs. The experiments last approximately 1hour and 30 minutes.
Eligibility: The study is open to:
- Dogs who have already participated in one of our MRI studies.
- Dogs who are willing to participate in one of our MRI studies. Please check out our MRI studies webpage for details on participation in MRI studies.
- Dogs with single-breed ancestry (“purebred”) belonging to one of the breeds in this list.
Scheduling: Enrollment will end in August 2024.
Enrollment: To enroll your dog in this study, please fill out the pre-registration form and/or email Anna Broseghini at anna_broseghini@fas.harvard.edu. If you’re interested in the study but not sure yet if you’d like to participate with your dog, please reach out to Anna for more information.