The Canine Brains Project seeks to quantify variation in brain organization, behavior, and temperament across dogs and other canids. This data will help us to better understand why dogs are the way they are. For example, which parts of the canine brain contribute to sociality, motivation, emotional reactivity, and prey drive? What do those brain-behavior relationships look like across breeds or landraces, within bloodlines, or across individuals? How were those brain-behavior relationships shaped over the course of dog domestication? And, how do the brains and behaviors of domestic dogs differ from those of wild canids?
To answer all these questions and more, our multi-institutional team of scientists use a variety of methods, including neuroimaging, behavioral experiments, survey collection, hormone assays, and genetic testing. We are all dog lovers! We do not harm the dogs who are involved in our research.
We currently enrolling in a variety of online and in-person studies. Please click through our website’s menu to learn more about each one. You can help make our research a success by allowing us to study what makes your dog’s brain special!
Social Media
Follow us on social media for research updates and clips of dogs participating in our studies. On our Instagram account, we also post new findings from the field of canine science in our “Dog Brains 101” series.
Instagram: @canine_brains
Twitter: @LabHecht, @pawgamesstudy, @howlingstudy
Facebook: Canine Brains