Canine Corner

The human-animal bond

Stanley Coren PhD., DSc, FRSC

Canine Constables: The Remarkable Bloodhound

The bloodhound is the grand champion of all scent hounds in terms of its olfactory sensitivity and ability to track.

Are Dog Licks Really Kisses?

Kissing on the face and lips is not a universal sign of affection for human beings. The same goes for dogs.

What Is Baying? And Why Some Dogs Do It

Howling and baying in scent hounds are distinct canine communication behaviors, with specific sounds and differing functions.

Can a Poor Relationship With Its Owner Ruin a Dog's Sleep?

New data shows that more strongly bonded dogs have better quality sleep when they are with their owners compared to dogs who lack the same degree of attachment.

Dogs Are Not Actually Fully Colorblind

A set of graphic images are presented to demonstrate which colors a dog can see and how these differ from human color vision.

Can a Dog Be a Doctor's Best Friend?

A specially trained service dog served as a perioperative assistant during the surgery on a young child, calming her and monitoring her vital signs.

The Myth of Winston Churchill's Bulldog

Many people wrongly presume that Churchill's pet dog was a bulldog, based on folk psychology principles.

How Much of a Dog’s Behavior Is Predicted by Its Breed?

A new data set is being misinterpreted as showing that dog breed does not predict behavior; however, actual computations show that breed predicts quite well.

Do Dogs Actually Have Two Noses?

Dogs have an additional scenting apparatus not available to humans. It is tuned to recognize and interpret pheromones and other biologically relevant odors.

How Hard Is It to Create a Counterfeit Service Dog?

Some people take advantage of privileges granted by law to service dogs by turning their pets into fake assistance animals. Unfortunately, it's quite easy.

Can a Few Minutes With a Therapy Dog Help Relieve Pain?

A new study finds that a short visit from a therapy dog while patients are in the emergency room can reduce the pain that they are experiencing.

Can a Snoring Dog Jeopardize a Marriage?

Snoring can have a major impact on relationships, whether between human partners or between a dog and its owners.

Does Your Dog Really Love You?

Whether dogs really have the emotion we call love is still controversial, yet some canine behaviors seem best interpreted as motivated by love for people.

No, When Male Dogs Mount Other Males, It Doesn't Mean They're Gay

People may interpret some behaviors in dogs as sexual in nature when they really represent an attempt to express social control.

Short-Headed Dogs Are More Reactive to Negative Stimulation

New data demonstrates that head shape, body size, and age can be used together to predict some aspects of the temperament of dogs.

Do PTSD Service Dogs for War Veterans Suffer From Stress?

New research looks at whether the constant vigilance required by PTSD service dogs for military veterans might be causing long-term stress in these animals.

Do Dogs Grieve the Loss of a Canine Housemate?

Anecdotal evidence suggests that in multiple dog households, when one dog dies, the survivor shows mourning behavior. Now some empirical data seems to confirm this.

Can You Teach a Dog to Read?

Dogs can learn to read up to 20 words and also to recognize symbols and logos that can control their behavior even when their owner is not physically present.

An Assistance Dog Gone Wild?

A case study of a novice handicap assistance dog who runs into problems in obedience competition because of an unsteady handler.

Dogs Avoid People Acting Badly to Their Owner—Cats Don't

Dogs, like human children, continually watch the social interactions going on around them, and use their observations to decide which people to avoid in the future—cats do not.

How Common Is the Fear of Loud Noises in Dogs?

Many dogs are frightened by loud sounds such as fireworks, thunder, or gunshots. Data show that a dog's age and breed predict how likely he is to be fearful.

Why People Think of All Dogs as Male and All Cats as Female

We have different stereotypes about the presumed gender of unfamiliar dogs and cats.

Is Dognapping the Newest Wave of Criminal Behavior?

Reports suggest that there has been a large increase in the number of dognappings, where certain breeds of dogs (like French bulldogs) are being stolen for resale or ransom.

Is It Selfish for a Childless Family to Have a Pet Dog?

Comments by Pope Francis that people who choose to have pets over children are acting selfishly have stirred up negative comments in the media.

Can Dogs Distinguish Human Language from Other Sounds?

Brain scans determine whether dogs can distinguish human speech even when spoken in unfamiliar languages.

Does Having a Pet Dog Make Suicide Less Likely?

New data shows that owning a pet dog can help prevent suicide. This is illustrated by the case history of actor Mickey Rourke.

Just How Obedient Are Dogs in the United States?

A recent survey shows that one quarter to one half of the dogs in the US are not obedient enough to be reliably left off-leash in public.

The Ability of Humans to Recognize Their Dogs by Scent Alone

New data show that humans can recognize their own dog simply by its scent. The ability to recognize a dog's scent may depend on the age and sex of the human doing the sniffing.

Are Dogs Capable of Deceiving Us?

Many people believe that dogs are incapable of lying or consciously deceiving. But dogs have minds that are much like that of young human children that are capable of deception.

Does Another Dog in the House Reduce Separation Anxiety?

The common belief that dogs are less likely to show separation anxiety if they live in a household with another dog is challenged by new data.

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