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1. Answered- Is my dog practicing hypnotic suggestion?

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   1 comment  ·  Ask An Expert » Canine Cognition  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
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   AdminSara Cathey (n/a, Dognition.com Home) responded

   Vanessa Woods, Author of the Genius of Dogs answered this month’s question-

   Your dog’s stare can be so hypnotic, it might seem as though she is trying “jedi mind tricks”. But probably more likely is that she is getting a fix of oxytocin.

   Oxytocin is a peculiar little molecule. It is known as the ‘hug hormone’ because it is what makes you feel good when you are touched by a loved one, get a massage, or enjoy a good meal. Oxytocin has pain relieving properties and can also decrease stress and blood pressure.

   We humans experience oxytocin in many of our social relationships, including bonding with our children or partners. What is surprising is that we would also experience a change in this hormone when bonding with a completely different species.

   In a study with 55 dogs from Azabu University in Japan, people whose dogs gazed at them for longer showed a higher increase in oxytocin than people whose dogs gazed at them for a short amount of time. A ‘long gaze’ was defined by the 23% of dogs who stared at their owner for around two minutes or longer. Not only that, but people with dogs with a ‘long gaze’ reported being happier with their dogs than those whose dogs gaze was only around a minute long.

   Recent research also suggests that this peak in oxytocin levels may be happening on both ends of the stare. When oxytocin levels were monitored dogs they too experienced a rise in the “hug hormone”. So while your dog may not be using hypnotic suggestion, she may be suggesting that if she could, she would hug you.

   Vanessa Woods, Author of the Genius of Dogs answered this month’s question-

   Your dog’s stare can be so hypnotic, it might seem as though she is trying “jedi mind tricks”. But probably more likely is that she is getting a fix of oxytocin.

   Oxytocin is a peculiar little molecule. It is known as the ‘hug hormone’ because it is what makes you feel good when you are touched by a loved one, get a massage, or enjoy a good meal. Oxytocin has pain relieving properties and can also decrease stress and blood pressure.

   We humans experience oxytocin in many of our social relationships, including bonding with our children or partners. What is surprising is that we would also experience a change in this hormone when bonding with a completely different species.

   In a study with 55 dogs from Azabu University in Japan, people whose dogs gazed at them for longer… more

   Marissa shared this idea  ·  August 17, 2013

2. Answered- Do dogs have memories?

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   1 comment  ·  Ask An Expert » Canine Cognition  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
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   AdminSara Cathey (n/a, Dognition.com Home) responded

   An answer from Dr. Josep Call:

   Dear Olivia,
   Thank very much for your inquiry, which touches on a crucial topic in the area of Animal Cognition.

   There is no question that dogs remember several aspects of their daily lives including things like the places where they go (e.g., the park) and the routes that they take to get there (e.g., by the lake rather than across the woods), the activities that they engage in (e.g., playing catch), the objects that they use for those activities (e.g., Frisbee) as well as the people that share those activities with them. Without memory not only those activities would be vastly impaired, but even some more basic things like recognizing familiar smells and people or learning new things would be impossible for dogs.

   Memory plays such a crucial role in our mental lives as well as those of our furry best friends that it should not come as a surprise that memory was one of the first aspects of animal cognition that was investigated by scientists at the beginning of the 20th century. One hundred years of research have taught us much about animal memory including what types of memory exist, how long they last, where they are stored, and what can enhance them or impair them. However, there is still much that we do not know about animal memories, and for some species such as dogs, we know very, very little since they are extremely under-studied from a scientific point of view. Although a bit disappointing from my perspective because I would like to know much more about dog memory, this state of affairs presents dog owners with a terrific opportunity to potentially contribute to advancing our scientific knowledge in this area by reporting their dogs’ performance in controlled tests.

   Indeed, a controlled test is precisely what Olivia would need to do if you wanted to know what triggers your dog’s responses when you return home after a long period away. You have already taken an important step in solving this mystery because you have already proposed two hypotheses that could explain your dog’s reaction: 1) your mere presence 2) your family reaction to your presence. Now one would need to test which one explains your dog’s reaction better. One of the simplest ways of doing this would be to compare your dog’s reaction in two different situations: 1) You appear without any of your family members around 2) You appear in the presence of your family. You would then measure several behaviours including the appearance of tail-wagging,
   approach/avoidance, growling/barking, and any other behaviours that you deem appropriate. Additionally, you could compare the responses in those two situations with the situation in which a stranger appears.

   Although in scientific circles it is undisputed that animals possess memories, currently, there is an intense debate in the field of comparative cognition about which types of memories are present in animals. Some scientists argue that some animals, just like humans, possess so-called episodic or autobiographical memories – a type of memory that serves us to recall specific events of our personal history, e.g., the day that you got your first bicycle. If you think about it, you can probably recall, who was there, where the event took place and when it happened – all this information comes bundled together so that you are capable of re-experiencing the whole episode. Other scientists argue that the memories that have been reported in nonhuman animals lack some of these aspects and more importantly, they are not tied together – they are not autobiographical in nature. If you want to know more about dog memory, or more generally about animal memory, the current debates in the field, and the new research directions please check the following sources:

   Dog memory
   -Hare, B. & Woods, V. (2013). The Genius of Dogs. New York: Dutton.

   -Kaminski, J., Fischer, J. & Call, J. (2008). Prospective object search in dogs: Mixed evidence for knowledge of What and Where. Animal Cognition, 11, 367-371.

   -Fugazza, C., Miklósi, Á. (in press). Deferred imitation and declarative memory in domestic dogs. Animal Cognition. doi:10.1007/s10071-013-0656-5.

   Animal memory

   -General knowledge: Roberts, W.A. (1998). Principles of Animal Cognition. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

   -Current debates: Clayton, N.S., Bussey, T.J., and Dickinson, A. (2003a). Can animals recall the past and plan for the future? Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 4, 685-691.

   -New directions: Martin-Ordas G and Call J (2013) Episodic memory: a comparative approach. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 7, 63. doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00063. (Open access).

   An answer from Dr. Josep Call:

   Dear Olivia,
   Thank very much for your inquiry, which touches on a crucial topic in the area of Animal Cognition.

   There is no question that dogs remember several aspects of their daily lives including things like the places where they go (e.g., the park) and the routes that they take to get there (e.g., by the lake rather than across the woods), the activities that they engage in (e.g., playing catch), the objects that they use for those activities (e.g., Frisbee) as well as the people that share those activities with them. Without memory not only those activities would be vastly impaired, but even some more basic things like recognizing familiar smells and people or learning new things would be impossible for dogs.

   Memory plays such a crucial role in our mental lives as well as those of our furry best friends that it… more

   Marissa supported this idea  ·  August 17, 2013

3. Answered- Is it ok to leave my dog with friends when I travel?

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   3 comments  ·  Ask An Expert » Dog Ownership  ·  Delete…  ·  Admin →
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   AdminSara Cathey (n/a, Dognition.com Home) responded

   Vanessa Woods, Author of The Genius of Dogs, answered this months question. Enjoy!

   That’s a fantastic question, and lucky for us, there is research that may be able to shed some light on it! In a study by Dr. David Tuber at Ohio State University, researchers looked at the expression of stress hormones when dogs were placed in a strange new context, in this case an unfamiliar room.

   What they found was that when dogs were alone, their stress level went up significantly. The scientists were able to detect this due to a spike in stress hormones. Furthermore, the researchers found that even when dogs were with a familiar dog in the unfamiliar room, their stress hormones still spiked up. However, when placed in the unfamiliar room with a familiar human the dog had little to no increase in stress hormones. Throughout the time in the room, the dog stayed close to the human and sought out interaction frequently. The researchers believe that it was this interaction between the dog and human (not seen between the two dogs) that kept the dog calm and relaxed.

   This research shows just how special our relationship with dogs is; when they’re somewhere strange and new, dogs prefer the company of humans to other dogs! So don’t feel guilty about leaving Benni with friends for the vacation, as long as these friends will take care of him, with lots of hugs and daily walks, Benni will probably be just as happy with humans as he would be at doggy daycare.

   Vanessa Woods, Author of The Genius of Dogs, answered this months question. Enjoy!

   That’s a fantastic question, and lucky for us, there is research that may be able to shed some light on it! In a study by Dr. David Tuber at Ohio State University, researchers looked at the expression of stress hormones when dogs were placed in a strange new context, in this case an unfamiliar room.

   What they found was that when dogs were alone, their stress level went up significantly. The scientists were able to detect this due to a spike in stress hormones. Furthermore, the researchers found that even when dogs were with a familiar dog in the unfamiliar room, their stress hormones still spiked up. However, when placed in the unfamiliar room with a familiar human the dog had little to no increase in stress hormones. Throughout the time in the room, the dog stayed… more

   Marissa supported this idea  ·  August 17, 2013