By Pamela S. Hogle | Education

Gone to the Canines claim their territory on college campuses

ummer has faded into fall and studies designed to test their ability to been possible to study animal science, it’s time for lovers — and think and solve problems. wildlife management or food-­animal dogs too — to head to college, Dogs are taking their place in college- husbandry, formal study of dogs in aca- where dogs are taking their level human studies as well. At several demia is a relatively new phenomenon. Splace in the dorm, the psych lab and universities, they dominate the syllabi of As recently as the 1990s, academic even the classroom. courses devoted to companion-­animal researchers who wanted to focus on While some dogs simply kick back behavior and welfare. Other schools Canis lupus familiaris were greeted and enjoy campus life at a university offer entire classes or majors focused on with raised eyebrows, ridicule or worse. with -friendly housing, such as the human-canine connection. But the nascent fields of anthrozool- Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., or To a dog lover, the appeal of taking a ogy — the study of human-animal rela- Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., dog to college is obvious, as is the draw tionships — and cynology — the study others give their intellectual muscles a of canine-focused study — but what’s of the domestic dog — are growing workout by participating in research in it for the dogs? While it has long quickly in academia. Tim Carpenter

Sept/Oct 2012 37 Applying academic rigor to the study of dogs can increase our understand- Clover ing of their abilities and deepen our When the early sun finds the untended rim of the backyard bond with them, ultimately resulting in our seventeen-year-old husky sways upright in her luxury improving their treatment by society as foam bed by the kitchen door, stretches as thoughtfully as a whole. These goals spurred the devel- a ballerina at her barre, steps delicately over the dew damp opment of the country’s first anthro­ stones of the terrace and settles herself on that premier patch zoology program and the establishment of brilliant green to resume the long dream of the long-lived. of a university wholly devoted to the study of dogs. Both of these pioneering — Ann Goethe efforts are part of a growing collection of canine-focused educational options. canine relationships, “we hope to enrich understanding of the important factors When Anne Perkins was head of the understanding of the relationship involved in producing good working the psychology department at Carroll that has inspired and fulfilled so many,” dogs and the behavioral basis of pop- College in Helena, Mont., she was dis- Bergin says. “We also hope to help ular training techniques, emphasizing satisfied with existing animal-focused eradicate the horror of euthanasia of un- positive, reward-based approaches,” study options, which were basically wanted dogs.” Offering post-secondary says Stephen Mackenzie, professor limited to animal science and zoology. study wasn’t enough for Bergin; she also of animal science at the university. “These programs were not address- wanted the respect of academic peers. According to Mackenzie, a canine man- ing why we love our animals so much,” Tenacious as a , Bergin spent three agement major is in the works. Dog- she says. Perkins spent a 2005 sabbati- years pursuing her vision: the world’s loving students “can work dogs almost cal designing a new program, anthro- first accredited university focusing on every semester they are here,” he adds, zoology, which would “study the value our canine pals and partners. Why? “I training dogs for anything from off- of animals from an academic, scholarly believed the dog deserved it,” she says leash obedience and agility to tracking, perspective.” The new program was first simply. trailing, air scenting and detector work offered as a minor at Carroll in 2007. Undergraduate and graduate stu- “under the guidance of someone with “I bit it off in pieces,” she says, adding dents at BUCS explore the influence of good academic credentials.” one class at a time. The students wanted genetics and heredity on dogs’ behavior At some universities, dog scholars more; the minor grew into a major, and and temperament. They also analyze have to search for dog-related material Carroll offered the nation’s first bach- the growing body of published research buried like treasured bones among elor of arts in anthrozoology in 2011. on dogs, and are encouraged to contrib- more traditional offerings. The psy- The bachelor’s degree “embedded the ute original research of their own. But chology department at the University of study [of the animal-human bond] in it’s not all books and theory. Puppies Michigan, for example, offers “Dog traditional fields,” where research is and service-dogs-in-training fill the Cognition, Behavior and Welfare,” a peer-reviewed and published in schol- campus with hands-on opportunities. popular course taught by Camille Ward. arly journals, Perkins says. The associate degree program, in par- The class, described as “for people who Carroll College anthrozoology stu- ticular, emphasizes and love dogs and want to learn about them dents focus on either horses or dogs. socialization; starting the day students from many different avenues,” has a Students in the canine track examine help out with the whelping process. long waiting list. Also in the psychology theories of domestication and attach- Bergin has revolutionized early- department, Dr. Barbara Smuts teaches ment. They study puppy development, puppy education. BUCS students begin “Behavior of Wolves & Dogs”; she also socialization and learning, and they “formally” training puppies as soon as offers students the opportunity to par- practice assessing temperament. Seniors the puppies open their eyes at about ticipate in research projects on dogs’ raise puppies, preparing them for a four weeks of age. The astonishing result social behavior. broad range of doggie careers, includ- is that most puppies respond eagerly At Barnard College, in New York ing scent work, assistance and acting. and accurately to more than a dozen City, Dr. Alexandra Horowitz (author Like Perkins, Bonita Bergin, founder verbal cues by the time they are eight of Inside of a Dog) teaches a psychology and president of Bergin University of weeks old. class on canine cognition. At Eckerd Canine Studies (BUCS), argues that On the opposite side of the coun- College, a course on animal learning academic study is essential to improv- try, dog-loving students at SUNY and training includes considerable ing the status and treatment of dogs. Cobleskill choose among a half-dozen material on dogs, says its instructor, As BUCS graduates leave the Rohnert dog-focused electives in the animal Lauren Highfill. The Center for the Park, Calif., campus to teach or run science department. “[The courses] Human-Animal Bond at Purdue businesses that model ethical human- are designed to give students a solid University in West Lafayette, Ind.,

38 Bark Sept/Oct 2012 offers companion-animal welfare and they [animals] are more like us than Southern dogs have a choice of schools: management courses that primarily was thought in the past.” Therefore, Duke University (Durham, N.C.), the focus on dogs and cats. Graduate stu- “most ethics that apply to us apply to University of Florida (Gainesville), dents can head to Tufts University for a them — animals are sentient beings the University of Kentucky and Eckerd master’s program in animals in public whose concerns matter.” College all recruit local canine “stu- policy that includes study of compan- Some schools recognize the impor- dents” for their research. Current stud- ion animals, or to Harvard, where psy- tance of the human-animal bond by ies examine whether dogs can count, chology grad students can take a allowing in selected on-campus how dogs form trusting relationships seminar called “Puzzles of the Mind: housing units — about a dozen colleges with humans, dogs’ interpretation of Humans, Animals, Robots.” nationwide have at least one pet-friendly human social gestures, and canine imi- At Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., dorm. Other schools conduct research tation and social learning. dogs figure prominently in undergrad- studies that aim to improve under- The studies might sound esoteric, uate coursework on the social orga- standing of dogs’ abilities and view but they can lead to real changes in nization of animals, animal learning of the world. Indeed, new evidence of the way people regard and teach dogs: and applied animal behavior. And dogs’ intelligence, creativity and ability Watching four-week-old puppies learn the college’s master of anthrozoology to understand and communicate their to sit, lie down and solve problems ban- coursework includes a popular class concerns is uncovered daily at cognition ishes forever any idea that training on companion animals in society. A labs, where dogs take center stage. must involve force. Discovering that dog-human relationships expert was New York City dogs can join cog- dogs can use pictures to indicate their recently hired, and Canisius plans to nition studies in Horowitz’s lab at preferences compels scientists to reex- expand its dog-centered offerings, says Barnard where anthropomorphic amine human-centered ideas that tie Michael Noonan, professor of animal beliefs about dogs are tested with an thinking to spoken language. And see- behavior, ecology and conservation. emphasis on “getting the dog’s per- ing how dogs’ behavior changes when We’ve come far since 17th-century spective,” rather than a more tradi- they know that human “observers” philosopher René Descartes asserted tional behavior-focused approach, said are distracted hints at their ability to that animals lacked the ability to feel researcher and Bark contributing edi- strategize. pain, yet cruel treatment of dogs is still tor Julie Hecht. Current studies exam- The more we learn about dogs’ abili- far too common. Canisius prepares ine dogs’ understanding of the concept ties, the greater the potential for true animal-behavior graduates to eradicate of “fairness” and the way they use their partnerships based on mutual respect that cruelty and to “make the world a noses in daily life. “We’re trying to bet- rather than compulsion, says Bergin. better place in the way we interact with ter understand the dog’s perspective, “This is crucial in transitioning the dog animals” by providing a “strong, sci- but we are, of course, limited by our from a backyard animal we see as dis- ence-based education balanced with human perspective,” and sometimes posable to recognizing the key role dogs critical thinking and ethics,” Noonan the hardest part is separating the two, play in the evolution and continued says. “From the science, we see that she said. development of humans.” B

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40 Bark Sept/Oct 2012