In this 2023 introductory article to a special issue of the Journal of The Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Nathaniel J. Hall, Lucia Lazarowski, and T. Edwards presented an overview of recent developments in canine behavioral and cognitive research. They emphasized that dogs occupy a unique place in both human homes and public environments, making them a valuable model for studying welfare, cognition, learning processes, and environmental adaptation.
The authors noted that canine research has grown significantly over the last three decades due to the dog’s distinct position between domestication and ecological independence. Dogs experience a wide range of living environments—from fully integrated household companions to free-ranging urban scavengers—making their behavior particularly diverse and adaptable.
The articles in the special issue focus on several key areas:
• Canine welfare: Understanding how environment, training, and handling affect emotional well-being and behavioral expression.
• Preference and reinforcement: Studying how dogs choose between rewards and the effectiveness of different types of reinforcement.
• Trick learning and memory: Investigating retention, learning processes, and concept formation in dogs through structured behavioral tasks.
• Cognitive performance under sparse reinforcement: Exploring how dogs sustain performance in tasks like scent detection when rewards are infrequent.
This collection demonstrates that canine cognition is not only shaped by training but also by environmental complexity, social context, emotional state, and reinforcement schedules. The authors emphasize that studying dogs across diverse settings provides critical insights into learning mechanisms, decision-making, emotional resilience, and problem-solving.
The special issue underscores the importance of integrating applied and experimental approaches to further advance our understanding of how dogs think, learn, adapt, and interact with humans and their environments.
Source: Hall, N. J., Lazarowski, L., & Edwards, T. (2023). Experimental analysis of canine behavior and cognition: Introduction to the special issue. Journal of The Experimental Analysis of Behavior. Published June 23, 2023.
