Canine Cognition

By: Claudia Cota, Sara Diab, Cynthia T. Ramirez &

Jaida VanDunk

Why Study Dog

Cognition

How Smart Are

Dogs?

John Pilleys Study

vs

vs

Juliane Kaminskis Study

The Caudate Nucleus

Similarities
between animals
and dog brain
scans

Anatomy of a Dogs Nose

Dogs and a Humans Breath

Lung and Breast Cancer Study
86 Participants (55 w/ Lung Cancer, 31 w/ Breast Cancer)
Dogs were presented with cancer breath samples and
healthy control samples
(+) identification given by sitting or lying down in front of
cancer patient sample

The Results!
88% - 97% accuracy!
3 weeks of training!
could detect early stages of these cancers

The Vomeronasal Nose

Chapter from Alexandra Horowitzs book, Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See,
Smell and Know
Vomeronasal organ-ever wonder why a dogs nose is wet? Flehmen!
Pheromones-hormone like substances let out by one animal and smelled by
another animal of the same species
- in urine
Dogs-vomit and urine-its all natural to them!

Human-dog Communication
Why are dogs able to understand human
communication?
Hypothesis: Domestication

How is this research

acquired?

"Nobody, as far as I know, had

ever captured images of a
dog's brain that wasn't
sedated. This was [a] fully
awake, unrestrained dog,
here we have a picture for the
first time ever of her brain,"
Gregory Berns, director of the
Emory University Center for
Neuropolicy

Imitative Ability
Can dogs imitate a human demonstrator and a dog
demonstrator?

Associative Sequence
Learning Theory
(ASL)
-

Testing the accuracy of the visual and

motor components needed for imitation
Group of dogs to open a sliding glass door
for a treat by their owners proved to be
more successful than a group of dogs who
werent taught by owner

For More Information

Websites

o Dognition.com

Books

o Genius of a Dog by:

Brian Hare
o Inside of a Dog by:
Alexandra Horowitz