NEWS

Spring 2023 at the Boston College dog lab in review We have had a great semester at the Boston College Canine Cognition Center. This past spring we: Thank you so much for contributing to our research and helping our team grow. All of our accomplishments we owe to you! What’s next?  Visits will be paused … Read more

We are excited to announce our latest publication, “Pet dogs (Canis familiaris) re‑engage humans after joint activity”, is now available to read! Many congratulations to our Ph.D. Candidate, Molly Byrne.  Read it here: Re-engagement Study Link

Hi all! The spring semester is ending and we expect to have limited spots in the month of April. We will then be pausing in May to prepare for our summer internship.  Expect studies to be back in full force come June! Students will be around all day and we will have far more slots … Read more

Can you believe it? Another interview from Dr. Angie Johnston, this time with the Good Dog Pod. Every interview can tell you something new about the science behind canine cognition and what we study here at the Boston College Canine Cognition Center. Check out our latest episode about our research here!

Want to learn more about dog science? Check out our interviews with some of the best dog podcasts around. You may have heard Dr. Angie Johnston’s interview with the Dogist (50 min). If you did and you liked it, we have more segments that may interest you!  Have you heard of dingoes? They’re an ancient canid species that we study. … Read more

How did dogs come to be the way they are today? Learn more about what we know about dog evolution by listening to Dr. Johnston’s interview on The Dogist! This podcast is a great introduction to dog science. Why do we do research the way we do? What can dogs, dingoes, wolves, and other canids … Read more

Do you want to apply to Boston College?  If you are from an underrepresented group, you can sign up for the Boston College Psychology Department’s application mentorship program, specifically for our Ph.D. applications. Click here to learn more: Application Mentorship Program  Do you want to do dog science with the Boston College Canine Cognition Center?  Check … Read more

Do you have my vet records? How can I check? Imagine – you’re excited to do some dog science! You get a study invitation from the Boston College Dog lab and go to sign up. You’re not eligible? How! You did the initial visit. Check your vet records! You can do this by following these … Read more

Are you ready to do some dog science?  The Boston College Canine Cognition Center is very excited to reopen spots for initial visits and studies. Check your SONA account to see if you’re eligible! If studies aren’t showing up, it could be possible that your vet records are not up-to-date. We currently only require that … Read more

The semester has started! Where are the studies? The Boston College Canine Cognition Center is super excited to have its students back in the lab. Now that our undergrads are rested after winter break, we are stoked to start doing studies at full capacity! We will be taking a short pause to do light training … Read more

The Boston College Canine Cognition Center is excited to announce that its REU program is now open. This program site, called the Developing Social Minds, is hosted across four labs in the Boston College psychology department’s developmental psych cohort. These labs include:  This program is intended for individuals from underrepresented groups in the psychological sciences. … Read more

Thank you for a great year! 2022 We’re closing on a great semester here at the Boston College Canine Cognition Center. Since we opened in 2019, this semester has had the highest rate of participation ever! We’re reaching out to say thank you! We couldn’t have done it without your support. Your participation means so much to … Read more

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Dr. Johnston was recently featured in an article entitled “How Stupid are Dogs, Really?” along with some of her colleagues from the field of dog cognition. This interesting article covers some of the misconceptions people tend to have regarding canine intelligence, and attempts to clear up some of the facts around what dogs are truly … Read more

Our primary investigator, Dr. Angie Johnston, was recently invited to be a guest on the Sporting Dog Talk Podcast. In episode 63, she and the hosts discuss topics about canine communication including its evolution and what it means for owners. Check out the episode here!

Lab members Dr. Johnston and Molly Byrne just spent two wonderful weeks at the Dingo Discovery and Research Sanctuary just outside of Melbourne. They were able to collaborate with Zach Silver from Yale on several new studies with the fascinating dingoes. For more on the research we do, check out the research page!

Overimitation gets a shoutout in this news coverage about what makes dogs so special! Dr. Johnston’s article is cited as evidence for some of the most amazing social abilities in dogs. For the lab’s full article, check out our publications page. To check out the article on Big Think, click HERE.