91av

Inside 'Puppy Kindergarten': Science-based ways to train your dog

By Obomate Briggs

A unique project is revealing science-based ways you can train your dog to behave better. Researchers Vanessa Wood and Brian Hare have set up a “puppy kindergarten” programme at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, to investigate the behaviours required of service dogs and shed new light on milestones in dogs’ cognitive development. “Dogs, like humans, can continue learning their whole lives. Any given behaviour is trainable,” says evolutionary biologist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, whose research, alongside Hare, explores the So far, the work has revealed insights into the variability of individual pups’ behaviour, suggesting the relative importance of genetics is different for different behavioural traits. A look inside the Duke Puppy Kindergarten programme provides dog owners with some methods to test and develop their dogs’ cognitive abilities at home.

Read more: How a unique puppy kindergarten lab put the science into dog training

Topics:

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox! We'll also keep you up to date with 91av events and special offers.

Sign up