Year founded: 2008
Number of studies run since then: 12
Student researchers involved with the lab: 40
Number of owners who have called me “Dr. Dog” to my face: 2
Number of white lab coats kept at lab: 3
Journal publications featuring the colon-enabled title phrasing Clever Title: Longer Explanatory Title Using Jargon of the Field: 9
Number of live dogs kept at the dog lab: 0
Number of life-sized plush dogs kept at the dog lab: 2
Number of life-sized plush dogs given names by experimenters: 2
Number of owned dog participants: 566
Ratio of male:female subjects: 1:.98
Tail-waggers: 565
Tail-between-the-leggers: 1
Number of studies Merlot, a sheltie, has participated in: 5
Number of different breeds: 84
Six most popular names, across studies: Charlie, Daisy, Lucy, Oliver, Oscar, Penny
Number of people who noticed that the previous list item was not a number: 0
Average number of legs of dogs in recent study: 3.97
Blind dogs: 2
Deaf dogs: 1
Smallest dog: 7 lbs.
Largest dog: 155 lbs.
EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS
Dogs injured during experiments: 0
Dogs poked with a needle during experiments: 0
Number of studies in which dog is intentionally deceived: 0
Number of studies in which owner is intentionally deceived: 1
Percentage of studies using hot dogs, freeze-dried liver or salmon, or cheese cubes: 100
Size of experimental room used at Barnard College for studies: 11 ft. × 11 ft.
Neighboring choir practices disrupted by subject vocalizations: 1
Number of months of average observational study: 14
Number of submitters of videos of dog-human play in citizen–science study: 239
Number of countries represented by submitters: 19
BEHAVIORAL TENDENCIES
Highest number of hot dogs (edible) deployed in single study: 34
Farthest distance owner traveled to participate in 30-minute study: 210 miles
Average number peeing episodes (canid) per study: 2
Dogs expressing fear at a floor fan with balloons on it: 15
Dogs happily popping balloons: 1
Number of times experimenter says “Hi puppy! What’s this, puppy?” in one study: 144
Average time subjects sniffed canisters containing novel odors: 3.3 seconds
Length of time one outlier subject sniffed the canisters: 120 seconds
Percentage of dogs who would still eat a hot dog when sprayed with lavender, mint, or vinegar: 36
Of 14 dogs, number who immediately ate a forbidden treat when their owner left the room: 1
Percentage of dogs with obedience training classes who spontaneously show the guilty look upon seeing their owners: 100
Ten most common words owners say to their dogs in a dog-human play study: you; good; it; get/getting; got, gotta; go, going, gonna; come, c’mon; (dog’s name); girl; yay
Percentage of people who preferred dogs with large eyes over dogs with small eyes: 59
Percentage of owners willing to submit their smelly T-shirts for a study of dog recognition of human odor: 100
Types of human-dog play behavior suggested to Sony to be useful in design of their pet robot Aibo: 4
Number of types of human-dog play behavior Sony used: 0I
EXPERIMENTAL PARAPHERNALIA DETAILS
Video cameras destroyed in service: 4
Number of times dog-shaped robot used in study attacked by subjects: 2
Rolls of sticky tape available to remove dog hair from clothing and chairs: 7
Number of toys dogs get to choose from as reward at end of study: 25
Number of dog toys dogs usually pick: 1
Number of dog toys one subject picked: 11
BIOLOGICAL PHENOMENA
Bites suffered by experimenter during studies: 0
Poo “accidents”: 0 (we don’t call them accidents: we’re pretty sure they were all on purpose)
Number of studies involving owner collection of their dog’s urine: 2
Number of pee cups ordered, two-year period: 220
Number of studies involving dog drool collection: 1
Number of studies involving human drool collection: 1
Number of times I have written “p value” as “pee value”: 3
Amount of dog saliva on plush dogs at end of study: immeasurable
I. Instead, the Aibo was programmed to spontaneously dance for you.