Behaviour Team

In the Behaviour group, our aim is to explore dogs’ vocal repertoire by conducting questionnaires, behavioural testings, and citizen science projects, also to investigate dogs’ vocal learning abilities via longitudinal studies. We hypothesise that individuals belonging to more modern breeds and the ones with better cooperative abilities have developed a more versatile repertoire, and better abilities regarded to vocal learning.

In our in-laboratory studies, we observe dogs in different contexts to assess many different inner states, which can elicit their different vocalisations. And with the questionnaire and citizens science studies we aim to scope the more elusive vocalisations.

The vocal learning abilities will be assessed longitudinally, in close cooperation with trainers and owners, to capture developmental changes and individual variability over time.

The genetic data will be collected during the behaviour tests or by participating owners sending it to us via mail, and dogs’ cooperative abilities will be assessed by both questionnaires and behaviour tests. Besides these we also collect physiological data during our laboratory test to have validation for the emotional states, also morphological data to see potential effects on the behaviour of the domestication syndrome and selection for extreme external features.