The Clever Canine Lab was established in 2017 and is located within the University of Auckland’s Tāmaki Campus.

Its primary objective is to explore dogs’ sophisticated social cognition abilities. Our work involves liaising with dog owners in the wider Auckland community who volunteer their pet dogs to take part in our research. Owners and dogs are invited to attend sessions together, as most experiments involve both owner and dog participation.

This work has wide ranging implications for our understanding of how intelligence evolves and how processes such as domestication may affect it. We are particularly interested in the cognition underlying the social bond dogs have with their owners. We believe that a better understanding of this bond will have an impact on dog welfare and in training.

The Clever Canine Lab’s website provides further information for researchers, volunteers and participants who may be interested in this work.