Dog Farts Part 1: What Are Dog Farts Made Of?
Ever since the childrens book Walter the Farting Dog hit bookstores in 2001, even the youngest members of our species know the truth. Dogs fart.
Stories by Julie Hecht
Happiness The Dog Way
Wishing you all happiness, smiles and gratitude. May your day be filled with a good dose of your version of this: Thank you for joining me in the land of canine science!
Did You Have A Good Pee, Mr. Rhino?
Thanks to a recent study on the urine flow of differently sized mammals (yes, small mammals “drip” and large mammals “jet”— more here), I came across a gem of a YouTube video where three out-of-frame tourists on safari observe and narrate the public urination of a rhino...
Only You Can Show Us The Poo
Welcome to Day 1 of the “Poo Power! Global Challenge.” This is your citizen science mission, should you choose to accept it (and for the sake of the bottom of your shoes, the spread of disease and embracing new energy, I hope you will put on your Mission Impossible hat)...
Three Ways Dogs Fail At Halloween
Halloween is a peculiar holiday, especially for dogs. We two-legged beings all look different, and what’s with the constant doorbell-ringing?
Canine Urination 101: Handstands and Leg Lifts Are Just the Basics
As my Twitter bio says, I’m interested in your dog’s urine. I’m not kidding around here. For a recent Animal Behavior class, I buddied up with a doggie daycare and followed dogs on their afternoon walks...
Woman's Best Friend
Compared to many other species, dogs as a whole are relatively privileged. Most of us don’t eat them, nor do we specifically breed them to be eaten.
It Shouldn’t Suck to be an Elephant: Speaking Up For Elephants event in NYC on 10/4
Between the government shutdown and the public uproar over the National Zoo Giant Panda Cam going dark (“PANDA! PANDA!” screamed the general public), you might not have noticed a few more elephants in the news...
Dog-Eared Reading (Volume 1)
I recently saw a clip of Neil Patrick Harris hosting the 2013 Emmys. He was doing a bit about Google Glass and said he was watching an episode of American Horror Story on his contacts while hosting the show...
A New Flock of Researchers: Citizen Scientists in Animal Behavior
Wow! You study animal behavior. So cool! People must have a field day with you at parties. When they first meet you, they probably think you just look at animals all day and travel to exotic locations...
One Day, You Will Smell Like a Dead Chicken
Unfortunately, this is true. I’ll explain. Dogs are trained to sniff out a lot of things, and some of those “things” are human remains. Human remains, except those in a cemetery, are usually not out in the open; someone doesn’t want them found or there has been an accident...
Video Blogging: How Do Dogs Experience Time?
As we enter the final weekend of summer, maybe you and your dog are going to spend the weekend gallivanting in nature. That’s what I’ll be doing at Camp Unleashed in the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts, where I’m giving a talk on Saturday night...
Drop Outs and Bloopers: Behind the Scenes of Canine Science
I judge dogs when I meet them, but not in the way you might expect. You see, every dog and owner I meet gets filtered through a lens called “Potential Canine Science Study Participants.” The growing field of canine behavior and cognition research is not built on the backs of lab beagles...
Drinking: An Acrobatic Tongue Act
IF YOU LIVE WITH A DOG, then you are familiar with this sound. Unlike barks, growls and howls — dog sounds that easily take center stage — a dog lapping up water is background, white noise...
What Do You Hear in These Dog Sounds?
AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, your dog’s voice is not like a Bret Michaels concert, pumping out a shower of meaningless noise. Although your dog’s vocalizations might be unwelcome at times, those sounds carry way more information and meaning than any of the former frontman’s power ballads can ever hope to do...
How to Teach Language to Dogs
AFTER A LONG DAY of being a dog, no dog in existence has ever curled up on a comfy couch to settle in with a good book. Dogs just don’t roll like that.
How’s Your Dog’s Quality of Life?
Boulder, CO better count its chickens and get its ducks in a row because the Animal Behavior Society is on its way! That’s right. This weekend, I’m off to the 50th Annual Conference of the Animal Behavior Society in Boulder, CO (Twitter/Facebook)...
How s Your Dog s Quality of Life?
Boulder, CO better count its chickens and get its ducks in a row because the Animal Behavior Society is on its way!That’s right. This weekend, I’m off to the 50th Annual Conference of the Animal Behavior Society in Boulder, CO (Twitter/Facebook)...
Anthrozoology: Not a Study of Ants
Never seen the word “Anthrozoology” before? That’s okay. If you looked at the word and focused on the “ant” part, then try again. Instead, “Anthro” and “Zoology” are the interesting bits, and broadly speaking anthrozoology is the study of human-animal interactions and relationships...
Usher might ruin your dog s Fourth of July
For many, the Fourth of July is about food, food, alcohol and more food (maybe with a side of baseball). But as late afternoon rolls around and people prepare for fireworks displays, you might remember, “Hey… didn’t Banjo freak out about the fireworks last year?” If you live in NYC, R&B star Usher is “curating” the 2013 Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks, which means that while Usher himself is not upsetting any dogs today (hopefully), Usher is indirectly ruining many dogs’ day...
