Krista Macpherson from the University of Western Ontario will be doing her research work at our facility!

We're delighted and honored to help advance the study of canine cognition by providing both a facility and volunteers to partake in a series of experiments that will be conducted in August and beyond.  Our beagles, Duke and Petey, are signed up.  

Would you like to help science and give your dog a great socialization and intellectual exercise?

Krista Macpherson has published a number of papers on dog cognition.  One you may recall (it was picked up by popular media a few years ago) was coined the Lassie experiment in popular press, where she tried to determine if dogs would seek assistance if their owners had a heart attack or became trapped under a bookshelf.  (Read more about it here)  That heart attack / bookshelf experiment was also referenced in Horowitz's book "Inside of a Dog".  A more recent study involved spatial memory in a radial maze.

For now - if you are interested in volunteering some time and enriching your dog's socialization history (and proudly being able to say he or she helped science!) please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we'll be in touch with more details soon!  Here is a bit more about Krista in a letter she wrote for us:

Canine Cognition Research at When Hounds Fly!

Hello fellow dog lovers! My name is Krista Macpherson and I am a researcher from the University of Western Ontario. My research interests concern the cognitive processes of domestic dogs and wolves. Historically, psychology (with the exception of Pavlov) has ignored the dog as a subject of interest, deeming them an “artificial” species due to their domestication. Over the past ten years however, researchers such as myself have begun to argue that this is precisely why dogs are of interest to study. Domestic dogs are truly unique…no other animal co-exists with human beings the way dogs do.

Just to give you a bit of information about myself—I went to a dog show when I was twelve years old, and I have been hooked on dogs ever since. I have been a breeder, handler, and trainer of multiple rough collie champions, under the “Topaz” prefix. Naturally, when I realized that I could make a career out of studying the behaviour of dogs, I was really excited about the possibilities. I am currently a PhD student in psychology, and intend to continue my studies of dog cognition.

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Andre Yeu—owner of the “When Hounds Fly” dog training school. Andre shares my fascination with dogs and has generously agreed to collaborate with me on some upcoming projects. Topics that I am currently interested in include (but are not limited to): canine metamemory, spatial memory, timing, and counting. We will be recruiting volunteers to participate in these studies with their dogs—the time commitment is flexible, but generally participation requires showing up to the When Hounds Fly school for 3-4 sessions, which last 30-45 minutes each. Of course all of these experiments are non-invasive, and a very positive experience for the dogs. Specific details of the projects we will be running will be available in August.

I think that the upcoming projects present a great opportunity to contribute to our increasing knowledge of canine cognition. If you or anyone you know is interested in volunteering for our studies, please let either myself or Andre know. I can be reached anytime at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We are hoping to begin scheduling sessions in August—hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Krista Macpherson