Expand the Borders of Science!

[angua9]

Is anyone interested in performing an experiment in animal psychology? My daughter's science fair project is on how dogs find their way home. Her research has found that some scientists believe that dogs can find their homes from anywhere within about two miles of their home by orienting themselves using nearby strong environmental scents. So

Comments

[prettyannamoon]

Awesome project! It would be absolutely hilarious to try with our dog (who has the attention span of - well, there really aren't any comparisons). No guarantees, but I'll see if I can once we get home!

[angua9]

Coolio!

[prettyannamoon]

Dog's Name: Leila
Breed: Mutt
Age: 8
Sex: Female
Weight: 44.3 lbs
Location: VA
Frequently walked? How often or far? Walked about once a month, 1/2 mile.

Approximate Distance from Home (Driving/Walking Distance): 1.2 miles
Time When Dog Started Walking: 10:57
Time When Dog Reached Home (if successful): 12:16
Time You Stopped Trying (if unsuccessful): --
Comment about the dog’s behavior - what factors (if any) seemed to lead the dog in the right direction? Do you think it knew the way home?
Leila started out strong and fast, retracing the path of the car for the first ten minutes. Then she seemed to lose interest and decided to explore instead. She took a wrong turn up Manor Road, one she's walked on before. Once Leila decides to make a turn, she puts her nose to the ground and stays the course whether it's the right one or not. We turned her around once at a 'NO TRESPASSING' sign, and twice at yards with big, scary, loose dogs. Once Leila found her way back to familiar territory (Manor Rd.) and started off in the right direction, she

[angua9]

What a beautiful map, with times and kitty picture and everything! And Leila is gorgeous!

[cinnamontoast]

*LOL* If I took the leash off my dog she would be three towns away in nothing flat. She's done it. It's horrible. I'll pass this along to my friends who have doggos though.

(I friended you because I left a message on my journal that, oddly enough, involves dogs and the new HP!)

[angua9]

Thanks for friending me! My dog would be very bad if she were off her leash, too, but the experiment doesn't demand that. You just have to use the leash to go whereever she wants instead of making her go wherever you want. :)

[cinnamontoast]

Hmmm...

[psychic_serpent]

That sounds like a good project. I just hope that the people judging the entries are more enlightened than the idiots who were judging the city-wide science fair here last year. My daughter and her best friend put together a great project attempting to answer the question of whether cats are color-blind (they are when young, but seem to develop the ability to distinguish between red and green and blue by the age of two), which is not something many researchers have been able to pin down. And yet the winners were both glorified product-testing projects: which nail polish lasts longer and which paper towel is stronger. Urgle. What stupidity. That's doesn't answer any scientific questions or display scientific technique. That's just figuring out what people should or shouldn't buy. The nail polish thing was unscientific in the extreme, too, since the girl wore a different brand of nail polish on each of her ten fingers. Um, we use each of our fingers differently and are liable to experience very different wear-and-tear on any

[angua9]

Man, it sounds like the judging on your daughters' science project was totally unfair!

My son did an experiment with our dog on color-blindness a few years ago, and concluded that she could just barely tell the difference between red and green but it was really hard for her.

[chickadilly]

Oh! I would so totally do this if I were at home and could walk the Wonder Pup!

I look forward to the results. :)

[angua9]

Hee. With an ickle one like Phoebe you would probably have had to shorten the distance!

[pennylane_4]

I happened to be on the phone with my dad as I was reading over your post, and I mentioned it to him in passing. He found the idea so intriguing that he's trying it with his dog, Gretchen, right now! :D I'll post the results when I hear back from him.

I'll try it this weekend with my own little Chihuahua mix, but I'll be shocked if it works. He has the attention span of a moth, lol.

[pennylane_4]

Here's my dad's report:

Dog's Name: Gretchen
Breed: Lab mix
Age: 4 yrs
Sex: F
Weight: 55 lbs
Location:
Frequently walked? How often or far? No, she usually just runs free in the backyard
Approximate Distance from Home (Driving/Walking Distance): 1.75 miles
Time When Dog Started Walking: 10:30 a.m.
Time When Dog Reached Home (if successful):
Time You Stopped Trying (if unsuccessful): 12:45 p.m.
Comment about the dog’s behavior - what factors (if any) seemed to lead the dog in the right direction? Do you think it knew the way home? She seemed thoroughly bewildered for about 5 minutes, alternately walking in circles around my dad and just sitting and staring at him, but slowly she started exploring on her own. He thinks she knew the general direction of home, because she headed that way, but she never quite got there - they were about a quarter-mile away from home when dad finally gave up. She sniffed the ground a lot, and seemed to follow wherever her nose took her, which meant the route they took was VERY zig-zagged. He

[angua9]

(and go your dad -- and your dog, but I don't have an icon that says that)

Thank you so much! I wonder if Gretchen might have found her way home if she had gone on walks before and knew her neighborhood better. Very interesting evidence, anyway!

[angua9]

I'll try it this weekend with my own little Chihuahua mix, but I'll be shocked if it works. He has the attention span of a moth, lol.

Awww...! You will probably want to start closer to home (maybe a mile?) for a dog as small as that. Good luck, and thanks!