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Watch a Structural MRI of a Service Dog- Very Cool!
Watch a Structural MRI of a Service Dog- Very Cool!
July 17, 2015
Dog Star Technologies travels to California every 2 - 3 months to collect data for a 2-year, $1 million study of service dogs.  The data acquisition includes results from interactive ball and tug sensors.  DST collects the sensor data at the Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) headquarters campus in Santa Rosa, CA.  Then, the team…
The Dog Project: Experiment 6B- Reward Preference
The Dog Project: Experiment 6B- Reward Preference
May 31, 2015
CPT was busy this Sunday conducting Experiment 6B- Reward Preference for The Dog Project.  The experiment examines whether dogs prefer social reward (tactile contact and praise from the owner) or appetitive reward (treats).  The experiment also examines whether the reward preference may vary depending upon deprivation, satiation, visual salience, or lateralization preferences, whether the optimal…
Canine fMRI Research Conducted by Mark Spivak Mentioned in Psychology Today
Canine fMRI Research Conducted by Mark Spivak Mentioned in Psychology Today
May 22, 2015
Psychology Today contributor Stanley Coren, PhD devoted his May 21, 2015 "Canine Corner" column to the Danny Faces project undertaken collaboratively by Emory psychology professor Danny Dilks, Emory Lab Manager Sam Weiller, Emory neuroscience professor Greg Berns, Emory neuroscience postdoc Peter Cook, and CPT President and Head Trainer Mark Spivak.  Coren, who received his PhD…
CPT Expert Witness Services Achieve Justice for the 11-Year Old Victim of a Serious Dog Bite
CPT Expert Witness Services Achieve Justice for the 11-Year Old Victim of a Serious Dog Bite
May 7, 2015
The Case of the Mangled Arm   The Attack While enjoying some nice weather in the Charlotte, NC area, an 11-year old girl, her father, mother, and older sister took an early evening walk in their subdivision. The family walk was pleasant until a neighbor opened her backyard gate, whereby one of the neighbor’s dogs…
CPT Assists Dog Star Technologies in Researching Apparel Products
CPT Assists Dog Star Technologies in Researching Apparel Products
May 5, 2015
CPT is  assisting Dog Star Technologies in researching the anxiety reduction properties of several existing canine apparel products and concepts.  Concepts that Dog Star wishes to study include the benefits and/or detriments of loose garments versus compression garments and the benefits and/or detriments of thermally controlled garments and weighted garments. [caption id="attachment_2583" align="alignright" width="225"] A…
The Dog Project: Experiment 6- Reward Preference
The Dog Project: Experiment 6- Reward Preference
May 4, 2015
The Dog Project uses fMRI and field behavioral experiments to study canine cognition, emotion, sensory reception, receptive communication, and inhibitory control.  The Emory-CPT team of Dr. Greg Berns and Mark Spivak co-founded the project and became the first research team worldwide to obtain quality fMRI images of any non-human animal obtained without the aid of…
Understanding Veterinary Lingo
Understanding Veterinary Lingo
April 24, 2015
Do you ever visit your veterinarian or view a veterinary report and wonder:  "What does this mean?"  Do you sometimes feel intimidated by your veterinarian or the responsibility of making a medical decision for your dog? Now you can relax a bit.  CPT has come to the rescue! Pet Place has some outstanding articles that…
Dog Star Technologies Featured in CCI Magazine “The Companion”
Dog Star Technologies Featured in CCI Magazine “The Companion”
April 17, 2015
Research conducted by Dog Star Technologies, a canine neuroscience company co-founded by CPT's Mark Spivak, was featured in the Spring 2015 issue of the Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) magazine, "The Companion."  The article, entitled "Understanding How Assistance Dogs Think- Science at Canine Companions for Independence," discusses bi-coastal research funded by the Defense Advanced Research…
Elizabeth Resolves Her Dogs’ On-Leash Reactivity
Elizabeth Resolves Her Dogs’ On-Leash Reactivity
April 14, 2015
Elizabeth came to CPT concerned about her Goldendoodles, Cooper and Lilly.  She had difficulty walking them together on-leash because of their reactivity (barking and lunging) whenever they saw another dog.  In addition, Cooper frequently began guarding access to Lilly when unfamiliar dogs approached Lilly at the dog park.  Consequently, Elizabeth stopped taking her dogs to…
Lili Learns Not to Bark at Dogs on the TV
Lili Learns Not to Bark at Dogs on the TV
April 1, 2015
Some dog owners insist that their dogs attentively watch television, whereas other dog owners say that their dogs have no interest in television.  Interestingly, there was a question whether dogs could even accurately see television images in the days of standard definition, because of the slower flicker fusion rate and the inferior resolution of older…