Dr. Alexandra Horowitz, author of one of our favorite dogs books, Inside of a Dog, runs the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College, which is a research center focused on the behavior and cognition of companion dogs. They’ve launched a citizen science project to explore how dogs and humans play together, and they need our help!

They are asking dog owners to submit short videos of themselves playing with their dog.

Here’s a brief summary of what the study entails (the full details are at www.DogHumanPlay.com):

  • Find or make a 30-60 second video of you and your dog playing in whatever way you like, and then upload the video to their website and complete a short survey. The video must capture both you and your dog playing together onscreen.
  • You are also invited to add a picture of you and your dog to their growing Wall of Contributors .
  • Submit your video by March 31, 2013.

If you’d like to participate, but you need a little help with the logistics, Doggedly Devoted can help. Just give us a call (212-426-7232) or an email to set up a time when you can stop by, and we will film you for 30 to 60 seconds playing with your dog in one of our playrooms. You can then complete the short online survey right then and there. We estimate the entire process will take you about 15 minutes.