LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A popular course on canine cognition at Transylvania University is a win-win for both students and dogs at the Lexington Humane Society.
This semester, 15 students enrolled in the class, taught by Professor Ellen Furlong, which had a waiting list due to its popularity.
Students began the semester learning about dog cognition before moving their studies to the Lexington Humane Society, where adoptable dogs were eager to get the attention of hands-on learning.
One of the standout dogs from the class is Chops, a five-year-old pit bull mix who has been at the humane society since last July. Sitting and shaking for treats, Chops proudly displayed his new skills with the help of Transy junior Lex Wilbert.
A certified "dog person," Wilbert described the course as an opportunity to understand the mental processes of dogs.
"The whole course was kind of just thinking about, ‘What are they thinking? What do they know? What can they experience?’" Wilbert said.
At the beginning of the semester, students like Wilbert explored the principles of dog cognition. They learned that through socialization and enrichment opportunities, there are no limits to what these four-legged companions can achieve.
“Military working dogs are amazing, search and rescue dogs, they're insane and they have incredible senses — the whole premise was learning that there’s no such thing as an untrainable dog,” said Wilbert.
Dr. Ellen Furlong, who is teaching her third iteration of the course, highlighted that the program is much more than a field trip to the dog park.
“We do a little bit of ‘What do dogs need in order to live good lives?’ then we’re also interested in ‘How can we modify their behavior in situations when what a dog thinks is a good idea isn’t the same thing as what a person thinks is a good idea?’” Furlong explained.
Those manners make all the difference when dogs like Chops end up at an animal shelter.
As LHS development director Meghan Hawkins explained, a socialized, trained animal is much more likely to appeal to someone looking to adopt, so she’s grateful for the canine cognition course and the help from its students.
“We always say that a humane society is a humane community, so we love when community members believe in what we do and they share our passion and mission, so when they wanted to come out and work with the dogs, yes, it’s a win-win for everyone.”
Several of the dogs worked with through the canine cognition course have been adopted. Chops, however, is still looking for his forever home. You can learn more about Chops and adoptable dogs here.
