Who's a good dog? Canine researcher is featured in Netflix documentary
Emily Bray, Assistant Professor of Human-Animal Interaction in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Director of the Behavioral Research Across Years Lab
Emily Bray has spent years investigating the fascinating world of canine cognition.
Bray – assistant professor of human-animal interaction in the College of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Behavioral Research Across Years Lab – has centered her research on better understanding how dogs think, behave and solve problems.
Bray's work is highlighted in the new Netflix documentary "Inside the Mind of a Dog," which was released on the streaming platform Aug. 9. The film, narrated by actor Rob Lowe, explores the relationship between humans and dogs, examines new research in the field of veterinary medicine, and helps pet owners improve their relationships with their furry friends.
In this Q&A, Bray discusses her work and reflects on her experience working on the documentary, sharing what it was like to see her research brought to life on screen.
Emily Bray (left) works through point-following tasks with a puppy at the Canine Companions national headquarters during the filming of "Inside the Mind of a Dog." Bray was pregnant at the time the photo was taken.
Courtesy of Netflix and Red Rock Films
What is the focus of your research?
I study canine cognition, behavior and aspects of a dog's early environment, such as maternal interactions. That means my job is to observe dogs, and from those behaviors make inferences about how they perceive the world, how they think and how they solve problems, and apply that to our relationships with them. A lot of my current research involves working with service dogs from Canine Companions (an organization that provides service dogs), but in the past, I have worked with guide dogs and detection dogs. My goal is to leverage what we find about how dogs think to best set them up for success in whatever role we place them in.
My background is actually in psychology. When I started down that road as an undergraduate, I quickly learned there is a field of psychology called animal cognition – the study of how animals think. I was fascinated from the beginning. I learned that I could work with puppies in the name of science, and I never left.
What can we learn from studying canine cognition that can improve our relationships with them?
Our flagship research at the College of Veterinary Medicine involves not only understanding how dogs think but investigating the relationship between humans and animals – and understanding what can augment that relationship.
When you take your dog to the vet, the focus is on their physical health. But just as it is with humans, their mental and cognitive health is also extremely important. To this end, we want to quantify and record data on everything from what stresses dogs out to what makes them happy to what environmental and genetic factors go into an individual dog's temperament and problem-solving skills. We investigate factors related to dogs' understanding of social cues, their propensity to engage with us and their ability to control their impulses – all of which can impact the strength of their bond with us.
I think this research is really important because dogs are ubiquitous in our society and throughout our communities. The better that we can understand them, the more we can improve our interactions.
What are some of the surprising things you have learned studying dogs?
Over the past decade, we focused on understanding the development of behavior and cognition starting with 8-week-old puppies – and we found some really cool things. There is some variation in how mothers interact with their puppies and the way that variation plays out has tangible impacts on these puppies' lives, years into the future. For example, the maternal style they experience has implications for whether they become a working dog up to two years later. We know that moms are important, but it is incredible to see the evidence of that play out.
We've also uncovered some nuances. For example, we conducted a study in a population of guide dogs and found that more hands-off mothers produced the best future guide dogs. But when we ran a similar study with a group of future service dogs, we actually found the opposite to be true. In this population, hands-on mothering fostered successful service dogs. That really speaks to the different jobs that are being asked of these dogs in different contexts.
"Inside the Mind of a Dog" is available on Netflix.
Courtesy of Netflix and Red Rock Films
What most excites you about the future of veterinary medicine research, and specifically canine cognition?
Over the past decade, we have spent a lot of time devoted to puppies and figuring out how their cognition develops during early life. That is super important. What I have become interested in recently is the other end of the life spectrum. When dogs age, how does that affect their cognition? We see individual differences, just like in humans. In some dogs, you see a pathological decline while in others there is a normal decline with age that does not dip as sharply. I think a key question for me is, what are the factors affecting that and how can we improve the quality of life and the cognitive capacity of these dogs in their later years?
Can you tell us about your experience filming the movie?
Filming took place in June 2023 in Santa Rosa, California, at the headquarters of Canine Companions, which is one of the nonprofit service dog organizations that was featured in the film, and with whom we have collaborated for over a decade.
It was really fun to be able to share the kind of research we do on a daily basis – which often involves playing games with puppies.
What do you think of the documentary?
I may be biased, but I was very impressed. I mean, who doesn't love dogs?