Assessing emotional and cognitive domains in dogs

January 5, 2026 Aaron Rosario 1-min. read

dog looking at camera, text says what shapes how dogs think and feel?

Vet walking dog. Dog with and without osteoarthritis welcome, all breeds, ages 2 to 10 healthy dogs or dogs with signs of OA pain (limping, stiffness, reduced mobility)

Principle Investigator

Description

The purpose of this study is to develop a battery of cognitive and emotional tasks to assess the emotional and cognitive domains in dogs with and without chronic osteoarthritis (OA) pain.

This will be the first study of its kind to fully develop and validate a cognitive and emotional assessment battery for dogs and will have impacts on the study of pain in dogs and as a naturally-occurring translational model for pain in humans.

Testing Requirements

Five study visits over ~two months (three visits at NCSU, two visits at Duke)
Fun behavioral and cognitive games (with treats!)
State-of-the-art gait analysis and orthopedic assessments
Owner questionnaires

Enrollment Start

01/05/2026

Enrollment Finish

12/31/2026

Eligibility

Healthy OR showing certain signs of OA pain (limping, stiffness, reduced mobility)
2-10 years old
Comfortable visiting new places and interacting with people
Medium or large breed