having severe thunderstorms--although we haven't lost electricity, today--fingers crossed.

So, this'll be short. Hope to start posting 'Critter' Tweets from a new Twitter account I'm setting up for nothing but critter posts/stories. With luck, I'll be ready to go around August.
(This summer is going to be very hectic due to travel, and additional duties.)

Love the hilarious photo/screenshots that you post. Someone's got quite an imagination, I'd say. Anyway, always nice to have a good laugh.

We've had a wonderful several days, visiting with Family for the holiday.

Good luck with your weather; and, hope that all 'CC' Folks have a nice, safe, and fun-filled Fourth!

Mollie

“I believe in the redemptive powers of a dog’s love. It is in recognition of each dog’s potential to lift the human spirit and therefore– to change society for the better, that I fight to make sure every street dog has its day.”
--Stasha Wong, Secretary, Save Our Street Dogs (SOSD)

The SOSD Fantastic Four

Available For Adoption, Save Our Street Dogs, SOSD

called Dog emotion and cognition. Run out of Duke. Teacher has a book and a workbook, but I can do a few dog tests for free with my pup. Dognition is the name of the test. Have not looked at retail, I cannot do all the tests without a buy or borrow.

First two dog/human tests are related to her empathy. For me. How long will she maintain eye contact after three trial runs? Second is to note whether my yawning will trigger that in her. No wrong answers! Results below

Skya seems individualistic when it comes to the two empathy games you played. Empathy refers to something very specific - the ability to feel what someone else is feeling. It does not measure love, attachment, or any other of the hundred ways that Skya shows her devotion to you.

You may be interested to know: initial results seem to suggest that small dogs like Skya are generally more individualistic than large dogs.

Being individualistic is something to be proud of. Perhaps you've noticed that Skya is excellent at self-entertaining, or is better at solving problems on her own. However her independence asserts itself, it's all part of Skya's cognitive style.
EMPATHYSkyaINDIVIDUALISTICBONDED
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Yawn-game
Yawn Game

In this game, you yawned and recorded whether Skya yawned in response. Yawning in dogs can be an indicator of stress, but we were measuring something different - social yawning. The rationale behind this game is that even as young children, we laugh when we see someone laughing, and we cry when we see someone in distress. Our ability to "catch" the emotions of others is called emotional contagion. A common form of emotional contagion is yawning. If you see, hear or even think about someone yawning, you will probably feel an irresistible urge to yawn.

Skya did not yawn in response to your yawn, but this is not surprising. Although dogs are one of the few species besides humans that contagiously yawn, there is variation among dogs. Data from several research groups shows differing results, but our preliminary data shows that only 20% of dogs yawn contagiously.
Eye-contact-game
Eye Contact Game

This game was based on research that showed that owners whose dogs stared at them for longer periods of time had significant increases in the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin, also known as the "hug hormone," is related to feelings of bonding, pleasure and affection.

Skya is more wolf-like when it comes to eye contact. Wolves do not seek out the gaze of humans like dogs do. But this doesn't mean that wolves are not bonded to their pack members. They have other ways of connecting. Similarly, not all dogs connect with their owners through eye contact. You know better than anyone how Skya displays her affection for you. But if you are looking for ways to increase oxytocin in a similar way to eye contact, research has shown that hugging and playing with your dog for half an hour raises oxytocin in both you and your dog. You should engage in as many of these play sessions as possible. According to one study, it's more relaxing than reading a book!