Dog Behavior Research for Owners

This hub is evidence for owners and trainers who run sessions in kitchens and flats, not a veterinary journal and not a conference proceedings dump. I paraphrase papers so you can decide what to try on the floor. I am Andrew Darov, a professional dog trainer — not a veterinarian. Nothing here diagnoses disease, replaces a vet, or claims to be a full literature review.

Read the originals. Some are paywalled; a working DOI still counts as the citation. If a paraphrase and the abstract disagree, trust the paper.

Start with the spoke on this page: ten studies that change how you brief a household. Deep dives: critical period for owners (Freedman 1961), food vs petting (Feuerbacher & Wynne 2014), training methods and welfare (Hiby 2004), dominance myth for households (Bradshaw 2009), and attachment / Strange Situation (Topál 1998). For how learning loops run day to day, go to training. For patterns that are already paying the dog, go to behavior. For the first months, go to puppy.

What belongs on Research?

Named papers, position statements you can open, and reading notes that stay honest about sample size and failure modes. Not “science says” with no link. Not affiliate product studies. Not clinic protocols dressed as journal club.

AVSAB position statements are a standards desk you should know — they are not one of the ten studies on the spoke. Use them when someone asks what “reward-based” means in public.

What does not belong here?

Medical advice. Breed-myth citations with no method. Invented reviews of my residential work. US residency claims I do not make. Checkout links. If you need hands-on help, see work with me — that page is separate from this reading list.