RESEARCH
I conduct research into human-dog interactions. I am interested in what maintains the human-dog relationship and usually ask this from the dog's point of view: what human interactions do dogs prefer and in what context, what human interactions can function as reinforcers for dogs and can be used in training, and what is the nature of the owner-dog relationship. I am also interested in problems that arise in the social relationship between dog and owner, especially predicting and treating separation anxiety. My study populations are shelter dogs and owned dogs whose owners volunteer them to participate.
Below you can find my publications with links to the PDF wherever available.
PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS
*indicates an undergraduate student researcher; ** indicates a graduate student researcher
Platzer, J. M.**, Gunter, L. M., & Feuerbacher, E. N. (2023). Exploring the Domestication Syndrome Hypothesis in Dogs: Pigmentation Does Not Predict Cortisol Levels. Animals, 13(19), 3095. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13193095
Baldan, A. L., Ferreira, B. L., Warisaia, V., Feuerbacher, E. N., Monticelli, P. F., & Gunter, L. M. (2023). Reducing barking in a Brazilian animal shelter: A practical intervention. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 105992.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2023.105992
Gunter, L. M., Blade, E. M., Gilchrist, R. J., Nixon, B. J., Reed, J. L., Platzer, J. M.*, ... Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. (2023). The Influence of Brief Outing and Temporary Fostering Programs on Shelter Dog Welfare. Animals, 13(22), 3528. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020548
Aviles-Rosa, E. O., Kane, S. A., Nita, M., Feuerbacher, E., & Hall, N. J. (2023). Olfactory threshold of dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) to cold-killed spotted lantern fly eggs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 261, 105880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2023.105880
Novack, L. I., Schnell-Peskin, L., Feuerbacher, E., & Fernandez, E. J. (2023). The science and social validity of companion animal welfare: Functionally defined parameters in a multidisciplinary field. Animals, 13(11), 1850. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13111850
Feuerbacher, E. N., Togher, C.*, & Friedel, J. E. (2023). Social interaction can function as a reinforcer for dogs: Effects of stimulus duration and session parameters. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 20, 91-102. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.842
Aviles-Rosa, E. O., Nita, M., Feuerbacher, E., & Hall, N. J. (2023). An evaluation of Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) detection dog training and performance. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 258, 105816. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105816
Platzer, J.**, & Feuerbacher, E. N. (2022). Reinforcer efficacy of grain for horses. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.797 PDF available at link
Gunter, L. M., Gilchrist, R. J., Blade, E. M., Reed, J. L., Isernia, L. T.**, Barber, R. T., Foster, A. M., Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2022). Emergency fostering of dogs from animal shelters during the COVID-19 pandemic: Shelter practices, foster caregiver engagement, and dog outcomes. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 423. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.862590 PDF available at link.
Isernia, L.**, Wynne, C. D., House, L., & Feuerbacher, E. N. (2022). Dogs and wolves differ in their response allocation to their owner/caregiver or food in a concurrent choice procedure. PeerJ, 10, e12834. https://peerj.com/articles/12834/ PDF available at link.
Feuerbacher, E. N., Stone, C.*, & Friedel, J. E. (2022). Give the dog a big bone: Magnitude but not delivery method of food impacts preference and reinforcer efficacy in dogs. Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1037/bar0000237
Gunter, L., Gilchrist, R., Blade, E., Barber, R. Feuerbacher, E. N., Platzer, J.**, & Wynne, C. D. L. (2021). Evaluating the effects of a field trip program on shelter dog welfare. Animals, 11(2), 548. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020548 PDF available at link
Ujita, A., Seekford, Z., Kott, M., Goncherenko, G., Dias, N. W., Feuerbacher, E., ... & Mercadante, V. R. (2021). Habituation Protocols Improve Behavioral and Physiological Responses of Beef Cattle Exposed to Students in an Animal Handling Class. Animals, 11(8), 2159. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082159 PDF available at link
Feuerbacher, E. N., & Muir, K. L. (2020). Using owner return as a reinforcer to operantly treat separation-related problem behavior in dogs. Animals, 10(7), 1110. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10071110 PDF available at link
Brown, K., Feuerbacher, E. N., Hall, N. J., and Protopopova, A. (2020). Minor procedural variations affect canine behavior during sociability assessments. Behavioural Processes. 104145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104145
Gunter, L. M., Feuerbacher, E. N., Gilchrist, R., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2019). Evaluating the effects of a temporary fostering program on shelter dog welfare. PeerJ 7:e6620 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6620
Wunderlich, K. L., Vollmer, T. R., Mehrkam, L. R, Feuerbacher, E. N., Slocum, S. K., Kronfli, F., & Pizarro, E. (2019). Thestability of function of automatically reinforced vocal stereotypy over time. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.620
Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2017). Dogs don’t always prefer their owners and can quickly form strong preferences for certain strangers over others. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. doi: 10.1002/jeab.280
Feuerbacher, E. N. & Rosales-Ruiz, J. (2017). Can dogs learn concepts the same way we do? Concept formation in a German shepherd. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 30. PDF
Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2016). Application of functional analysis methods to assess variables involved in dog-human interactions. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 49, 1-5. doi: 10.1002/jaba.318
Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2015). Shut up and pet me! Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) prefer petting to vocal praise in concurrent and single-alternative choice procedures. Behavioural Processes, 110, 47-59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2014.08.019 PDF
Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2014). Most domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) prefer food to petting: context, schedule, and population differences in a concurrent choice. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 101, 385-405. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jeab.81 PDF
Feuerbacher, E. N. & Wynne, C. D. L. (2012). Relative efficacy of human social interaction and food as reinforcers for domestic dogs and hand-reared wolves. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 98(1), 105-129. http://dx.doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2012.98-105 PDF
Feuerbacher E. N. & Wynne, C. D. L. (2011). A history of dogs as subjects in North American experimental psychological research. Comparative Cognition & Behavior Reviews, 6, 46-71. http://dx.doi.org/10.3819/ccbr.2011.60001 PDF
Feuerbacher, E. N., Fewell, J. H., Roberts, S. P., Smith, E. F., & Harrison, J. F. (2003). Effects of load type (pollen or nectar) and load mass on hovering metabolic rate and mechanical power output in the honey bee Apis mellifera. Journal of Experimental Biology, 206, 1855-1865. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/eb.00347
BOOK CHAPTERS
Gunter, L. M., & Feuerbacher, E. N. (2022). Canine enrichment. In Reid, P. & Collins, K. (eds.) Animal behavior for veterinarians and staff. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Feuerbacher, E. N., & Protopopova, A. (2016). Proximate causes of cognition. In M. Olmstead (ed.) Animal Cognition: Principles, Evolution, & Development. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science.
Udell, M. A. R., Lord, K, Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2014) A dog’s eye view of canine cognition. In A. Horowitz (ed.) Dog Behavior and Cognition – The Scientific Study of Canis familiaris.
POPULAR PUBLICATIONS
Feuerbacher, E. N. & Gunter, L. (2015, September). Clever, prepared, & creative: Good science & dog training in the 21st century. The Chronicle of the Dog.
Feuerbacher, E. N. (2015, May) Less talk, more touch: What your dog is saying to you. Do You Believe in Dog. Retrieved from http://doyoubelieveindog.blogspot.com/2015/05/less-talk-more-touch-whats-your-dog.html#.VVqkp6Z5Xys
Feuerbacher, E. N., & Gunter, L. (2015, January). Good science: Skinner’s functional relations and dog training. The Scoop. PDF
Feuerbacher, E. N. (2010). The 2010 Presidential Scholar’s Essay. Inside Behavior Analysis 2(2). Retrieved from http://www.abainternational.org/ABA/newsletter/IBAvol2iss2/PresScholEssay.asp
GRANTS
ASPCA Behavior Seed Grant (2023) (PI) Hush puppy: Using motion-activated automated feeding devices to reduce kennel reactivity
USDA AFRI (2020) (co-PI with Dr. Nathan Hall and Dr. Mizuho Nita). Agricultural detection dogs: Measuring capability and enhancing capacity
NSF CPM (2020) (co-PI with Dr. Robin White, Dr. Zachary Easton, and Dr. Daniel Fuka) Greener Pastures: A pasture sanitation cyber physical system for environmental enhancement and animal monitoring
Maddie's Fund (2018) (co-PI with Dr. Clive Wynne) Nationwide deployment and evaluation of fostering programs in animal shelters
Maddie's Fund (2017) (co-PI with Dr. Clive Wynne) Evaluation of temporary fostering programs on shelter dog welfare and future behavior in adoptive homes at four US animal shelters
WALTHAM Foundation Grant (2016) Effects of single- or pair-housing on the welfare of shelter dogs: Behavioral and physiological measures
Maddie’s Fund (2016) Evaluating the effects of a temporary fostering program on shelter dog welfare and prediction of future behavior in adoptive homes
Berberet Research Grant (with Dr. Leslie Angel) (2015) Longitudinal assessment of delay-discounting in dogs using a t-maze
Association of Professional Dog Trainers Foundation Grant (2013), An operant treatment approach for separation related problem behaviors in domestic dogs.