---

The Science Dog just turned 10-years-old! With the holiday season upon us, this seems to be a good time to reflect on what the blog has accomplished over the last decade, where it is now, and where I hope to take in the future.

A Bit of History

I started The Science Dog blog in late 2013 at the urging of one of my book editors. Blogs were just coming onto the scene and he suggested that I start one as a way to promote canine science, research, and making evidence-based decisions about our dogs’ nutrition and health. My husband Mike and I came up with the title, “The Science Dog” during a long drive to Maine for our annual visit – as our dogs Chippy, Vinny, Cadie and Cooper snoozed in the back seat.

---

I wrote the first essay for The Science Dog during that same vacation, sitting at the kitchen table in our small Maine cabin (Why Dogs Need Science). From there, as they say, the rest is history. Today, we continue to visit Maine every fall, staying at the same lovely cabin, this year with Alice and Stanley. While my heart aches for the losses of so many beloved dogs over the years, I am also very grateful and happy that Mike and I get to spend our lives with so many beautiful and amazing dogs.

---

To celebrate the Science Dog’s 10 birthday, I thought it would be nice to review some of our more popular blogs and controversial moments. Since we are The Science Dog, let’s start with a few stats!

A Few Statistics

• Number of Published Essays: 169
• Number of Visits: 1,335,602
• Blog + Social Media Followers: ~ 15,000
• Research Topics Examined (Broad Categories): Canine Nutrition, Feeding Practices, Dog Foods and Ingredients, Pet Food Regulations and Labeling, Pet Food Processing, Human Grade Foods, Treats and Chews, Dog Training Theory & Practice, Operant Conditioning, Classical Conditioning, Positive Reinforcement, Clicker Training, Canine Behavior, Intra- and Inter-Species Communication Signals, Social Cognition, Social Learning, Nose Work/Olfaction, Enrichment, Play, Human Perceptions and Understanding of Dogs, and more.

---

New Books

Over the 10 years, I have used the blog and various essay topics to research and write four books; “Beware the Straw Man“, “Only Have Eyes for You“, “Dog Smart“, and most recently, “Feeding Smart“. There is probably one more in my future…..

---

The Soapbox

---

Very early in the Science Dog, I realized that although I am a science writer and the purpose of this blog is to examine and promote recent research about the domestic dog, that, well, science aside, I appeared to have a few opinions…. The Soapbox Icon first appeared in “Your Face is Gonna Freeze, Pt. 3” when I expressed an opinion of why we need science (and the scientific method, in particular) in order to make evidence-based decisions for our dogs’ welfare. Since then, The Box has appeared in more than half of my blog essays – sometimes generating support and agreement in the comments section, other times, not so much. As long as readers are willing to discuss the science and their experiences (and their own opinions) with respect and consideration of others, we continue to welcome discourse on the blog.

---

Blogs that Stand Out

• Greatest Number of Visits: The blockbuster (dare we say “viral”) Science Dog Blog of all time is “The Kids are Alright“. The essay examines the prevalence of dog bites to young children and research that studied the effectiveness of various bite-prevention programs. One study in particular examined the behavior of parents and their children. (Hint: The Results are surprising). That blog has more than 250,000 visits and continues to generate discussion to this day.
• Most Popular Nutrition Blog: While a number of important nutrition topics have surfaced in recent years, a very basic concept that dog folks are interested in is the quality of the foods that they feed. Lucky for us all, canine nutritionists have started to focus attention on pet food ingredients, the effects of food processing and the quality of final products. I first examine some of this research in “Digestibility Matters“, where the results are both surprising and enlightening.
• Most Popular Behavior Blog: I absolutely love the work of Dr. Alexandra Horowitz and her team of researchers (if you have not read her research or her books, I would highly recommend both). Dr. Horowitz published a set of experiments that intricately dissected and eventually dispelled the myth of “the guilty look.” The blog that reviews that work (and its important conclusions) is aptly entitled “Death Throes of the Guilty Look“. A close second in number of total visits and popularity is “How Many Barks Does a Nuisance Dog Make“. That essay presents research regarding owner perceptions of their dogs’ behavior and how labeling biases can wreak havoc on relationships with dogs (Yeah. The soapbox is out for that one).
• Most Popular Training Blog: This is a tie between “The Ben Franklin Effect” which examines the relationship between +R and -R in training and how reward-based versus aversive-based training methods can influence how we judge our dogs. That piece tied for visits with “Is it Time for the Extinction of Extinction“, an essay that reviews research regarding the potential negative effects of using extinction in training practice.
• Most Controversial Topic: Well, this was easy; pretty much anything that I have written about feeding raw diets. For a number of reasons that I discuss early on, feeding raw conjures up strong reactions among dog folks. I first reviewed the research regarding raw dog food in 2019 with “The Raw Deal” and most recently, summed up a group of studies with “Raw Evidence“. Suffice it to say that social media had some comments.
• Author Favorite: This was a tough call. If framed in terms of the post that I most enjoyed writing, it would have to be “Death Throes of the Guilty Look“. The series of studies that I review in that piece was clever, elegant and beautifully controlled – a feat that is exceedingly difficult with canine research. Although the topic is complicated, I love the logical steps that each team of researchers used to cover all possibilities, ending up with a well-supported (and in my view, irrefutable) conclusion. If I consider the essay that I am most proud of in terms of “getting good science to those who can use it”, it would have to be “What’s the Deal with Meals“. That essay presents information regarding what is actually in pet foods versus what marketing campaigns want us to believe is in foods. That essay was the jumping off point for the blog to begin to present research evidence about pet food ingredients, commercial foods, and pet food processing that dog folks can use to help them to make healthy decisions for their dogs.

---

The Science Dog Courses

In late 2019, we launched a new educational arm of The Science Dog through my consulting company, AutumnGold. The Science Dog Courses is a logical extension of the Science Dog’s mission – to bring the most recent research and education about canine science to dog professionals and dog folks who can most use it. The Science Dog Courses provides Masters Class programs in Canine (and recently, Feline) Nutrition, plus a wide range of webinars taught by researchers who present their latest findings on topics of nutrition, feeding practices, behavior/training, and canine welfare.

To date, we have enrolled more than 2800 students from countries around the world. Our students include pet food industry professionals, dog trainers and behaviorists, veterinarians and veterinary technicians, dog groomers, pet retail owners and staff, breeders, rescue volunteers, shelter professionals, and dog parents who simply wish to understand how to best feed their dogs.

---

Popular Blog Memes (By Topic)

Behavior and Training

---

Nutrition and Dog Foods

---

SCIENCE!

---

Looking Ahead

So many great studies, so little time. Next up on the Science Dog horizon are topics that include new research about omega-3 fatty acids, effects of pet food processing on the development of unwanted end products, the welfare impact of chew toys as enrichment tools, how our dogs express empathy (and to whom), nutrient content of different types of commercial dog foods, and whether or not dogs can effectively judge the character of their human friends.

If you read and enjoy the Science Dog blog, please consider following us by pressing the “Follow” button on the right side of your screen. We are also on Facebook and other Social Media sites. Please feel welcome to let us know about topics that you are interested in learning about in the Comments Section below!

---

Many Thanks to Our Readers and Followers!

Linda Case

---