Canine Cognition, Communication, and the Domestication of Dogs
Aside from studying for two Bio Sci midterms and work this week, in regards to this class, I have finished the required assignments on canvas and have began researching articles pertaining to the topic of animal cognition, communication, and domestication, and more specifically, that of canines. For my HCP, I would like to focus on canine cognition and communication and how dogs have developed from their wolf ancestors via domestication and selective breeding from human interference.
I hope to relate this research to the issue of puppy mills. As research has shown that dogs have essentially been domesticated and bred to live alongside humans in a relatively symbiotic relationship, now with emphasis on companionship, utilizing the research on canine cognition and communication, I would like to highlight the negative consequences of puppy mills on the dogs' health in terms of physical, genetic diseases as well as the psychological effects they have on the dogs.
While I have never been particularly fond of researching topics, it's been relatively fun reading about different topics like animal cognition, how dogs communicate, and the history of domesticating dogs. Though it can be tedious sifting through articles to find ones relevant to what I think I want to write my HCP about, many of the articles I find prove to be enlightening as well as entertaining. I still have a lot to read and research, but I believe I'm beginning to grasp a greater understanding of my research agenda.
As I am still in the researching process myself and more often than not lose the battle between studying and procrastinating, I'm not sure what kind of advice I could give to my fellow researchers. What I found to be useful is simply to research a topic that you are genuinely interested in. I found that the more passionate I was about the subject, the more incentive I had to continue reading.
