Julie Hecht
Scientific American
New York, NY, United States
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Past articles by Julie:
Do You Play with Your Cat? This Online Study Is for You!
Dogs aren't the only ones who can do science. The era of cat science is now → Read More
What a Dog Geneticist Wants You to Know about Dog Genetics
What dog lovers get right, and wrong, about dog genetics → Read More
Do Dogs Always Prefer Their Owners?
Bringing new meaning to the phrase “Location, location, location” → Read More
Okay, So Some Dogs Eat Poop
Study provides new information about what's going on → Read More
How Much Are Dogs Influenced by Local Culture?
Is a dog here like a dog there? → Read More
The Scariest Thing, According to Dogs
When people don't notice fear in dogs, it can mean trouble → Read More
Do Dogs Know Themselves?
The classic self-recognition test gets a makeover for dogs, using smell not sight → Read More
Studies Find Much to Measure in Dog Faces
Dog facial expressions can be measured, and there's more than one way to do it → Read More
Good (and Bad) Ways to Help a Dog Afraid of Fireworks
First, let’s get the bad out of the way: trying to help a dog afraid of fireworks by saying, "Johnny (that’s the dog) there will be fireworks tomorrow night. Don’t you go running away at the park like you did last year! That was bad, Johnny. Very bad. So this year, get ahold of yourself!" Unfortunately, monologues like this won’t make Johnny any more comfortable with this year’s fireworks. Nor… → Read More
When Dogs Hear a Growl, They Know What to Do
I have been scaring dog lovers for nearly a decade, and Tamas Farago—lead researcher behind a new study on dog growls and cross-species communication—is mostly to blame. I met Farago in 2010 when visiting his research group—the Family Dog Project at Eotvos Lorand University—to conduct my Masters research. By then, Farago was already immersed in the study of dog vocalizations—particularly their… → Read More
The Education of Will, by Patricia McConnell
An animal behavior expert’s new memoir explores recovery in two species → Read More
Behind the Scenes: How a Dog Learned Over a Thousand Words [Videos]
Does your dog know the names of her toys? How about the names of over 1,000 of her toys? No one is suggesting that 1,000 become the new normal (or that your dog have that many toys), but when a dog accomplishes this feat, it’s worth learning how she did it. If you’ve read anything about dogs in the last 5 years, you’ve surely come across Chaser the Border Collie (Facebook). Under the guidance of… → Read More
A Simple Test Unlocks the Dog's Nose
Dogs have great sniffers, but they’re not all the same → Read More
Dogs Process Language Like Us, but What Do They Understand?
Does your dog really, truly understand you? → Read More
The Common Wisdom about Dog Nipples Is Wrong
Young mammals need to eat, and there’s not one way to do it → Read More
What 5 Liters of Spit Can Reveal about Dog Welfare
Researchers take a much needed look at salivary cortisol in dogs → Read More
Tail Docking and Ear Cropping Affect Dogs, and Not Just Physically
Study finds these elective surgeries influence perceptions of dog personality → Read More
Tail Docking and Ear Cropping Affect Dogs, and Not Just Physically
Study finds these elective surgeries influence perceptions of dog personality → Read More
Do Dogs Get the Point?
You point, (most) dogs follow. Who cares? → Read More
Cats Would Like You To Know They Are Open To Training
Cat training is on the rise, and it’s a good thing → Read More