Dr. Spaulding tracks the latest in animal behavior, saving you hours of complex research.
Join monthly webinars to explore the newest findings, their impact, and brainstorm real-world applications.
Network with a passionate community of professionals committed to using cutting-edge scientific methods.
Earn 1 CEU per webinar for CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA and IAABC certifications.
But you don’t just love them. You want to do everything you can to make their lives better, and that takes keeping your professional knowledge shiny and polished.
You can’t get enough learning about dogs, training, & behavior. You don’t just live and breathe dogs, you read and watch and learn dogs.
You want to know all the cool new stuff but don’t want to have to battle your way through academic writing to get to the good bits.
You’re a serious dog trainer or behaviorist who understands that being a professional means staying up-to-date in your field.
You love talking dog shop with training and behavior colleagues who are as geeky and passionate about dog behavior as you are.
Research Bites will give you some seriously awesome conversation starters and make you the most interesting person at any gathering!
Monthly Research Webinars + CEUs
Live webinars exploring current research and what it means for real-world practice. Includes Q&A and discussion with Dr. Spaulding and other members. Webinars run for 70 – 90 minutes and are recorded for later viewing.
Coffee Breaks
Informal, unscripted conversations where Dr. Spaulding and members integrate research and professional experience to think through real-world applications. Listen to a Coffee Break discussion.
Quarterly Topic Webinars
Big-picture reviews of current scientific thinking on specific topics, with discussion of implications for practice.
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Reduced pricing on Science Matters courses and events.
Replay & Discussion Access
Ongoing access to webinar recordings and member discussions.
Joining today gives you access to the next webinar, plus all ongoing member benefits.
Tuesday, October 13th, at 12 pm and 7 pm ET
How Social Rank May Influence Stress and Social Behavior in Dogs
Interest in dogs’ relationships with humans has grown substantially, but one important aspect of their social lives is often left out of the conversation: social hierarchy.
Within many positive reinforcement communities, dominance has become so closely associated with outdated training practices that discussing the underlying science of social relationships can be difficult. Yet rejecting dominance-based training does not require us to conclude that dominance relationships—or social hierarchies—do not exist among dogs.
In this webinar, we will examine a study investigating whether a dog’s relative social rank within a multi-dog household is associated with differences in stress-related behavior and interactions with an unfamiliar person. Although the researchers approached the question through the lens of attachment, the most interesting findings concerned social rank, stress, age, and friendliness toward a stranger.
The paper raises broader questions about how researchers define and assess social rank, what dominance does and does not mean, and how a dog’s position within a social group may be associated with behavior in unfamiliar or stressful situations.
This study does not settle the dominance debate or provide simple rules for practice. Instead, it gives us an opportunity to examine the evidence more carefully and develop a more accurate, nuanced understanding of canine social relationships—without returning to dominance-based explanations for every behavior.
Paper: Bakos, V., Vékony, K., & Pongrácz, P. (2025). Hierarchy-Dependent Behaviour of Dogs in the Strange Situation Test: High-Ranking Dogs Show Less Stress and Behave Less Friendly with a Stranger in the Presence of Their Owner. Animals, 15(13). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15131916
Tuesday, October 13th, at 12 pm and 7 pm ET
Tuesday, November 10th, at 12 pm and 7 pm ET
Tuesday, December 8th, at 12 pm and 7 pm ET
Year in Review
CEUs available from CCPDT and IAABC for all webinars
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Cancel any time.
Research Bites webinars are presented live and recorded. So, if you cannot attend live, you will have access to the recording. However, it is recommended that you attend live is possible so that you have the opportunity to ask questions and participate in the discussions.
Yes! CEUs are available from CCPDT and IAABC. Other organizations are available upon request. Note that CEUs are only available for webinars that are presented while you are an active member.
I’m so glad you asked! In addition to the monthly webinars, members also receive the following benefits:
Yes! Memberships can be canceled by e-mailing us at sciencerocks@sciencemattersllc.com. This will prevent your membership from being renewed.
Yes. Once you cancel your membership, you will lose access to all Research Bites material at the end of the current billing cycle.
