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Laura V. Cuaya

@lauveri.bsky.social

57 followers 130 following 27 posts

Everyone knows that dogs are amazing. I think that dogs' brains are also fascinating! 🐶 💕 🧠 Having a marvelous time studying dogs' brains with fMRI at SCAN Unit 😊 ✨Shimmering in enchanting Vienna ✨

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Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

❤️‍🔥

Vibrant green background with an orange glittery frame at the center. Inside the frame, a small terrier dog with long, messy brown fur looks up with its tongue out, appearing joyful and playful. This image is part of the closing section of the series.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🧡

A warm gradient background in orange, pink, and purple tones. In the center, handwritten text reads: “See you next era..” Signaling continuation into a new chapter.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

✒️

Gray textured background with the title “The Tortured Poets Department” at the top. Illustrations of a typewriter with flowers and a feather pen decorate the corners. The main text says: “Only the dogs who had learned the names of their toys tilted their heads, possibly as a sign of paying attention to meaningful words. Across three experiments, the six head-tilting dogs were all Border Collies who had learned toy names. Each dog consistently tilted to the same side, regardless of time, test, or the caregiver’s position.”

At the bottom, the reference is printed as: Sommese, A., et al. (2022). An exploratory analysis of head-tilting in dogs. Animal cognition.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🤍
@asommese.bsky.social

Light gray textured background with the title “The Tortured Poets Department” in serif font at the top. The main text says: “Andrea Sommese and colleagues discovered that dogs tilt their heads when hearing words that hold meaning for them.” In the center is a white heart. At the bottom left, Kun-kun, a black-and-white Border Collie wearing a jacket, faces forward. The caption reads: “Kun-kun concluded that while all dogs know how to ball. Some, with a head tilt, know Aristotle too.”

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

💎

Dark navy background with snowflakes scattered around. The word “Midnights” glows in neon green at the top. The text says: “Two weeks of nosework with autonomy made dogs more optimistic. Optimism is measured with the cognitive bias test, which evaluates behavior in response to ambiguous situations. Letting dogs sniff, combining autonomy with natural behavior, improves their emotional well-being.”
At the bottom, the reference is printed as: Duranton, C., & Horowitz, A. (2019). Let me sniff! Nosework induces positive judgment bias in pet dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

💙
@raulhp.bsky.social
@alexandrahorowitz.bsky.social

Dark navy background with the word “Midnights” in bold white font at the top. The text says: “Charlotte Duranton and Alexandra Horowitz showed that when dogs are free to use their nose, they make the whole place shimmer. Nice!” A bright blue heart icon appears below. At the bottom left, Odín, a black-and-white Border Collie, sits wearing a harness, looking happy. The caption reads: “Karma is Odín, karma is my favourite paper, karma’s Midnights Til Dawn.”

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🍁

Brown textured background with ivy illustrations along the edges. The text reads: “After the death of one dog, 86% of caregivers noticed changes in their surviving dog: more affection (67%), less play (57%) and activity (46%), more sleep or fearfulness (35%), reduced appetite (32%), and increased vocalizations (30%). What made the difference was not the time they spent together, but the depth of the bond and the caregiver’s grief.”
At the bottom, the reference is printed as: Uccheddu, S., et al. (2022). Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) grieve over the loss of a conspecific. Scientific Reports.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🤎

Brown background with the word “evermore” in serif font at the top. The main text says: “Stefania Uccheddu and colleagues reported that when a canine companion dies, the surviving dogs show grief-like behaviors and emotions.” A lyric is included: “There’ll be happiness after you / But there was happiness because of you too.” In the center is a brown heart. At the bottom left, Cocol, a brown dog with floppy ears, lies down with his paw extended. The caption reads: “Cocol – He is evermore, through and through.”

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🌲

Gray background with the word “folklore” at the top. The main text reads: “When interacting, dogs and humans showed co-modulation of their heart rhythms, suggesting emotional attunement. Researchers measured heart rate variability and activity in 25 dog–human pairs during stroking, training, sniffing, and play. This synchrony reflects attachment and depends both on the dog and on the caregiver’s emotional style and their shared bond.” A disco ball illustration appears at the bottom right.
The reference is printed as: Koskela, A., et al. (2024). Behavioral and emotional co-modulation during dog–owner interaction measured by heart rate variability and activity. Scientific Reports.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🤍

Gray background with the word “folklore” in a serif font at the top. The text says: “Aija Koskela and colleagues reported co-modulation of heart rate variability between dogs and their caregivers.” A quote beneath reads: “...isn’t it just so pretty to think about this invisible string tying us?” In the center is a gray heart icon. At the bottom, Bizsu, a gray-and-white Husky, looks directly at the viewer. The caption says: “Bizsu – Having a marvelous time in the woods of Vienna.”

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🌈

Pastel pink and blue gradient background with the word “Lover” in cursive at the top and a rainbow icon to the side. The main text says: “Dogs behaved differently depending on the scent they perceived: fear drew them closer to their owners, while happiness led them toward strangers. Smelling fear raised their heart rate and showed signs of stress. In a subsequent study that included puppies, only adult dogs responded to happiness, suggesting that joy is learned, but fear is innate.”
At the bottom, the reference appears exactly as: D’Aniello, B., et al. (2018). Interspecies transmission of emotional information via chemosignals: from humans to dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). Animal Cognition.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

💝

Pastel pink and blue gradient background with the word “Lover” in cursive at the top. The text says: “Biagio D’Aniello and colleagues discovered that dogs can tell human happiness from fear just by smell. On Cornelia Street, would dogs feel the happiness of present love or the fear it might fade?” A bright pink heart icon is in the center. At the bottom, Morante, a brown-and-white Border Collie, is lying down with his paws extended. The caption reads: “Morante. So kind, so agile, so clever he was my very first Border Collie friend.”

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🐍

Black background with the word “reputation” at the top and a green snake icon in the corner. The main text says: “Most dogs (78%) avoided stealing food from the spot they thought a person could see. Even when no one was present, they inferred a person’s presence from the sound of carrots being chopped, but not from street noise. Just from a sound, dogs imagined what an unseen person might do.”
At the bottom, the reference appears as: Huber, L., et al. (2025). Canine perspective taking: Anticipating the behavior of an unseen human. iScience.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🖤
@christophvoelter.bsky.social

Dark textured background with the title “reputation” in gothic font at the top. The text explains: “Ludwig Huber and colleagues showed that dogs guard their reputation: they steal food only where they think no one is watching. I wouldn’t be surprised if they already had a Getaway Car ready.” A dark heart appears in the center. At the bottom right, Suki, a fluffy cream-colored dog, looks directly at the viewer. The caption reads: “I check it once, then I check it twice, confirmed: Suki’s a reputation girl.”

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🏙️

Light blue background with sketch-like texture and bird silhouettes. The bold title “1989” is at the top. The main text reads: “In social contexts, dogs shake when shifting from one activity to another. The researchers analyzed 120 shakes from 96 dogs in everyday social situations. This kind of study reminds us why experiments matter: shaking has often been interpreted as a stress signal in dogs, but it isn’t always so.” A light blue heart appears at the bottom.
The reference is: Bryce, A., Nurkin, P., & Horowitz, A. (2024). Shake It Off: Investigating the Function of a Domestic Dog Behavior in Social Contexts. Animals.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

💙
@alexandrahorowitz.bsky.social

Light blue textured background with the handwritten title “1989” at the top. The main text reads: “Ani Bryce and colleagues discovered that dogs just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake as a marker of transition between activities.” A blue heart is in the center. At the bottom right, a polaroid-style photo shows Andy, a cream-colored dog, smiling on grass with the iconic UNAM library mural in Mexico City in the background. Caption: “Andy – Who never goes out of style.”

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🧣

Red background with soft yarn texture. Title reads “RED” with a red scarf icon. The main text reports that 4 out of 5 dogs remembered the names of 3 to 9 toys after two years without practice. It names the five gifted Border Collies from the Genius Dog Challenge: Gaia, Max, Rico, Squall, and Whisky.
Citation: Dror, S., Miklósi, Á. & Fugazza, C. (2024). Dogs with a vocabulary of object labels retain them for at least 2 years. Biology Letters.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

❤️

Deep red background with the bold title “RED.” The text credits Shany Dror and colleagues for discovering that dogs "remember it all all all too well.” A large red heart appears above the caption: “Mitos – He always believed that whoever designed the Genius Dog Challenge was a genius.” Mitos, a black dog, lies with his head on the ground next to a yellow tennis ball.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🎆

Purple background with the heading “Speak Now” and a glowing star emoji. The main text explains that dogs trained with soundboards use talking buttons to create meaningful, deliberate combinations. Thanks to citizen science, 152 dogs produced over 56,000 button combinations. The study’s citation appears at the bottom: Bastos, A. P., et al. (2024). Soundboard-trained dogs produce non-accidental, non-random and non-imitative two-button combinations. Scientific Reports.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

💜
@federicorossano.bsky.social

Purple background with soft flowing texture and the title “Speak Now” in cursive. The text highlights a study by Amalia P. M. Bastos showing that some dogs use talking buttons to form meaningful combinations. A large purple heart appears in the center. At the bottom, a photo of a Border Collie named Zilla with her tongue out. Text reads: “I was enchanted to meet you, Zilla.”

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🫶

Gold glittery background with the title “FEARLESS” at the top. The main text summarizes a study on adolescent dogs: by 8 months, especially those with insecure attachment, dogs became selectively responsive—ignoring caregivers but still responding to strangers. A yellow heart icon and the sentence “It’s just an era; by 12 months, they listen to their humans again.”
Citation at bottom: Asher, L., et al. (2020). Teenage dogs? Evidence for adolescent-phase conflict behaviour and an association between attachment to humans and pubertal timing in the domestic dog. Biology Letters.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

💛
@azaleara.bsky.social
@naomidharvey.bsky.social

Gold background with the word “FEARLESS” in bold at the top. The text reads: “Lucy Asher and colleagues reported that adolescent dogs go through their Fearless era.” Below, a yellow heart icon and the name “Galatea.” A photo shows Galatea, a scruffy tan dog with a patterned collar, gazing proudly into the distance under golden sunlight. The caption says: “With her playful spirit and golden glow, she has forever been Fearless.”

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

🦋

A turquoise square with “Debut (Taylor Swift)” heading. The main text explains that puppies as young as 8 weeks showed social skills toward humans and interest in faces. It describes a study with 375 puppies tested in socio-cognitive tasks. The results suggest these behaviors were not just learned, with genetics explaining about 40% of the variation. A blue butterfly icon decorates the lower-right corner.
The citation at the bottom is: Bray, E. E., et al. (2021). Early-emerging and highly heritable sensitivity to human communication in dogs. Current Biology.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

💚
@paulapefraga.bsky.social
@dremilybray.bsky.social

A turquoise square image with the heading “Debut (Taylor Swift)” in large cursive and handwritten fonts. Below, it reads: “Emily E. Bray and colleagues discovered that dogs make their Debut in the world with A Perfectly Good Mind.”
At the bottom is a photo of a happy black-and-white Border Collie named Rohan, wearing an ID badge. Text under the photo says: “Rohan – Our very first dog friend in Budapest.” In the center is a large green heart icon.

Laura V. Cuaya @lauveri.bsky.social · Aug 26

It’s been a long time coming.

To commemorate August 2024, we celebrate one era at a time, each with a wonderstruck study and a sparkling canine mind.

Welcome to The Mind Tour, Dogs’ Version! 🎉

A grid of twelve portraits of different dogs, each on a colorful background, styled like a concert poster. Each dog represents a different "era" in a fictional tour called The Mind Tour, Dogs’ Version. In the center, one dog wears a denim jacket, evoking a headlining artist. The bottom of the image features large bold text that reads: "DOGS’ VERSION – THE MIND TOUR." The design is inspired by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour visuals, reimagined with dogs.