Life With Dogs: In Context explores everyday dog behavior through research and careful observation. From sniffing on walks to play signals and familiar routines, each episode looks at what we can understand without pretending every dog means the same thing. Not veterinary or training advice.
Every breed has its own ways. See yours, free, at biscuitandyarn.com/breed (https://biscuitandyarn.com/breed?c=lwdbehave-1-notes).
Your dog yawns, but it isn't bedtime. Here's what scientists have learned about dog yawns: why dogs can catch a yawn from people, why yawning shows up in tense moments, and how to read a yawn in its context.
Inside this episode:
- Not Just Sleepy- Catching a Yawn From You- Yawning When Things Feel Tense- Reading the Whole Dog
Sources include the references linked below.
Sources and further reading:- Joly-Mascheroni, Senju & Shepherd 2008, Dogs catch human yawns, Biology Letters (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2610100/)- Neilands et al. 2020, Contagious yawning is not a signal of empathy, Proceedings of the Royal Society B (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7031662/)- Romero, Konno & Hasegawa 2013, Familiarity bias and physiological responses in contagious yawning by dogs, PLOS ONE (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3737103/)- Dogs Trust, Signs your dog may be stressed (https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/understanding-your-dog/signs-your-dog-may-be-stressed)- Royal Kennel Club, Signs of anxiety in dogs survey (https://www.royalkennelclub.com/media-centre/2023/august/alarming-research-shows-up-to-nine-in-ten-dont-know-crucial-signs-of-anxiety-in-dogs)
This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.
Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.
8 Oct 2026
How Dogs See Color
See your own photos the way your dog sees them, free at biscuitandyarn.com/see (https://biscuitandyarn.com/see?c=lwdsense-1-notes).
Dogs aren't color blind, but they don't see the world the way we do. Here's how a dog's eyes work, why a red ball on green grass can be hard for them to spot, and what dogs see better than we can.
Inside this episode:
- Two Kinds of Color Cones- A Red Ball on Green Grass- Seeing in Dim Light- Motion Over Detail
Sources include the references linked below.
Sources and further reading:- American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists, Vision in pets (https://acvo.org/tips-treatments-tricks/vision-in-pets)- Miller 2001, Vision in animals: what do dogs and cats see? (https://www.vin.com/doc/?id=3844144)- Siniscalchi et al. 2017, Dogs and the Ishihara test, Royal Society Open Science (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5717654/)- Kasparson, Badridze & Maximov 2013, Colour cues proved to be more informative for dogs than brightness (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3730601/)- Roy et al. 2025, Free-ranging dogs prefer yellow, Animal Cognition (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11794370/)
This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.
Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.
8 Oct 2026
The Labrador Retriever: History, Personality and Health
Love Labradors? Names, traits and art for the breed are at biscuitandyarn.com/lab (https://biscuitandyarn.com/lab?c=lwdbreed-1-notes).
Labrador Retrievers were America's most popular breed for 31 years in a row. Here's how they went from Newfoundland fishing docks to family sofas, why Labs are so famously food-motivated, and the health topics Lab owners hear about most.
Inside this episode:
- From Newfoundland to England- Built to Retrieve- Why Labs Love Food So Much- Health in Context
Sources include the references linked below.
Sources and further reading:- American Kennel Club, America's best friend: the Labrador Retriever (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/americas-best-friend-the-labrador-retriever/)- American Kennel Club, Labrador Retriever breed standard (https://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/LabradorRetriever.pdf)- Raffan et al. 2016, A deletion in the canine POMC gene, Cell Metabolism (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4873617/)- University of Cambridge, Genetic mutation in a quarter of all Labradors (https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/genetic-mutation-in-a-quarter-of-all-labradors-hard-wires-them-for-obesity)- McGreevy et al. 2018, Labrador Retrievers under primary veterinary care in the UK (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6196571/)- Pegram et al. 2021, Health of Labrador Retrievers compared with other dogs, Scientific Reports (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8280121/)
This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.
Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.
8 Oct 2026
The French Bulldog: History, Personality and Health
Love Labradors? Names, traits and art for the breed are at biscuitandyarn.com/lab (https://biscuitandyarn.com/lab?c=lwdbreed-1-notes).
The French Bulldog is America's most popular breed for the fourth year running. Here's where it really came from, how American fans saved its bat ears, what Frenchies are usually like at home, and what that flat face means for breathing and heat.
Inside this episode:
- English Roots, French Name- The Battle Over the Ears- What Frenchies Are Usually Like- That Face, in Plain Terms- Keeping Cool
Sources include the references linked below.
Sources and further reading:- American Kennel Club, The Most Popular Dog Breeds of 2025 (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/most-popular-dog-breeds-2025/)- American Kennel Club, French Bulldog breed information (https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/french-bulldog/)- French Bull Dog Club of America, History (https://frenchbulldogclub.org/history/)- O'Neill et al. 2021, Health of French Bulldogs in the UK, Canine Medicine and Genetics (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8675495/)- University of Cambridge, BOAS Research Group (https://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/boas/about-boas)- Hall et al. 2020, Heat-related illness in UK dogs, Scientific Reports (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-66015-8)
This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.
Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.
22 Sept 2026
Why Dogs Sniff So Much on Walks
Every breed has its own ways. See yours, free, at biscuitandyarn.com/breed (https://biscuitandyarn.com/breed?c=lwdbehave-1-notes).
A walk can be full of odor information that people barely notice. This episode explores what sniffing lets dogs investigate and where research cannot tell us exactly what one dog is thinking.
Inside this episode:
- Sniffing as exploration- Odor information- What studies can show- Reading the whole situation
Sources include original canine olfaction and odor-trail studies.
This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.
Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.
22 Sept 2026
What a Wagging Tail Can and Cannot Tell You
Every breed has its own ways. See yours, free, at biscuitandyarn.com/breed (https://biscuitandyarn.com/breed?c=lwdbehave-1-notes).
A wagging tail is movement, not a one-word translation of a dog's feelings. Hear how posture, context, and individual variation change what you can reasonably infer.
Inside this episode:
- Why a wag is not a fixed code- Body posture and context- Variation among dogs- What to observe
Sources include peer-reviewed reviews and original dog-behavior studies.
This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.
Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.
22 Sept 2026
Why Dogs Invite Each Other to Play
Every breed has its own ways. See yours, free, at biscuitandyarn.com/breed (https://biscuitandyarn.com/breed?c=lwdbehave-1-notes).
How do dogs start or keep a game going together? This episode looks at play bows, partner responses, and the range of ways dog play can unfold.
Inside this episode:
- Play invitations- The play bow- Partner responses- Variation between playmates
Sources include original dog social-play and comparative behavior studies.
This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.
Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.
22 Sept 2026
How Dogs Learn Familiar Routines
Every breed has its own ways. See yours, free, at biscuitandyarn.com/breed (https://biscuitandyarn.com/breed?c=lwdbehave-1-notes).
A familiar sequence can become a cue long before a person announces what happens next. Explore what studies reveal about dogs anticipating routines without pretending we can read their private thoughts.
Inside this episode:
- Repeated daily cues- Learning a sequence- Anticipation and behavior- Limits of interpretation
Sources include original canine learning, odor, and routine studies.
This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.
Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.
22 Sept 2026
How Dogs Follow Human Gestures
Every breed has its own ways. See yours, free, at biscuitandyarn.com/breed (https://biscuitandyarn.com/breed?c=lwdbehave-1-notes).
A human points, and a dog may know where to look. This episode examines what pointing experiments show, how context matters, and why performance is not identical in every dog.
Inside this episode:
- Pointing tasks- Context and attention- Differences among dogs- What experiments cannot prove
Sources include original dog pointing, gaze, and free-ranging-dog studies.
This episode is an educational overview, not individual professional advice. Details can vary by context. Corrections are incorporated into future editions.
Follow Life With Dogs: In Context for more episodes.
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