I really want to win a ribbon. I also need a project that is for middle or high school, or I won't get a good grade.
2006-09-26 11:33:19 · 4 answers · asked by Simple Plan Fan 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Mmmm, animal testing. There are the conditioning experiments mentioned by other people, or you could do something fun like adapt a rat/mouse maze-running experiment to your dog and see how it does.
2006-09-26 20:56:11 · answer #1 · answered by candy2mercy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If your looking for an actual experiment - the Pavlov's Dog project other's have mentioned, is a good one. If your looking for ideas for a research paper - you could compare the differences and similarities between your dog and ancestral wolves.
As Man took wolves into our own "pack" they underwent several significant behavioral and physical changes thanks to selective breeding on our part. However, as far as dogs have differentiated from their wolf ancestors - speciation has not become so great that a wolf and a dog can't conceive viable puppies (puppies also able to give birth). Albeit, if you have a small dog like a mexican hairless, or a shitzu - the sheer difference in size may be the only factor in such an odd cross-breed (could a shitzu mom bear such potentially large pups).
To pull together such a project, you'll have to do some research in evolution, anatomy, behavior, and history - but given the right resources, charts, graphs, and photos - you could have a heck of an impressive display for your science project.
2006-09-26 19:23:56 · answer #2 · answered by gshprd918 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pavlov actually won a Nobel prize studying the dogs' digestive system but he is more famous for his work in conditioned response, which is basically where you train an animal (or a person) to do certain things. Pavlov trained his dogs by ringing a bell and feeding them treats till they associated the sound of the bell with them getting treats. Once he stopped giving them treats, they still drooled when they heard the bell. Maybe you could train your dog to do something cute/silly/whatever based on a sound. Prepare a nice presentation on Pavlov's research so people stopping by to see your experiment would know where you got your ideas; make it more scientific than just "I trained my dog to roll over" and spend some time explaining the theory of conditioned response. Sounds like a winner to me!
2006-09-26 18:39:15 · answer #3 · answered by dcgirl 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Read up on Pavlov's dog. Do an internet search. You will need a bell and his food dish. That is all I will tell you.
2006-09-26 18:36:18 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋