Light and dark blue text reading "BRAY LAB Behavioral Research Across Years University of Arizona" with dogs in the Bs

Welcome to the BRAY Lab!


At the BRAY (Behavioral Research Across Years) lab, we study how dogs think, problem solve, and interact with their world and our own species, including the various factors that influence those behaviors over the life course. The BRAY lab is directed by Dr. Emily Bray, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine. We seek to answer all the questions below and more within our main study species, the domestic dog.

Image from The Seeing Eye

How do your earliest interactions affect the rest of your life?

Image from The Seeing Eye

Why is impulse control so difficult in some contexts but not others?

Image from Canine Companions

Dog looking at plastic cylinder
Labrador Retriever looking up at the camera

When can we detect warning signs of cognitive decline?

Image from Canine Companions

What are the characteristics of a successful working dog, and how soon can we tell?

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Five dogs wearing graduation caps
Five yellow puppies

Will the puppies outsmart me today? (Invariably, yes.)

Image from Canine Companions


Watch our research in action!

Read more about our work on Our Research page!