Kathryn Lord received her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts in Organismic and Evolutionary biology. Her dissertation focused on the evolution and development of dog and wolf behavior. This work involved thousands of hours of observation and hand rearing both dogs and wolves. She is interested in how evolutionary development can help inform our management of domestic and wild species. She accomplishes this research by investigating the origin of behavioral differences between the species, subspecies, and breeds of the genus Canis.
Kathryn is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Hampshire College. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Animal Behavior, Behavioral Processes and Ethology. She has also written chapters for edited volumes by Temple Grandin, Alexandra Horowitz and James Serpell. She has given lectures and workshops internationally including the Chienposium, Quebec, Canada; University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; and Schweizerische Tierärztliche für Verhaltensmedizin, Bern, Switzerland; the University of Padova, Padova, Italy, and Adiestradores Mexicanos Y Aficionados D’Perros, Mexico City, Mexico. And her work on sensory development was recently featured on NOVA, Inside The Animal Mind.
Recorded OnDemand Lecture: The Development of Behavior in Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and Wolves (Canis lupus lupus); What does the dog say?