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General Research

We investigate how domestication, ecology, and human interactions influence social behaviour, cognition, communication, and welfare across domestic, free-ranging, and wild animals. Our research currently focuses on dogs, wolves, foxes, and horses, using comparative approaches to understand how animals adapt to different social, ecological, and human environments.

Research sites

To investigate the effects of domestication without the confounding factor of different experiences, we compare wolves and dogs living at the Core Facility Wolf Science Center (CF-WSC), where animals live in conspecific packs and are highly socialized to humans. Additionally, to understand how the socio-ecology of these species might affect their behaviour, and to evaluate the role of experience on social and physical cognition, we also conduct studies with both wild wolves and free-ranging dogs as well as pet dogs living in Vienna (Clever Dog Lab). In addition, we have started to also investigate foxes living close or in cities as well as horses at private stables.

Why does it matter?

Dogs, wolves, and other animals live at the interface between humans, animals, and ecosystems. Understanding their behaviour is essential for improving animal welfare, supporting conservation and sustainable management, reducing human–wildlife conflict, and promoting coexistence.

Find more about us:

Instagram @domesticationlab.vetmeduni 

Website: https://domesticationlab.wordpress.com/

Current Research

Cognition, Learning & the Brain

Like us, animals adjust to their environment by learning from experience. Dogs and wolves provide an excellent system to investigate the mechanisms underlying learning, memory, problem-solving, decision-making, and their neural foundations. We explore how animals acquire information, perceive their surroundings, and modify their behaviour in response to challenges across different life experiences, such as in pet dogs (FWF: P37052, awarded to Tiago Monteiro) and free-ranging dogs (FWF: P34749). We also explore how these cognitive abilities and behaviours relate to brain organisation and function (FWF ESPRIT: ESP3558625).

Social ecology & Communication

Dogs and wolves are highly social species whose survival depends on communication, cooperation, and relationships within groups. We investigate how social behaviour develops, how individuals coordinate their actions, how communication shapes interactions, how this has changed during domestication, and how it differs across different life experiences and ecology. We investigate these mechanisms in pet dogs (FWF Doctoral College, free-ranging dogs (FWF: PIN4779324, FWF: I5052, FWF: P35753), pack dogs and wolves at the CF-WSC (FWF: PIN4779324), zoo wolves (FWF: PIN4779324) and wild wolves in Yellowstone (FWF: PIN4779324, PhD project).

Human-animal relationship & Coexistence

Humans influence animals not only through direct interactions but also through beliefs, expectations, and decisions. This research investigates how human perceptions shape relationships with domestic and wild species and how animals behave in shared landscapes. This is investigated with pet dogs, pack animals at the CF-WSC, and European human populations (FWF: P34675), free-ranging dogs (FWF: I5052) and with wild wolves in Italy (WWTF: ESR20009).

Past Research

• Cooperation and tolerance: Within the framework of several funded projects (ERC CanCoop 311870, FWF P21244-B17, WWTF project CS11-026 to Zs. Virányi), we have conducted numerous tests at the CF-WSC, comparing wolves’ and dogs’ tolerance and cooperative inclinations both with conspecifics and humans. In contrast to the major domestication hypotheses, we have found that dogs’ cooperative abilities have not been enhanced during domestication but that more subtle differences exist between wolves and dogs that need further investigation.
• Social relationships and the underlying physiology: Based on observational data (CanCoop 311870, FWF P21244-B17) as well as experiments (FWF-OTKA to Z. Virányi), we have been studying the social relationships of wolves and dogs both with conspecifics and human partners over the last years. In 2016 we received funding from the WWTF (CS15-018) to explore the role of oxytocin (OT) in dog domestication. We have been conducting a number of studies both at the CF-WSC and at the CDL, investigating whether the OT system provides the mechanism underlying the establishment and maintenance of social bonds both with conspecifics and with humans.
• Communication and conflict management: Research at the CF-WSC investigated conspecific social behaviour and communication including visual communication (WWTF project CS11-026 to Zs. Viranyi), acoustic communication (in collaboration with Simon Townsend, University of Warwick), and olfactory communication (in collaboration with Matthias Laska, Linköping University). In 2014 we extended this work to include two larger wolf packs - one pack of Arctic wolves (at Olomouc Zoo, Czech Republic) and another pack of European wolves (at Tambach Wildpark in Germany). Within the framework of a Lisa Meitner- FWF scholarship to Simona Cafazzo (M1400-B19), we also started investigating the different conflict management styles of wolves and dogs.
• Personality: Within the framework of the ERC project (CanCoop 311870), we have also investigated aspects of wolves’ and dogs’ personality both in terms of inhibition and in relation to how they approach problems linked to the environment (e.g. different aspects linked to independent problem solving, such as neophobia, persistence, behavioural flexibility etc.).
• Physical cognition: It has also been suggested that during domestication, dogs might have lost some physical cognition skills due to the buffering effect of humans. A project was conducted at the CDL (FWF- 21418 in collaboration with Ludwig Huber) to investigate the understanding of specific physical properties in pet dogs, followed by a project comparing wolves and dogs at the CF-WSC (FWF P33928-B in collaboration with Priv. Doz. Dr. Sabine Tebbich from the University of Vienna).

Student Opportunities

We are often looking for motivated students with interest in animal cognition and behaviour. We offer the possibility of Master’s projects and internships with the possibility of working either at the Core Facility Wolf Science Center (CF-WSC), Clever Dog Lab, or at our field-site in Morocco where we observe free-ranging dogs. For work at the WSC please consult this page. For work at the other facilities please check this table for opportunities and contact Sarah Marshall.

Leading scientists
Friederike Range
Sarah Marshall-Pescini

Junior scientists/Post docs
Tiago Monteiro
Sandro Sehner
Sevim Isparta

PhD students
Jakob Beck
Ursa Blenkus
Svenja Capitain
Dario Staric 
Melissa Vanderheyden
Juliana Werneck Wallner Mendes
Siqi Yang-Fu
Sarah Verrart

Collaborations
Zsófia Virányi (Vetmeduni)
Kurt Kotrschal (Vienna University)
Ludwig Huber (Vetmeduni)
Claus Lamm (Vienna University)
Simon Townsend (University of Warwick)
Klaus Zuberbühler (Université de Neuchâtel)
Malgorzata Pilot (University of Gdańsk))
Sarah Brosnan (Georgia State University)
Tobias Deschner (Max-Planck-Institut für evolutionäre Anthropologie)
Anna Kukekova (University of Illinois)
Rupert Palme (Vetmeduni)
Giulia Cimarelli (Wageningen University)
Martina Lazzaroni (University of Parma)

Collaborations FWF Grants

Tommaso Gerussi (Università degli Studi di Palermo) 
Onur Güntürkün (Ruhr-Universität Bochum) 
Rob Hampton (Emory University)
Gwendolyn Wirobski (Universite de Neuchatel) 
Andreas Berghänel (Universität Hildesheim) 
Alexandrina Guran (MSH Medical School Hamburg) 
Marco Apollonio (University of Sassari) 
Rudi Brogi (University of Sassari) 
Carmela Musto (University of Bologna) 
Duccio Berzi (Canislupus Italia Onlus) 
Romolo Caniglia (University of Bologna)
Massimo Scandura (University of Sassari)