Do you want to be part of a research project? Help scientists to collect data!
You may have observed your own dog twirling to and fro for no apparent reason prior to “going about their business“. A recent and on-going study (http://www.frontiersinzoology.com/content/pdf/1742-9994-10-80.pdf) notes that dogs tend to align their bodies along a north-south axis when defecating or urinating. Preliminary research suggests that dogs may have an internal compass to sense the direction of magnetic North.
This app provides a convenient tool to measure and record your own dogs alignment during defecation and marking. All you have to do is to align the phone parallel to your dog and press the button. The data will be directly sent to the research institute starting your participation immediately. (Please note, that you will not see the results, but you might request your data at the end of the study. We will need approximately 100 samples of your dog.)
USING THE APP
Note: If not already on, the „location setting“ should be enabled on your phone. If the „submit data“ button (below the arrow) is not enabled, you may have to calibrate the location mode by using the built-in compass app first.
SET-UP INFO
1) SET EMAIL
First after you install the app is to enter your email address and submit it by tapping the button „Participate in experiment“. This will redirect to a second screen „Dog Experiment“. You only set your email the first time using the app.
2) SET DOG PROFILES
On the „Dog Experiment“ page, details about each participating dog are provided by tapping the „+“ button. Please enter your dogs name, and choose, SEX, AGE CLASS, and BREED from the spinning wheels. When all four items are complete tap the „Done“ button. The dog will appear in the „Dog Experiment“ screen. For more than one dog, repeat.
This only needs to be done when you first install the app, or to add a new dog.
3) START MEASURING
To take a reading of a dog, tap the „Start Measuring“ button. (You assign the measurement to (one of) the dog(s) afterwards.) The measurement screen shows a black arrow on white ground. Align the arrow with the long axis of your dog when it starts to go. Hold the phone horizontally with the head of the arrow pointing toward the dogs head and parallel to the dogs spine. If the phone is not held horizontally, a measurement is not possible. If you are unsure how to measure, press the „?“ (a picture appears of how to align the phone). Best if the dog is off-leash and free to spin around. When the phone is aligned with the dog, tap the „Submit direction“ button or the arrow.
4) SPECIFY THE MEASUREMENT
Next a screen appears, where you choose the dog, and indicate whether the dog was leashed or off-leash, urinated or defecated, and whether it was circling or not circling before it let go. If the dog circles, choose either clockwise, counter-clockwise or both. If all details are given, tap the „Submit Data“ button. Then the arrow appears for the next measurement. The data will be sent directly to the research institute.
SUBMITTING THE DATA
If you are not in reach of WLAN during measurement, the data will not be submitted using your mobile data connections, but it will be saved for later data submittance. Please open the MAGNOR app next time you are in reach of WLAN. The data will then be transmitted automatically.
We thank you for your participation in this study.