Welcome to the Giant Database of Dogs!

The Giant Databse of Dogs is a classroom-designed data collection project. A short survey produces crowd-sourced data designed for analysis by an introductory statistics or research design class. Crucially, analysis is possible entirely independent of any prior knowledge, either from a substantive discipline or about dogs. Faculty should see the brief (4 page) introductory document that describes the dataset and suggests classroom use ideas. It also contains a 2 page handout for students that mimics a professional codebook and includes the data collection instrument.

Access the dataset: Version 2.0, released 1 Sept 2025 (CSV format)

Instructor Packet: Faculty User Guide

Paper Abstract

This short paper introduces a data set of dogs constructed explicitly for pedagogical purposes. The simple cross-sectional structure and easily understandable variables allow students from any academic background to analyze the data. No substantive background is necessary; intuitive guesses allow students to hypothesize without any prior knowledge. Moreover, the regular updating process allows students to contribute to the data, as well as faculty to use the same assignment each term with results that will differ to deter plagiarism. The data are suitable for analysis in MS Excel as well as in any standard statistical program.

Instructors who can be verified as such via institutional email and profile may request sample problem set ideas by emailing Leanne@Leannecpowner.com. An additional collection of dog photos appropriate for gracing your classroom slides is available in the Dog Pics zip file. All photos are shared with their respective owners' permissions.

Adding Dogs

New dogs are always welcome in the dataset! We can never have too many good puppers! To add your good doggo to the Giant Dataset of Dogs, please complete the brief Google form, once for each dog you wish to add. New entries will be included in the next release of the dataset.