A video course · The history & science of dogs
For at least thirty-five thousand years, dogs have been reading us, and quietly shaping who we are. This course gathers what archaeology, genetics and the new science of dog cognition now know, and turns it into a closer relationship with the dog on your couch.
Taught by Jennifer Bishop-JenkinsHistorian, educator and Certified Master Groomer since 1985
Why they look at you like that
Dogs evolved a small muscle, the levator anguli oculi medialis, that lifts the inner brow. It makes their eyes look larger and sadder, and it triggers a caregiving response in us. Wolves mostly lack it. Your dog's "puppy eyes" are an evolutionary conversation with you.
Kaminski et al., PNAS 2019When you and your dog hold eye contact, oxytocin rises in both of you. It is the same hormonal feedback loop found between human parents and infants. It doesn't happen with hand-raised wolves. Looking at each other is part of how the bond is built.
Nagasawa et al., Science 2015Point at a cup and a puppy with no training will go to it. Our closest primate relatives struggle with the same task. Dogs seem to have been selected, over millennia, for reading human communicative intent. That changes how you should "talk" to yours.
Hare et al., Science 2002Free one-minute introduction
What the course covers, why she made it, and one thing about your dog you will never un-see. A short welcome before you decide.
No sign-up needed. If it moves you, the eight full lessons are , or with weekly live Q&A with Jennifer through December.
The course
A survey of what we actually know: history first, then the science, then what it means for the animal beside you. Each lesson is a video you can watch at your own pace, with notes and references beneath it.
Your guide
MA History · MS Education · ICMG · PGC · CCE
"We wouldn't be who we are without them. I want people to feel the weight of that, and then see it in the way their own dog looks at them tonight."
Jennifer is a historian by training and a dog person by lifelong habit. She taught history for nearly thirty years, in high school, gifted junior high and as an adjunct college instructor, and served as an academic dean before turning fully to dogs. She has been a Certified Master Groomer since 1985, showed her first dog at 22, and has owned, bred or titled champions from German Shepherds and Great Pyrenees to Poodles and Australian Shepherds.
Her salon, Love Fur Dogs in Glencoe, Illinois, was named Best Groomer in Chicagoland by the Chicago Tribune a year after it opened. As the author of Groomers Guide to the Fifteen Coat Types, a regular columnist for Groomer to Groomer, and Barkleigh Honors Journalist of the Year 2025, she has taught thousands of professionals that care should follow the science of the animal in front of you. Oldest Friendship brings that same standard to the people who simply love their dogs.
Jennifer lives in Virginia with her husband Bill, their Australian Shepherds and Miniature Poodles. More at groomersguide.com.
Two ways to join
Every member gets the full course. If you want Jennifer in your corner while you work through it, join the live Q&A: a session every week through December.
The Course
Secure checkout via Stripe. 14-day refund if it isn't for you.
With Jennifer Live Q&A
Secure checkout via Stripe. 14-day refund if it isn't for you.
Live Q&A
On the With Jennifer plan, Jennifer hosts a live session on Zoom every week. You get a calendar invite by email, so it shows up on your phone with a reminder. Ask about the lesson, ask about your dog, or just listen to other owners' questions.
Why does mine stare at me while I eat? Is the head tilt what I think it is? Bring what you notice at home and get an answer grounded in the research.
Coat, skin, feeding and handling aren't separate from the relationship. Jennifer has taught groomers for decades. Bring those questions too.
Questions
The course
Anyone who lives with a dog and wants to understand them better. You don't need to be a trainer, a breeder or a scientist. If you've ever wondered why your dog stares at you, tilts their head, or sighs when you leave the room, this is for you.
No. It won't teach you to stop the pulling on the leash. It will teach you why your dog pulls, watches, sniffs and sighs the way they do. Most students find their training improves anyway, because they understand what they're working with.
None. Every idea is explained from scratch. The references are there for people who want to go further, not as homework.
No. The course is about dogs as a species and the relationship all of them share with us. Lesson 9 looks at breeds specifically, and Lesson 10 at ageing, but everything applies whether you have a puppy, a senior, a purebred or a mystery from the shelter.
Eight lessons, plus the short introduction. Most people watch one a week. You can also watch them all in a weekend; there is no schedule and no deadline.
For as long as the course exists. Buy once, come back whenever your dog does something you can't explain. If the science moves and a lesson is updated, you get the update.
Yes. Everything is built for mobile as well as desktop, so you can watch on the couch with the subject of the course beside you.
Buying and signing in
Both include all the lessons and notes. The Course is just that. With Jennifer adds a live 40-minute Q&A on Zoom every week through December, where you can ask her about the lesson, about your own dog, or about coat and skin care, which she has taught professionally for decades.
Right after checkout you land back here and enter the email you paid with. We email you a sign-in link; tap it and the lessons open. That device stays signed in for six months. On a new device, click "Member sign-in", enter your email, and tap the fresh link. There is no password to remember.
Use the contact link in the footer and tell Jennifer both addresses; she can switch it in a minute. Until then, sign in with the email you used at checkout.
Yes. At checkout, enter the recipient's email address instead of your own; that is the address they will sign in with. Then tell them to go to oldestfriendship.com and click "Member sign-in" whenever you want the gift to land.
If the course isn't for you, email within 14 days of buying and you'll get a full refund, no questions asked.
Payments are handled by Stripe, which processes payments for millions of businesses. We never see or store your card details.
The weekly Q&A
Once a week on Zoom, through December. After you buy the With Jennifer plan, Jennifer emails you a calendar invitation with the Zoom link; it lands on your calendar with a reminder, in your own time zone. The day and time are set before launch and will be shown here.
Come to the ones you can. Sessions aren't recorded, so what people share about their own dogs stays in the room, but there is nothing to catch up on; every week starts fresh with whatever people bring.
Not at all. Plenty of people come to listen. Other people's dogs turn out to be very interesting.
Yes. Use the contact link in the footer; Jennifer will send you a link to pay the difference and switch your plan.
Your course
Welcome. Watch in order or skip to what you're curious about; each lesson stands on its own. Notes and references sit beneath every video.