Heidi Kluess

Dr. Heidi Kluess serves as an Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University, Alabama, where she directs the Human-Dog Bond with Sports and Exercise Laboratory. With 38 peer-reviewed publications, her academic profile bridges human exercise physiology and canine sports science, emphasizing translational research on interspecies health impacts.

Her research investigates how dog sports participation influences body condition, fitness metrics, and cognitive function in both canines and human handlers. Specializing in activities including Obedience, Rally, Barn Hunt, Dock Jumping, and Nosework, she examines physiological mechanisms linking owner-dog dyads through metabolic, cardiovascular, and behavioral lenses. This work uniquely integrates veterinary kinesiology with human sports medicine.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals dominant trends in canine-human exercise physiology, with recurring themes in body condition assessment methodologies, metabolic responses to sport-specific activities, and neuropeptide regulation in dual-species contexts. Her interdisciplinary approach combines molecular exercise biochemistry with observational field studies of dog sports communities.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine

As laboratory director, Dr. Kluess oversees research on canine fitness protocols and human health outcomes within dog sports ecosystems. Her team employs dual-species assessment tools to quantify how competitive activities like Dock Jumping modulate physiological markers in handler-dog pairs, establishing foundational data for veterinary sports medicine and human-animal bond therapeutics.