photo credit: alicejamieson via photopin cc
Is your dog smarter than a 5th grader? MENSA ready? Or perhaps, your dog is more aligned with the “short bus” crowd? Well now there is a way to be a bit more certain. Dognition, a web app, allows you to figure out how your dog learns through a series of science-based games.
The How
Through these “science-based” tests, and its extensive research on canine cognitive learning, Dognition claims it can give you a “Profile” for your dog from among nine distinct cognitive styles (shown in the grid below). This learning profile is based both on the dogs social and independent problem solving skills.
via Dognition.com
The thought here is that once you know where your dog falls on this grid, you have a better understanding of what motivates and/or influences your dog, and that you can then use this information for better interactions and training sessions with your buddy.
Then what?
But learning your dog’s personality is just the first step. Dognition calls this the assessment. The assessment will set you back $60.
If, after the assessment, you’re left scratching your head thinking “ok, now what?” that will be an additional $70 a year (current promo – normally $10/month) for a Dognition membership. The Dognition membership includes things like training tips and activities personalized to your dog’s profile, data visualization tools to compare your dog with other dogs, and a 50% discount if you want an assessment done on an additional dog. Oh yeah, you also get an “enhanced portal” with additional monthly games to torment test your dog.
My findings
While I think there could be overall merit in learning what motivates your dog (if you don’t already know) and figuring out their learning style, do I think it’s worth $60? Probably not. Do I think a good trainer could give you this overall information and help you implement corrections/training in a more personalized and effective way? Absolutely.
Also, do yourself a favor and read THIS about what happened when Allie Brosch of the awesome blog Hyperbole and a Half tried to test her dog’s intelligence.
