Send Your Dog to Duke University!

If your dog is academically inclined, you should have him fill out an application to be a student at the Canine Cognition Center at Duke University. Here's a link for the application:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGYwVzBUd3R1dm45TnZOTXNDVDdUX0E6MA

He doesn't have to have an IQ of 180 or a 4.9 grade point average or be a star athlete. In fact, whether he's a best-of-show purebred or a mutt that you found wandering in the streets, he has a very good chance of being accepted, although probably not right away.

Prof. Brian Hare & Student

Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral?

The Canine Cognition Center, under the direction of Dr. Brian Hare, is studying dog psychology, how dogs think and learn, and how dogs are related to the evolution of our own species. The scientists also hope to improve training programs for dogs who work with humans.

They expect the study to last for years and to involve as many different dogs as possible.

http://evolutionaryanthropology.duke.edu/research/dogs
http://evolutionaryanthropology.duke.edu/research/dogs/lab-alumni

Dr. Hare has started another study, the Dognition Project, which aims to collect information from dog owners all over the world. He launched an app last month (which you can buy for $60) that enables dog owners to record the results of games that they play with their dogs. He suggests that in a single weekend as many as 10,000 - 50,000 people could contribute data to the study. If that happens, he'll not only create lots of jobs to tabulate and interpret the information, but at $60 a person, he'll have plenty of money for their salaries.

https://www.dognition.com/