It turns out Dognition is also a great way to create new activities for you and Fido to complete together. You'll never get bored. Check out how the site puts together a analysis of your dog's inner genius below.
When Dogster asked if I wanted to review Dognition, an online assessment of pup personality, I thought, “Sure!” Then I went to the website and saw “Is your dog a genius?” in big red letters. I hesitated a bit because I already knew the answer to that question: Riggins isn’t a genius, but he’s smart enough for me.
Putting my hesitation aside, Riggins and I jumped in. Dognition has you create a basic profile and then gets right to the point – the games!
The site takes you through a series of games in five different areas: Empathy, Communication, Cunning, Memory, and Reasoning. After each section, you are given an analysis on how your pup performed and what it may mean, plus the ability to share your dog’s results on your Facebook page.
Riggins did not do as well in Communication. Although, that set of games included a ton of treats, so he enjoyed it quite a bit. My sweet little C student!
After all games are played and results are recorded, the site puts each pup into one of nine profiles: Ace, Charmer, Socialite, Expert, Renaissance Dog, Protodog, Einstein, Maverick, or Stargazer. This final analysis is meant to help you better understand how your pup communicates and thinks.
There are four things about Dognition that really stood out to me, besides being a fun time for us:
1. The data
Before becoming a dog sitter, I was in media research and media intelligence. I sold, analyzed, and made sense of data. I LOVE data. Dognition does a great job of collecting and sharing its data in a very easy to understand way.
2. The great minds
There is an impressive list of Dognition experts who have contributed, or continue to contribute, to the site and the science behind it. Dr. Brian Hare, the co-founder, is seen throughout your time on the site, helping you through each section and explaining what you will be learning.3. Easy and fun games
Dognition does a wonderful job of visually walking you through each game. It’s nearly impossible to screw up. I did alter certain games to suit my personal conditions, though.
4. No judgment
I judge, but the site does not! Even though Riggins didn’t do well in the Communication area, the analysis of his results were very nice and were spun to be sweet and positive. I appreciated that. I don’t need a site to tell me that my dog is lower than average. I can read a data chart. I get the point.
Don't be worried about what the site may think of your dog. Like the article on Dogster mentions, there is no judgment involved! This site is meant for you to get to know your furry friend better and improve their communication in the process. Plus — maybe they'll learn more about you and how much their owner loves to have fun with them!
