The Genius of Dogs
By Dr. Brian Hare & Vanessa Woods · New York Times Bestseller
The journey began with a gut reaction. When Dr. Brian Hare watched chimpanzees fail to read a simple human hand gesture in a cognition test, he blurted out, "My dog can do that!" The professor running the test challenged him to prove it — sending Dr. Hare on what became a 15-year odyssey to unlock the cognitive and evolutionary mysteries of our four-legged friends.
Every dog is a genius in their own way
That research opened up startling discoveries about the intelligence of dogs: not that some dogs are "smarter" than others, but that every dog is a genius in their own way, with a unique cognitive style. The Genius of Dogs became the New York Times bestseller that introduced the world to this new science — and inspired everything that followed.
"The Genius of Dogs is a fantastic book. It makes it very clear that there are different kinds of intelligence."
"Thoroughly researched and written in the likable voice of a brainy scientist sitting at your kitchen table."
"With the help of some wolves, Russian foxes, New Guinea singing dogs and a Labrador Retriever named Oreo, Brian Hare tells us about his fascinating search for an understanding of how dogs think and communicate."
From the book to your living room
The discoveries in The Genius of Dogs didn't stay in the lab. Dr. Hare and his team used this research to build the first canine cognition assessment anyone could use at home — an idea that began as the Dognition Experience and lives on today in CanineQ, which brings the power of AI and video analysis to understanding how your own dog thinks.
About the authors
Dr. Brian Hare is the founder and director of the Duke Canine Cognition Center and a Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology and of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University — one of the world's leading experts on canine cognition. Vanessa Woods is an award-winning author, journalist, and research scientist who directs the Duke Puppy Kindergarten. Together they are also the authors of Survival of the Friendliest and Puppy Kindergarten, and are featured in the Netflix documentary Inside the Mind of a Dog.
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