A new podcast series aims to illuminate the mysteries of dog psychology.
Hosted by Brian Hare, associate professor of evolutionary anthropology, the “DogSmarts” series is a collaboration between Dognition—a company co-founded by Hare and Kipp Frey, professor of the practice of public policy and law—Purina Pro and Panoply Media, a podcast network launched by Slate Magazine. Hare noted that the podcast attempts to connect more people with Dognition, which involves a website that provides paid access to a series of games that can be played by dogs and their owners to provide greater insight into dogs' minds and personalities.
“Not everyone is going to read a book and not everybody is going to play Dognition. Not everyone is going to want to watch a documentary on PBS or National Geographic,” Hare said. “I love that we get the opportunity to communicate through a podcast.”
The podcast seeks to answer common questions faced by dog owners, such as why their pet begs, why they might get lost and if their dog loves them, Hare explained. Each episode features interviews with scientists from around the world who study animal psychology and physiology.
Those interviews were part of the reason Hare found the experience of making the series so enjoyable, he noted.
“I was interviewing my colleagues and that led to some funny moments because I knew stuff that a journalist might not know about the people’s research and asked questions about stuff that might not have come up otherwise,” he said.
Episodes include "Memory Master," which examines canine memory, and "Internal Compass," in which Hare explains how dogs use the Earth's magnetic field to navigate.
The Dognition company emerged out of research from the Duke Canine Cognition Center, which Hare founded in 2009. The service provides assessments and interactive games to evaluate the cognitive styles of user’s dogs.
“The whole goal of Dognition is to make people understand that not all science is rocket science and that you can participate,” Hare said.
Since its creation, Dognition has received widespread media attention and led to a three-part series on "National Geographic WILD" hosted by Hare called “Is Your Dog a Genius?” in 2015.
Last year, the company released its first scientific paper which evaluated whether citizen science can offer useable data in animal research. The answer? It can, and the large quantity of data can help scientists answer new questions, the team found.
Hare explained that the company is seeking to expand the use of its dog assessments in schools and in animal shelters. Shelters that have already used the service to create cognitive profiles for their dogs have had success in increasing adoptions, he noted.
“That gives you a lot more info to go on,” Hare said. “It gets people excited about a dog in a way other information doesn’t.”
The “DogSmarts” series of podcasts is available on iTunes and Google Play.
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Adam Beyer is a senior public policy major and is The Chronicle's Digital Strategy Team director.