Nat Geo Wild show to examine, evaluate canine intelligence
LOS ANGELES — When her muscles locked and left her unable to move or speak, Wallis Brozman was glad she had a genius for a service dog.
Brozman, who has a movement disorder called dystonia, had taken her retriever mix, Caspin, outside without the pulling harness he wears to guide her. Suddenly, she couldn't move.
Caspin put his neck under her hand until she got a finger looped on his collar, then pushed the door open and pulled her inside.
Caspin ranks as a Protodog, a spontaneous pooch that bonds easily and can solve problems on its own, according to dog intelligence measures set by scientists and trainers. The Dognition Assessment uses 20 games to determine empathy, communication, memory and reasoning.
People can see if their dog is a smarty pants on Nat Geo Wild's three-part series “Is Your Dog a Genius?” airing Friday through Sunday this weekend.
“People will learn about and come to a new understanding of their best friends,” said host Brian Hare, who helped develop the assessment as an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology and member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University.
Owners can buy the games online and get a Dognition Assessment of their dog as an Ace, Charmer, Socialite, Expert, Renaissance Dog, Protodog, Einstein, Maverick or Stargazer.
“Aces” are problem-solvers, socially elite, bond well and are good at almost everything. They try to get away with bad behavior and rely on a sweet face or nuzzling to get themselves out of a pickle.
“Einsteins” are the brainiacs. They can solve problems by looking at the facts in front of them, a key attribute of a genius. However, like brilliant people, Einstein dogs can be socially awkward.
The games show dog brainpower isn't measured like humans' — with an IQ test.
“We don't deal in numbers,” Hare said. “In the animal world, we recognize there are lots of kinds of intelligence, and they vary widely. You can be a genius in one area but not in another.”
