Golden retriever in a sunlit meadow
ONE COMPLETE PLATFORM

The Intelligent Health Companion for Your Dog's Life

Everything Your Dog's Mind and Health Deserve

The Dognition Assessment, Challenges, Puppy Kindergarten, and Check-Ins—plus veterinary records and a lifetime video history of your dog, all in one place.

The 2026 Dog Photo Contest Winners

Featured in the media

60 MinutesThe New York TimesNat Geo WildThe Wall Street JournalTodayDateline
Featured in the media

Inside the Mind of a Dog

Netflix documentary narrated by Rob Lowe exploring canine cognition and the human-dog bond, featuring Dr. Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods and the Duke Puppy Kindergarten. Directed by Andy Mitchell.

How it works

From video to insight in three steps

Record everyday moments. Our AI reads them. You get an honest, science-backed cognitive profile of your dog.

REC 00:30

Step 1

Record a short video of your dog

30 seconds of everyday behavior — a walk, a play session, a greeting.

Step 2

Unlock DognitionGPT AI scientific analysis

Our model reads behavior, gait, and social cues the way Dr. Hare's lab does.

Profile

Ace · The All-Rounder

Genius

Cognitive DNA

  • Empathy
  • Communication
  • Cunning
  • Memory
  • Reasoning

Step 3

Track your dog's cognitive & behavioral insights

Monitor development over time to better understand your best friend.

See what their profile revealed

Read More Stories →

Gus is an Ace — off the chart in empathy. The games were fun for both of us. Thanks, Dognition!

Ace
Jerilyn D. & Gus
Quincy, IL

Playing these games reinforced the bond I already have with Bruce Wayne — and it was just as fun for him as it was for me. Now that connection is backed by science.

Stargazer
Meesha & Bruce Wayne, Chihuahua

A completely new way to see my dogs. I have two retired racing greyhounds, and I got confirmation that they're two distinct individuals.

Charmer
Rachel B. & Anna & Parker
Hillsborough, NC

Dognition exceeded my expectations. It's fun to discover things you didn't know about your dog — and confirm the things you suspected.

Einstein
Cindy L. & Moby
Chapel Hill, NC

WE UNDERSTAND

Get Dognition,
Because your dog
is family

Because your dog is family. We understand — that's why Dr. Brian Hare & Vanessa Woods, along with the world's leading canine scientists, built Dognition. Now, that same science powers something bigger: CanineQ — a living, learning record of your dog's mind and body, for life.

Beyond "Woof"

Every dog has a mind of their own — a unique way of thinking, learning, and solving problems. The Dognition Assessment, now built into CanineQ, reveals the five dimensions of your dog's cognition: empathy, communication, cunning, memory, and reasoning. Through science-based games, you'll get a real window into the personality behind those bright eyes.

Your Dog's Story, Still Being Written

A single assessment was just the beginning. CanineQ turns it into an ongoing story. Upload videos of your dog's everyday life, and our canine AI — trained on years of Dr. Hare and Vanessa's research — analyzes how they move, play, and engage with the world. Layer in health monitoring, and you get something no one's ever had before: a longitudinal, science-backed record of your dog's cognitive and physical life, milestone by milestone.

One Profile. A Lifetime of Insight.

CanineQ doesn't just tell you who your dog is today — it shows you how they're growing, changing, and thriving over time. It's the deepest, most complete picture of your dog ever built, powered by the same experts who started this journey with Dognition, and reimagined for everything a dog's life actually is: ongoing.

See How it Works
Dr. Brian Hare holding a golden retriever puppy
Dr. Brian Hare and his dog Tassie

A Deeper Bond

Go beyond "sit" and "stay" to understand the why behind your dog's behavior with science-backed insights.

  • Personalized cognitive insights
  • Science-based communication

Tailored Learning

Every dog learns differently. Get personalized, expert-backed activities based on your dog's unique strengths.

  • Custom activity plans
  • Track progress over time

Ready To Play & Learn ?

Choose the plan that fits how deeply you want to understand your dog.  It's all served up in our CanineQ App.

Gift

Send a dog lover a gift!

Give a gift
Explorer
$3.99/mo
billed monthly
Start Explorer — $3.99/mo

14-day money-back guarantee

Dr. Hare Assessment
  • 20 Dr. Hare cognitive games
  • Cognitive profile
  • Included
    Cognitive profile report (yours to keep)
AI Features
  • Unlimited
    DognitionGPT questions
  • 10/mo
    Video analysis
  • Breed-aware behavior analysis
Explorer Features
  • 14-day money-back guarantee
  • Monthly AI insights
  • Weekly Challenges & Games
  • Health Concerns

Frequently asked questions

What is Dognition?

Dognition is an at-home cognitive assessment for dogs, built on research from the Duke Canine Cognition Center. You play 20 short science-based games with your dog, record what your dog chooses, and Dognition scores the results across five cognitive dimensions to produce one of nine cognitive profiles. More than 122,000 dogs have been assessed.

How does the dog IQ test work?

You play the games at home using everyday items such as cups, treats and a piece of paper. Each game is an adapted version of a laboratory experiment, and you record your dog's choice rather than your opinion of your dog. Dognition compares those choices to the assessment population and reports where your dog sits on empathy, communication, cunning, memory and reasoning.

Who created Dognition?

Dognition was co-founded in 2013 by Dr. Brian Hare, Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University and founder of the Duke Canine Cognition Center, and Vanessa Woods, a research scientist at the same lab. They are the co-authors of the New York Times bestsellers The Genius of Dogs and Puppy Kindergarten.

How long does the assessment take?

Most owners complete the assessment across two to three sessions of roughly 20 minutes each. Games are deliberately short because dogs perform best in brief, low-pressure sessions, and you can stop and resume at any point.

Does Dognition work for puppies and senior dogs?

Yes. The games require no prior training and no physical exertion, so puppies, adult dogs and seniors can all take part. Cognitive style changes with age, so many owners reassess later to see how their dog's profile has shifted.

122,021 dogs assessed