Local Dog Trainers Go To Duke University

L to R: Brad, Cody, Lisa, Gibson

Local Dog Trainers Go To Duke University

Brad and Lisa Waggoner of Cold Nose College have just returned from their second trip to Durham, NC where they participated in a study in a canine cognition at Duke University.

Professor Brian Hare is testing hundreds of dogs to determine how they make decisions. It seems that dogs in many ways process information better than our closest relatives in nature, the chimpanzees and bonobos.  Last year Gibson, their 6 year old Aussie, was invited to take part in the study, now it was Cody’s turn. “Cody is a 2 1/2 year old Australian Shepard who came from the Valley River Humane Society and is a bit more active than his older brother, so we were interested to see how he would do with the exercises presented him.  The tasks were a little different from our first visit and were designed to determine whether a dog had a response strategy or a place strategy when released to find an object.  There were also tasks to determine whether there was a preference for left or right or one area over another based on the trials,” said Brad.

The responses from all of the dogs will be analyzed and compared with the responses of all the other dogs to pull together a better understanding of canine cognitive abilities. “All of this, of course, is fascinating to us as it relates directly to how we train at Cold Nose College. A better understanding of how a dog processes information will lead to more effective training techniques, better and faster learning and a better relationship with our dogs.” You can read more about the Duke Canine Cognition Center at www.evolutionaryanthropology.duke.edu/dogs

Brad and Lisa Waggoner, owners of Cold Nose College, are certified trainers dedicated to force free training. They provide training and behavior consulting in the tri-state area of North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee.  www.coldnosecollege.com