Have you ever wondered - What's the smartest breed of dog? Are dogs really as smart as 4 year-old children? Why do people say cats aren't as smart as dogs? Can I teach my dog specific games that will make him smarter? The recent interest in the cognitive abilities of dogs, and other animals, has led to some surprising findings - evidence for abilities that, 20 years ago, we didn't think animals were capable of. For example, dogs being able to learn the names of as many as 1,000 different objects; the ability to learn the significance of human gestures; and the ability to detect biological scents and/or behaviors that precede seizures and are associated with certain cancers. Clearly, the full spectrum of the cognitive and sensory abilities of dogs has yet to be fully revealed. These findings are causing changes to our views of dogs, and to the ways we train them. But this new scientific information about the dog's cognitive abilities is accompanied by unscientific claims and sensationalism about canine intelligence. So what do we really know about intelligence in dogs, or other species for that matter? Is studying intelligence the same thing as studying the cognitive abilities of dogs and other animals? In this webinar you'll learn: What intelligence means and why it is not a very helpful concept Why comparing the intelligence of different species - dogs vs cats, dolphins vs people - is a futile exercise Why different breeds of dogs often score differently on different tests A more fruitful way to think about animal cognition and variations in performance among individuals What is known - or not - about how to improve and/or maintain a dog's cognitive abilities throughout its lifespan How and why our expanding knowledge of the cognitive and emotional abilities of animals are even leading some people to call for more rights for dogs, based in part on their supposed human-like abilities. And the ramifications of such an

Sponsor:Animal Behavior Associates
Speaker(s):Suzanne Hetts, Ph.D., and Daniel Estep, Ph.D., Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists

Contact: Tracey
 Email: info@animalbehaviorassociates.com
 Phone: 303-932-9095
 Web: http://BehaviorEducationNetwork.com/