Blue, the high-energy Expert

Blue, is an adorable 2-year-old male Catahoula mix living in Maryland. He was rescued as a puppy from the Pet Rescue Alliance in Alexandria, VA.

Blue is a Dognition “Expert,” a great problem-solver with an excellent memory. Blue’s Mom considers him to be “an incredibly important part of our family, and enriching his life enriches our lives too.” His mom shared some fun facts about Blue and what she learned about him after playing the Dognition science-based cognition games.

The Blue Scoop. Blue is HIGH ENERGY. He’s like a dog-shaped pogo stick, bouncing all the time. He loves to play, especially fetch, and he outruns me on every jog. He is very independent: not much of a cuddler, but he’s affectionate, always coming by for a pet and to give kisses. He likes other dogs, but he isn’t great at a crowded dog park: he’ll only play with us and doesn’t like when other dogs pester him. So we mostly just have a few other dog friends over to play instead. (We have another, younger rescue dog at home now too.)

Blue’s Puppy Days. Blue was a mischievous puppy – he ate hats, sunglasses, part of a couch, etc. We wanted to find out how best to occupy and interest him, and learn more about training him ourselves. That’s why we decided to try Dognition, after seeing it on the 60 Minutes episode about Chaser, the Border Collie.

Blue the Expert. Blue’s cognitive style is a Dognition ‘Expert’ [see Blue’s Profile Report].

Blue is not as food-motivated as many dogs seem to be, which was surprising! He was good at choosing the right cup or hand to find the treat, but once he knew how to do it, he wasn’t interested in repeating it too many times just for the treat. When we’d go to the next game, he’d get fully interested again.

Once we realized how well he solves problems, we started being much more careful about putting away things he might want, closing doors fully, etc. to keep both him and our belongings safe! We also got some problem-solving toys that aren’t just about treat rewards to keep him occupied much longer.

Blue’s Hobbies. Blue is a fantastic Frisbee dog, making very acrobatic catches, and he absolutely adores swimming. We take him on our stand-up paddle board, but he usually leaps off and swims ahead, so it looks like we’re chasing him.