ORLANDO, Fla. – Whether they're eating our clothes, making a mess, or ignoring us completely -- we've all wondered why our pets do the things they do. Now, a new program called "Dognition" promises to take you inside your dog's head like never before.
We showed the test to Helaine and Bob Weidner, an Orlando couple that's running out of room in their home, because they're sharing the space with four greyhounds.
"If we had a bigger place, we'd probably have more," says Helaine Weidner.
In their house, on dog in particular, two-year-old Kennedy, really stands out from the rest.
"She's a little troublemaker," says Helaine Weidner. "She likes to take my husband's hats, she rips them up."
That's why the couple says they are looking for answers.
"She tends to be a little on the destructive side," says Bob Weidner. "If I can learn something, what's going through their head, I would be thrilled to know more."
This couple got that chance thanks to Dognition -- a program created by scientists at Duke University the promises to reveal secrets about your pet's personality and how they think, so you can better understand, train, and bond with them.
After finishing the two-hour test, you get a full report that shows how smart your dog is.
The Weidners broke their test up into a couple days -- first, seeing how long Kennedy would hold Helaine's gaze, and how well she followed commands.
"I would think the ones that could benefit the most would be the pet owners, dog owners that are first-time dog owners and still learning," says Bob Weidner.
Someone who agrees with that is Todd Langston, a dog behavior expert who's been training man's best friend for nearly a decade.
Langston used Dognition with his four-year-old pet, Almondine.
"I liked the direction, I liked the concept," said Langston. "I didn't see it give any advice, it was more a measurement. In my opinion, it's too scientific."
We heard the same thing from the Weidners. They say that Dognition didn't give them the answers they were hoping for.
"It kind of told me what I already knew," says Helaine Weidner. "I know she's mischievous, it said she's wily, I wanted to know why. It didn't really explain to me why."
Of course, every dog is different -- and Todd Langston says this test can help certain people.
'Let's say they just got a dog from a rescue or they adopted it, I think what you'll get out of it is how well your dog follows your direction," says Langston.
The basic version of Dognition costs $30. But for $100, you'll have access to a team of dog experts, so you can find out why your pet eats your hats, or why they act differently around certain people.
To sign up and buy Dognition, and to learn more about the program, click here.