USA Dog Behavior Podcast
Are you struggling with a dog that is anxious, fearful, or aggressive? You’re at the right place. In this audio podcast series, Scott Sheaffer will explore insights and strategies to guide dog owners, veterinary practices, and dog trainers in overcoming these issues using scientific and humane methods.
USA Dog Behavior Podcast
Can Your iPhone Really Identify Dog Breeds? I Put It to the Test
Can your iPhone really identify dog breeds? In this episode, I'm going to put it to the test.
In this episode of the USA Dog Behavior Podcast, certified dog behavior consultant Scott Sheaffer puts Apple’s dog breed identification feature to the test! If you have an iPhone running iOS 15 or later, your Photos app can automatically detect 350+ dog breeds—but how accurate is it? Scott shares his hands-on experience testing this tool revealing how well it works for purebred and mixed-breed dogs. Plus, he breaks down the simple steps to try it yourself, along with tips for troubleshooting when the feature doesn’t cooperate. Whether you're a dog lover, trainer, or behavior professional, this tech trick could be useful.
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Episode Links:
How to Deal with Visual Look Up Not Working
Can Your iPhone Really Identify Dog Breeds? I Put It to the Test
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Disclaimer
If your dog is aggressive toward humans, consult an experienced, certified canine behavior consultant immediately and ensure your dog cannot harm anyone. This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not replace professional guidance. Scott Sheaffer and USA Dog Behavior, LLC, are not liable for outcomes resulting from the advice provided.
Can Your iPhone Really Identify Dog Breeds? I Put It to the Test
Welcome to the USA Dog Behavior podcast! I'm Scott Sheaffer, a certified dog behavior consultant and behaviorist specializing in all types of canine behavior issues. Today’s episode: Can Your iPhone Really Identify Dog Breeds? I Put It to the Test.
My daughter brought something to my attention recently that I was completely unaware of. If you have a fairly recent model of Apple’s iPhone, and by recent, I mean it must be running iOS 15 or later. If you meet that requirement, did you know that you have an automatic dog breed identification tool? With 350 identified dog breeds in the world, this can be a pretty handy tool for dog lovers and those who work professionally in the dog world.
Let me tell you how this works so you can try it.
Your iPhone is able to look at any dog picture you’ve taken, or any picture you’ve imported into your Photos, and can instantly tell you what breed it is. On top of that, it automatically provides detailed information about that breed as well. Pretty cool.
It works great on purebred dogs. I tested it on a number of mixed-breed dogs and found that it normally indicates the predominant breed. If it gets a little confused about what breed of dog it is, it just indicates “Dog” - not too helpful!
Here’s how you do it:
1. Select a dog photo from your Photos library and open it.
2. Swipe up on the photo.
3. If it can identify the breed, the breed name will appear in the middle of the screen. Otherwise, it will just indicate “Dog.”
4. You can tap the breed name for detailed information about that breed.
It's that simple.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when using this feature:
Apple does its best to identify the dog breed. However, if the photo quality is not the greatest or the angle is odd, it may not work at all. Crickets.
If you give this a try and are having trouble using this feature, see a link I’ve provided in the podcast episode notes titled How to Deal with Visual Look Up Not Working.
I tried it on both of my dogs. It worked perfectly on my Great Pyrenees named Luke. It immediately identified his breed and provided additional breed information with just a touch of the screen. It worked well.
I then tried it on my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Charlie. Same thing. Correctly identified his breed and provided additional information about the breed. Again, worked as advertised.
If you’d like to see screen shots of my tests on my two dogs or the steps required to do this in written form, go to USADogBehavior.com and click on the Blog tab to find an blog post under the same name as this podcast. I’ve also provided a link in the podcast episode notes to this blog post.
Some final thoughts.
This feature works. In my tests it hit virtually 100% of all the purebred dogs I tested. Not bad considering it’s having to look through a library of 350 dog breeds. It had mixed results on mixed-breeds, pun not intended, since it usually just indicates the primary breed, which really is still kind of admirable. The photo quality can impact Apple’s ability to identify the breed.
Apple scores a thumbs up on this feature for dog lovers and dog pros.
Thanks for tuning in. If you enjoy quick insights into dog behavior, don’t forget to subscribe for more bite-sized episodes and leave a review if you find these episodes helpful. You can find us at USADogBehavior.com or follow us on Facebook by searching for USA Dog Behavior. See you next time, now go love your dog.
