How well an animal solves new problems can be measured by timing the tasks directly. You set up three timed challenges for six German Shepherds — three males and three females. In the first, a biscuit goes under a box while the dog watches. In the second, a towel covers the dog's face. In the third, a biscuit hides beneath a towel. You time how long each dog takes and assign points based on speed, so faster dogs score higher. In this experiment, the female dogs completed all three tasks in less time than the males and earned higher total scores.