Hare obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and Psychology from Emory University in 1998.

[2][3][4][5] Hare continued his study of primate and canid cognition at Harvard University, where he was advised by Richard Wrangham.

He joined the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, where he founded the Hominoid Psychology Research Group.

In 2009, he founded the Duke Canine Cognition Center, which has tested the cognitive abilities of pet dogs in the Research Triangle area as well as working dogs from organizations such as Canine Companions for Independence.

[8] With his wife, Vanessa Woods, Hare co-authored the popular science book The Genius of Dogs, which was a New York Times Best Seller.