In 2019, after reading Teach Your Dog to Read by Bonnie Bergin, ED. D. with Sharon Hogan, I began attempting to teach Teddy to read. But unfortunately, that effort came to a screeching halt when the Fire Prevention Sprinkler System in my home exploded, and we were displaced for months while repairs proceeded. So now I want to start again and include Bear and Summer this time. You might ask why because a dog will never be able to read sentences, let alone a book. Well, it’s fun, and there are benefits.
Dogs are intelligent, eager-to-please animals who can learn many skills with patience and positive reinforcement. Reading is no exception! According to Bonnie Bergin and Sharon Hogan’s book Teach Your Dog To Read, teaching your dog to read can enrich your dog’s life by providing mental stimulation and helping reduce boredom because dogs love to learn new things and spend time with us.
The author of the book, Teach Your Dog to Read, Bonnie Berlin, ED.D., is not a professional dog trainer. Instead, she applied what she knew about how children learn to teach a dog. As a result, she was amazed by the cognitive capabilities of dogs. She noted that previously all dog training involved physical conditioning, and now she wanted to train their minds. For three decades, she worked with dogs and continues to be amazed by their extraordinary capacity for learning.
“Someday, dogs may be able to combine their reading skills with their exceptional sense of smell to help scientists identify different types of cancers or other diseases. Dogs skilled at reading can also be indispensable to people with disabilities. For example, a person with a visual impairment can say the command “exit”: his guide dog will scan the walls for an exit sign, then lead the person to the door. In airports and shopping malls, a dog who can read can find the proper male or female or accessible restroom symbol for a person who is visually impaired or physically challenged.
Reading dogs can also transcend their usual role as man’s best friend to become teachers and aides. When they can strut their stuff in classrooms and libraries, they can inspire and encourage children who struggle to read.”
Steps:
1. Prepare a space: Select an area at home that will be comfortable for you and your pet, where you both have enough room to move around freely without any distractions. Ensure that you have plenty of treats handy!
2. One word at a time: Make flash cards.
3. Introduce basic commands: Start teaching your pup some simple commands, such as “Sit or Down,” by saying the command and showing the word on paper to your dog. Eventually, the dog will recognize the word on the page. Offer treats, praise, and cuddles while they learn these new behaviors! Then, as they become more comfortable and proficient, they increase their reading skills by adding more complex commands/words.
4. Practice, practice, practice: The key to reading success for your pup is to practice regularly! Make sure you set aside sometime each day when you can work with your dog and gradually increase the amount of time they spend reading. Be patient, and wait before expecting perfection – seeing results takes time and consistency!
Stay tuned for photos and details of my attempts to teach Teddy, Bear, and Summer to read.
References:
Bergin, B., & Hogan, S. (2008). Teach your dog to read—New York, NY: St. Martin’s Griffin.
Thank you for reading this blog post, and if you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the Comments section below.
© 2019 I Don’t Know All The Answers, Nikki Mastro
All of my photographs and documents are Copyrighted.