Yes, your dog can learn to “read”. Well, they’re not really reading in the same way that your kindergartener is, but they are responding to visual cues. Dogs are extremely perceptive; they may not be able to comprehend that S-I-T says SIT! But they can be taught to recognize the pattern of S-I-T means “put your butt on the ground”. If you’ve got a doggie Einstein on your hands and are running out of new behaviors, teaching your dog to read can be fun, challenging, and a neat party trick to impress your guests.
Step One: Verbal Cues
Chances are, your dog already has command of lots of behaviors such as sit, stay, down, shake, and whatever else you’ve taught him to do. But since “reading” will require him to pay attention to a cue card, you want to make sure that these behaviors are solid with just a verbal cue, so he can look at the words you are trying to teach him. If you’re still using visual cues for behaviors, this might be a good time to phase them out and use only verbal cues.
Step Two: Make Your Cards
The easiest way to make your cue cards is to print out your words in a large, bold font on the computer. Put the paper in landscape so you have more room for longer words and can make them as large as possible. Once you’ve printed out your cards, place them in a sheet protector so they do not get folded or smudged. Your dog may include those into the pattern of the word.
Step Three: First Behavior
Start with and easy, well-known behavior, but not the first one your dog would try. For example, if your dog automatically offers “sit”, you may want to start with something else such as “down” or “speak”. Hold the card at eye level, give the verbal cue, and reward for the correct behavior. As soon as the dog complies, remove the card from sight. If you don’t take the card away, it’s as if you’re repeating yourself “down, down, down, down, down” which a good dog trainer know is a no-no. Repeat this as many times as needed, slowly increasing the amount of time between presenting the card and giving the verbal cue. The first time the dog gives the correct behavior without the verbal cue, jackpot!
Step Four: Adding More Behaviors
Once your dog is solid on one word, move on to the next. Use a command that is visually different from the first. If you taught DOWN first, then move on to SIT or SPEAK. Use the same procedure as you did for the first word; present card, give verbal cue, reward correct behavior, take card away.
Your dog may be confused at first, because in his mind he’s thinking, “But the last time, the card meant down. Now what does she want?” Dogs will generally start looking at the card for patterns after the second or third command is introduced. They may also be less reliable telling the difference between words with similar patterning, such as TUG and TURN.
Step Five: Taking It Farther
If your dog is a whiz and needs even more of a challenge, you can change the words on the cue cards to pictures of the behavior, or different shapes or graphic patterns. The steps are the same as for words, and your creativity is the limit.
Teaching your dog to read is a great way to challenge a dog that needs more mental stimulation. Many dog owners have also used these techniques to teach new tricks to old dogs that may not be up for complicated physical behaviors. It also impresses your party guests! For more detailed information, you can purchase Bonnie Bergin’s book ” Teach Your Dog To Read “.
Sources:
Jillian Gartener “What? Dogs Can READ?” International Party Poodle Gazette http://www.ippgazette.com/Issues/V4-4/DogsCanRead.htm
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