When Maureen Ward shows her mini Australian Shepherd the word “wave,” Mia lifts her right paw and waves.
Mia obeys several commands written on cards, such as “sit,” “bark,” “spin,” and “jump.” Mia’s best friend Bauer, a Bernese Mountain Dog, can do the same.
Ward, who hails from Louisville, Kentucky, says both dogs can “read” these commands and says she can teach any dog to do the same using a technique she developed.
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“When I say by week four your dogs are qualified to read, they’re like no way,” Ward tells WAVE. “And sure enough the dogs are reading by four weeks and their jaws are just dropping to the ground.”
First, the dogs hear a vocal command and then a hand gesture is added. Finally, bolded letters are incorporated and the dogs learn to recognize the letters and associate it to a command.
Ward says dogs learn to read the same way humans do, by “taking your letters and spelling them out.”
“People don’t realize what they can do,” says Ward. She believes any dog can learn to do more than just sit and play dead.
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