Teach Your Dog to Read

For thirty years, Dr. Bonnie Bergin has trained dogs to help people with mobility-limiting disabilities become more independent. If her work with dogs has taught her anything, it is that they have an almost limitless capacity to learn. Teaching dogs to read was one of Bergin’s dreams. Now she has made her dream a reality and has developed a system anyone can use to teach Rover to read. The first time an owner holds up a DOWN flashcard and the dog appears to read and obey is...
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For thirty years, Dr. Bonnie Bergin has trained dogs to help people with mobility-limiting disabilities become more independent. If her work with dogs has taught her anything, it is that they have an almost limitless capacity to learn. Teaching dogs to read was one of Bergin’s dreams. Now she has made her dream a reality and has developed a system anyone can use to teach Rover to read. The first time an owner holds up a DOWN flashcard and the dog appears to read and obey is pretty powerful. But the real test, eliminating the luck factor, is when the card is switched to another command, and the dog sits instead of downs.Now, incontrovertibly, the dog can read. Reaching this point, and even beyond, is easy with Teach Your Dog to Read. First, Bergin reminds owners of the importance of consistency and breaking up tasks into increments. Next, she reviews basic commands for owners to establish a solid foundation and master the skill of getting their dogs’ attention. Finally, she provides step-by-step instructions for training the pooch to read flashcards with one-word commands and stick-figure pictographs. With more than 50 instructional photographs, Teach Your Dog to Read is a winning package as well as an unmatched resource for spending quality time with man’s best friend.