The short version
Teaching your dog to “read” is an advanced trick that will surprise and impress your friends and family. It's also a very low-impact trick, so it's appropriate for dogs who are young and still growing, senior dogs, or those who might have an orthopedic injury or health condition.
Although dogs aren't going to learn the alphabet, it is theoretically possible to teach them to recognize images or the shape of words on the page. But for this trick, even though we will be holding up signs/flashcards with cues written on them, our dogs are actually going to be responding to physical cues like your hand position. Dogs are experts at watching us and picking up subtle cues in our body language, which means most of them will learn this trick quickly. Since humans are much less observant, the people watching likely won't notice the discreet cues between you and your dog and instead will be convinced your dog is reading instructions written on the page.
Choosing Skills
The first step for teaching this trick is to determine which skills you're going to teach your dog to “read” from the cards. Don't worry about picking the most impressive tricks—the exciting part comes from the “reading” aspect. It's best to pick tricks that your dog is already really confident with and already knows just on verbal cues.
Subtle Signals
The key to success with this trick is to get your dog used to responding to subtle cues. These could be the way that you hold the signs or how your fingers are placed on the sign (like having your fingers crossed or your thumb being out). You can also use cues based on the direction the sign is held, tipping it toward or away from your dog.
Make Flashcards/Signs
Make the signs that your dog is going to “read” by printing out signs on your computer, writing on paper or card-stock with markers, or using a dry erase board. Whatever format you choose, make sure that the writing is big enough so your friends/family can see them when you are showing your dog.
Here's a video of my Newfoundland Sirius “reading.” Can you figure out what subtle cues she was responding to?
If you guessed the position of the paper, you're right. For “sit,” I slightly tipped the paper; for “wave,” I held the paper to the right; for “touch,” I held it to my left; and for “bounce,” I held the paper up.
Teaching Your Dog to “Read” Sign #1
Once you've picked the sign and corresponding cue you'll be using, and you have treats ready, here's how to begin teaching the trick:
When your dog is consistently doing the trick with the sign and just your subtle physical cue, it's time to move onto adding your next sign/cue.
Teaching Your Dog to “Read” Sign # 2
Pick another one of your flashcards/signs for a trick your dog is confident with.
While you're working on teaching your dog to “read” sign number 2, be sure to continue to also practice sign number 1. This will help your pup make the connection that they need to watch what's happening with your subtle cues and that the presence of the sign doesn't just mean one thing.
Frequently asked questions
Teach your dog to read?
The AKC walks through this step by step — the key points are covered above, sourced to the AKC article linked on this page. Teaching your dog to “read” is an advanced trick that will surprise and impress your friends and family. It's also a very low-impact trick,…
Teach your dog to read book?
The AKC walks through this step by step — the key points are covered above, sourced to the AKC article linked on this page. Teaching your dog to “read” is an advanced trick that will surprise and impress your friends and family. It's also a very low-impact trick,…
Teaching the dog to read jonathan carroll?
The AKC walks through this step by step — the key points are covered above, sourced to the AKC article linked on this page. Teaching your dog to “read” is an advanced trick that will surprise and impress your friends and family. It's also a very low-impact trick,…