Dogs are known for being very intelligent. They’re not just man’s best friend. They really are super smart. A long time ago, I had an Australian Shepherd who I spent a lot of time training. I’m not a professional dog trainer at all, and this was before the days of the internet, so it’s like I could Google “dog training videos” or anything like that. For me and Fred, my dog, it was just about connecting with him, spending time with him, and repetition and rewards. Honestly, he’d even do what I asked without a reward. His reward seemed to be my praise and pleasure at how good a boy he was. These were also the days before good video cameras, and we certainly didn’t have any smartphones to record cute videos. So folks just have to take my word for it, even though “if there’s no pic, it didn’t happen.”
One of the things I taught Fred was to go to the refrigerator and get a beer out for my husband. He would pull on the towel that hung on the refrigerator door to open it, then reach in with his mouth and get a beer. Of course, to get him to do this, we had to have a beer set in just the right place. It’s not like he could go rummaging through drawers, after all. We also trained him to put his toys away. He had a toy basket and he got them out all throughout the day. At nighttime, we’d tell him, “Go put up your toys,” and he’d take every single one of his bones and toys and deposit them in his toy basket until they were all put up.
In the video below, a smart pooch named Stanley calls his mama on the phone with the help of his daddy. When the lady answers the phone, Stanley instantly recognizes her voice. She said, “Hi, thank you, this is Jennifer, can I help you?” The man who’s with Stanley (we presume it’s his human daddy) says, “Stanley?” Then Stanley starts “talking” like he’s really saying things! His mama then says, “Tell me you love me!” and Stanley does it. The lady on the phone then says, “You’re my good big baby.” His daddy asks, “Do you love your mama,” and Stanley just keeps talking.
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Stanley is so adorable! And his love for his human parents is precious and sweet. He seems to really understand and goes on and on. Stanley, and my dear Fredd (R.I.P.), are proof that you can teach dogs a lot more than just sit and fetch. Watch Stanley in action below.
