“There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.”—Ben Williams
Happy Monday! Here's the scoop:
Finally, a (very funny) solution for dogs who don’t understand the rules of working from home
Sending all our love to today’s DOTD
Could your dog actually be a genius?
Did you know?
A group of more than three of this dog breed is known as a "grumble."
(scroll to the bottom to find the answer!)
Dog dad teaches Husky how to whisper
Does your dog bark through your Zoom calls? One dog dad figured out a creative solution to this all too common problem. He simply taught his pup how to whisper.
In this adorable video, you can see Mark sitting on the couch with his 5-year-old husky, Moon. Mark tells him, "We've got to teach you how to whisper."
At first, Moon barks loudly. But as Mark patiently tries again, Moon gives a low grumble. Mark rewards Moon with a treat. It’s a great example of how positive reinforcement helps dogs to learn a new behavior.
Curious how he did it? Check out the video, which is now up to over 1.4 million views. Moon is one impressive co-woofer!
Dog of the Day
Meet today's adorable Dog of the Day: Rocket
Rocket was a West Highland White Terrier on the larger side - about 30 lbs (we call that “more to love”). Several years back his owner, Daily Dig reader Lillian I., had ankle surgery and could not leave her room for 1-2 weeks. Rocket refused to leave her side. Lillian’s husband and son had to bring him his food and water and coax him outside to do his business, after which he quickly hurried back to her.
Rocket recently passed away at nearly 13 years old from complications due to diabetes, which he had lived with for half his life. We are sending all our love to sweet Rocket’s family, who was truly blessed with the most loving pup.
How to tell if your dog is a genius
If your dog has surprised you with how well they retain words you’ve taught them, you might’ve wondered if your dog is a genius. Now, you can actually test that theory.
In a new study, researchers tested a border collie named Whisky and a Yorkshire terrier named Vicky Nina. Both of these dogs were already highly trained – Whisky knew 59 objects by name and Vicky Nina could identity 42 toys.
During the study, both dogs learned new words and selected the correct toy more often than chance would predict. However, their memory retention dropped off after 10 minutes, and was nearly completely gone after an hour.
Still, researchers believe that with reinforcement, new words can be retained. The results might depend somewhat on breed – Collies and terriers are clever dogs that enjoy mental stimulation. However, it’s possible for any dog to be trained.
To find out if your dog is a genius, simply try this experiment at home!
Did you know?
Answer: Pugs! Due to the pug's affinity for snorting and grunting while about their daily activities, it seems that someone along the line decided that their collective noun needed to fit them just perfectly.
P.S. Want your pup to be featured in a future Daily Dig? Submit their pic to woof@dailydigdogs.com, DM us on Instagram, or reply to this email! Include their name and anything that makes them special (we know, we know, everything about them is special).
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