Posted on October 20, 2009 by: WayCoolDogs

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A quote by Bonnie Bergin states that “the possibilities of the human canine partnership are limited only by human imagination”. As president and chief academic officer of the Bergin University of Canine Studies in Santa Rosa, California, Bergin theorizes that ordinary dogs have the ability to learn how to recognize and respond to written commands through proper training.

The Bergin University promotes a much deeper bond and deeper understanding between the human owner and canine, along with its beneficial relation to society.

As an example, a golden retriever by the name of Abigail is not only able to read and understand written commands but helps special education students and children to learn how to read also.

How she does it is through memorizing the shape of the word while already knowing the behavior or cue that word refers to. Trained in people skills and discipline by the Orlando branch of Canine Companions for Independence, her art teacher/owner Dan Galloway has taken her to class with him for several years due to her ability to read eight different words–performing tasks by viewing the cue cards.

Two studies have been published regarding the intelligence of dogs in their ability to learn.

July’s “Discover News” states that “dogs possess a two-year child’s capacity to understand human pointing gestures, with dogs requiring next to zero learning time to figure out the visual communication”.

They also stated that “due to domestication, dogs appear to be predisposed to read other human visual signals, including head-turning and gazing.”  Both studies bring forth the under-estimated ability of the dog’s brain to fully comprehend.

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