A canine’s reaction to the television screen has the owner and viewers wondering whether dogs can read.
TikTok user @laurenborders11 was watching television with her German shepherd, Indie. The screen went from one preview to the next, grabbing Indie’s attention. Indie’s reaction convinced her owner of her intellectual ability. The text on the video reads: “That time I learned my dog can read.”
The preview first showed a man’s photo with bulging eyes, and the lighting made his skin look ghostly white. Indie started to sit up just at the sight of the man. Indie read the series’ title, The Barking Murders, and immediately began to worry.
The dog pushed her head slightly closer to the screen, wanting to confirm that what she read was correct. Without taking her eyes off the screen, she slowly stood up and leaned back toward her owner.
Her reaction to the title on the screen made it seem like she could comprehend the meaning of the words. The owner also wrote in the caption that Indie’s “hair stood up and everything,” further proving that Indie read what was on the television screen.
Screenshots from a March 4 TikTok video of a German shepherd reacting to the title of a television series called “The Barking Murders.”
@laurenborders11/TikTok
Newsweek reached out to @laurenborders11 via TikTok for comment.
The TikTok clip, which she filmed about two years ago, immediately went viral. Within a week of posting, the video amassed over 3.8 million views, 896,000 likes and 2,757 comments.
“The lean in is tearing me apart,” wrote a viewer, while a second said: “Poor thing she like, ‘I’m leaving.'”
“I know she squinted to make sure she read it right,” another person commented.
A fourth person wrote: “Rumor has it she hasn’t barked since.”
Can Dogs Read?
From picking up on commands and tricks to understanding human emotions, there is no denying that dogs are intelligent animals. They communicate with humans through their body language, and scientists are discovering that dogs can also read.
A 2022 article from Psychology Today reported that the average dog has the intelligence equivalent to a child about 2 years old. “Super dogs,” the most intelligent dog breeds, are close to that of a 3-year-old child. This means that, like toddlers, dogs can recognize signs and alphabetic letters. It is believed that dogs can learn about 20 words.
Owners can train their dogs to read by using flashcards with words of commands your canine knows best: sit, stay, down, come, etc. Print one word per page and make the letters large.
Show the flashcard, say the command, and then move the card out of sight. Reward your dog when he or she follows the command. The article recommends not using “sit” to start because your dog is likely already sitting.
Repeat the process a few times. Once you think they are ready, show the flashcard without saying the command to see if they respond correctly. The process becomes difficult when adding a second word because dogs will likely react to the flashcard, not the command. With patience, your dog might be able to understand the different words on the flashcards.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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