How to Teach a Dog to Count

By MacDonald, eHow Member Rating

Rate: (6 Ratings)

Do you want to teach your dog to add, subtract or even calculate square roots? If your dog knows how to say woof, it is easier than you think to teach him to count! Here is how to impress your friends with your Einstein dog.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Really, really good treats.

Step 1

You have to know when your dog barks. Will he bark when he wants to go outside? When he's playing? When someone rings the doorbell? At squirrels? You are going to use the times he naturally barks to teach him to count.
Step 2

Have treats at the ready. When you know he's about to WOOF, raise your finger and say "Fido, what's ONE?" The very instant he barks, give him a treat and tell him he is wonderful. Repeat this as often as possible. What you are doing is training him to WOOF at both your raised finger and the word "ONE."
Step 3

Start varying your wording, always ending with the word ONE and a raised finger. "What's two minus ONE?" "What's one divided by ONE?" "What is the square root of ONE?" Always reward for a properly-placed WOOF. Don't reward if he barks incessantly. The trick is to reward directly after the first bark. He can't bark a second time if his mouth is full!
Step 4

If you are consistent with your command and reward, your dog will start barking once when you say anything that ends with the word "ONE?" and raise your finger.
Step 5

The finger is important because eventually he should be able to woof when you raise your finger. This means that you can go to advanced mathematics with your dog and teach him to bark twice or even 3 times.