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Woman Uses Lockdown to Teach Her Clever Dog Math And Colors With Homemade Flash Cards

April 4, 2021357 views0

Meet the smart dog who can count to ten, answer questions, and even solve addition problems, in English and Japanese.

Monica Elkhalifa taught six-year-old Shiba Inu new tricks when it became impossible to entertain with just long walks and toys.

Now, when shown a series of different flashcards with colors, numbers, and shapes, Akira can choose the one that matches Monica’s question.

With a touch of his paw, Akira, who knows over 90 words, can also solve simple addition problems by pointing to the card with the correct answer. (See the video below.)

Akira can even apparently add up the number of pictures on a card, like three apples, and select the card with the matching number, and answer yes / no questions as well.

“I thought it would be fun to teach him some numbers, just an exercise to keep him busy. It filled me with joy when he learned the number four. After that he quickly learned five to ten and as he mastered each stage or level I had to develop new ideas to keep him mentally active and build on previous lessons.

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“This included teaching him to count, add and mix colors and objects, and yes and no cards.”

The couple live in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with Monica’s husband and their other dog Miko.

Monica started training him when he was young with games like finding treats in toys.

“The Shiba Inus are very independent and intelligent. I really felt like he needed something more besides his physical exercises. “

“He often looks behind the television to see where people or animals are. When he was little, he would crawl under glass tables and look at things on them. “

Five years ago, corporate worker Monica decided to push her dog’s mind further, but couldn’t find any method of shopping.

He made his own flashcards to familiarize Akira with the shapes and commands, but admits that at first he didn’t know what his pet would be capable of.

Akira began by learning to touch the card when instructed, then Monica familiarized him with the shape of a number or image by tracing it with her finger and saying it out loud.

He then said that he taught him to count by holding a card with a number next to a card with that many tennis balls and counting them out loud.

Although dogs are believed to be largely color blind, Akira has also been trained to recognize different colors.

He now knows almost 90 words, and when told a sum, he will point to the numbered card that is the solution, even after swapping or swapping the cards.

Akira trains five times a week in ten-minute sessions, and his mother-dog said she’s calming him down and looks forward to it. The next challenge is to master subtraction.

Monica has called her method Professor Akira’s Method: Brain Training for Dogs, and pet owners can train their pets with a flashcard set and a handful of goodies. He sells them using Paypal for £ 20.00 on his website, ProfessorAkira.com. (We are not sure where it is shipping).

“It’s also a great way to bond, especially during these tough times when walking can be less.”

WATCH his teaching method below …