Show TEACHING A DOG U elly L rn to or it occurred to me whether some such system as that followed with dc if mutes and especially by dr with laura might not prove very in it adapted to the case of dogg I 1 lave tried this in a small way with a black poodle named van I 1 took two pieces of cardboard about ten by three and on ono of them printed in largo tho word food leaving tho other blank I 1 over two food put a little bread and cinc which van after having hs attention called to the card was allowed to cat this waa repeated over and over ngali till he had had enough in about ten days he began to distinguish between the two cards I 1 then put them on the bloor and made him bring them to me which ho did readily enough when ho brought the plain card I 1 simply threw it back while when he brought alic food card I 1 gave him a piece of bread and in about a month he had pretty well learned to the din I 1 then had agomo other cards printed with tho words out lea bone water phonetically neti cally so as not to trouble him with our intricate spelling and a certain number with words to which I 1 did not intend him to attach any such as nought plain ball etc van soon learned that bringing 1 card was n request and t aou learned to distinguish between tho plain and printed cards it took him longer to realize the between word but he gradually got to several such as foud out bone loi etc if lio was asked whether lio would like to go out for 3 walk ho would joyfully pick up tho out card choosing choo fing it from several others and bring it to me or run with it in evident triumph to alio door I 1 need hardly gay hat tho cards were not always put in alio simo placed they were varied quito indiscriminately criminate ly and in a great variety of positions nor could alic dog recognize them by scout they were all alike and all continually handled by us still I 1 did not trust to eliat alone but biad a number printed for cadi word when ho brought a card with food on it wo did not put down the same identical card but another bearing alio sanio word when lie had brought that a third n fourth and 0 o on for a single meal therefore eighteen or twenty cards be used so that he evidently k not ono who up alio uno ho wanted could I 1 doubt that in bringing a card up ho is making a request and unit ho can not only distinguish one card from another but also associate alio word and the object this is of course only 1 beginning but it is I 1 venture to suggestive ge stive and might bo carried further though tho limited wants and of tho anieul constitute a great my wife lias n very beautiful and charming callio pi tronco to which wo aro much attached this dog was often in the room when van brought tho food curd and rewarded willi n piece of bread sliu must have seen this thousands of times and she begged in tho haual manner but never oneo did it occur to her to bring ft card sim did not touch or indeed take alio slightest gotico of them I 1 then tried aliu following experiment I 1 prepared MX cards about ten inches s by three and colored in pairs two yellow two blue and two orange I 1 put three of them on the floor and then li up ono of alio llio others endeavored to teach van to bring me tho duplicate I 1 certainly thought eliat lie soon would grasped what was expected of liim aut no we continued tho lemons for nearly tarco months but as a few days were wo kiy say for ten and yet at alio end of alic timo I 1 can not eay eliat vau appeared to have tho acut idea of what was expected of him it scorned a matter of puro accident which card ho brought there is I 1 believe no reason to doubt that doga can distinguish colors but it was just possible that van might bo color blind we alien repeated the amo experiment only substituting for tho colored cards others marked respectively ively I 1 II 11 and this wo continued for another three months or tay allowing for intermissions ten weeks but to mv surprise entirely success acroy who though ho expressed the opinion that tho nature of tho soul of anim alii is unimportant por tant baji an excellent observer mentions n case in which a man wa was s anxious to eliout a crow to this bird tho plan was hit upon of sending two men to the ono of whom passed on whilo other remained but alio llio crow counted and kept her distance tim next day went and she perceived that dufy two retired in liue it was wan found necessary to send live or six to the watch house to put her out in her calculation the crow thinking aliat this number of men had pasca by lost no timo n returning from anis lio inferred that browa could count up to four litchenberg mentioned a nightingale which wa was s aid to count up to every day it worms one at a time when it had inched one it returned for another but after the third it knew that the feat was over la little boys should always bo prepared for the of their bad net oaid tho mother sternly ns dolinny tearfully protested again abo to aho was about to put her slipper 1 I th think about it wailed johnny but ill git if let me how is that possible now flaked tho mother a little puzzled ill put the daut pan where I 1 know you always hit dina hamlen you dear thing abo aid gush angly how handsome hand somo your bonnet doc took im furo it looks as well as it did last winter only a woman could ay things like this and nay them 0 o MT |