Just like the children in our lives, baby animals soak up knowledge like sponges. The first year of their lives is when they’re taking in the world for the first time. Learning something entirely new to them is normal.
When you were little, you had to learn all these different rules about what to do and what not to do: How to walk, talk, the ABC’s, how to read and write, the concept of numbers, and the list goes on endlessly. As we grow older, learning something new, perhaps a new language, is already harder for our brain to grasp than it might’ve been back in the day.
I taught my dog, Mowgli, almost everything he knows now before he turned 6 months old. It didn’t matter what it was, as long as it was something. Anything that caused him to think, use his brain in different ways, interact with me and others. His abilities sky-rocketed. Check out some of what he can do here!
You will see a noticeable difference in animals that did a lot of learning and developing at an early age, versus those who didn’t. Just like you can with humans.
Keeping young minds busy with beneficial thoughts and learning also keeps them on a good track.
Dogs, for example, will be more well behaved and not as destructive.
Children that aren’t mentally and physically challenged will fill their spare time with other things. Like bullying others, eating junk food… sound familiar? Perhaps even in a pet you know?
The message I hope that you take with you is that we are “responsible for what we tame”, as the fox from The Little Prince said. We should spend consistent time with our animals. We have taken on the responsibility that comes with having a dog, for example, or a horse, etc. and we can’t neglect giving them the education that they deserve.
Teach them anything! Any time! Kick it up a notch while they’re still young so that they actually “learn to learn”, but that doesn’t mean you can’t teach an old dog new tricks so don’t give up on the old timers! The brain is a muscle, and becomes stronger with continuous, challenging use.
I strongly believe in the benefits brought on by giving an animal, and child, a strong, thorough foundation at an early age and I do this whenever I can.
Thank you for reading!