Can this German Shepherd really read?

Can this German Shepherd really read?

Rambo the German Shepherd has learned some impressive tricks from his owners, the Chows. But does this video prove that the family dog is also an avid reader?

rambo german shepherd
Instagram/Meet The Chows

New Yorker Lily Chow and her two-year-old German Shepherd Rambo have lots of great fun together. 

Lily and Rambo do fun little dances together:

And Rambo is quite  photogenic dog:

But there is more to their relationship than just frolicking and posing for photos. Lily has also spent time teaching Rambo how to respond to commands such as 'sit', 'bow', and 'platz'. And these are not regular spoken commands - Rambo knows what to do by reading the cards that Lily holds up for him!

ALSO READ: Secret is the most talented pup out there

Watch them go through a lesson:

Isn't that amazing? 

But does this really mean that Rambo is reading? Observers online have suggested that he may have been primed before the video was recorded, or that he was following body language cues from his owner.

The video raises many questions, but perhaps the most important is this: if Rambo can 'read' the commands, does that mean that all other dogs who obey spoken commands understand human language?

Show's Stories