Is this normal or is Sparky extra special?

[Brandy Hunter]

Tonight I put a blanket over Sparky and got him to follow my voice all around the house with ZERO crashes. If I told him to stop (about to hit something - my fault.. he's short lol) he stopped right away while I moved to the side to get him to turn.

Would any dog know this, or is it some extra special talent he has? I thought it was real neat, and was amazed (why I kept taking him around the house lol)

At least I know if *forbid* something happens to his vision, he totally gets the follow-the-voice deal.

[Brandy Hunter]

What the heck, font went wonky.. LOL.

[avoncallingu]

I think that's quite a talent! Never heard of it before. I presume your commands were short and consistent. Great training!

[Mia001]

i think he is a very smart little buddy

[Brandy Hunter]

I think that's quite a talent! Never heard of it before. I presume your commands were short and consistent. Great training!

Mostly it consisted of "Sparky" and "Come". I said "Slow" a few times, but I doubt he understood that, LOL!
Oh, and "stop"

i think he is a very smart little buddy

Thanks!

[glowworm2k]

Sparky sounds pretty talented to me! Normally it takes pets a long time to learn to do that without crashes.

A childhood friend had a small dog about Sparky's size who was blind from birth. The dog was an adult by the time I met it, and had made it through the clumsy stage with a mixed record of crashes into objects. The family always left his nails long, and he had learned to avoid most crashes by clicking his nails on the floor (he walked in a bit of a weird way so that the nails always made a sound). When there were new objects in the room, his owners would tell him "slow" or "watch out" and the little guy would tap around in little circles to try to figure out where the obstacles were. It was actually super cool. Like I said, that took years of learning, so if Sparky is getting it right off the bat, he's pretty awesome :D

[Darth Penguin]

I have a blind cat who manages to get round both stories of our house without many problems. Occasionally a "wall" or "step" is needed but he has a pretty good mental map now. It throws him if there is something left in his way.