Yiddish for dogs is the newest trend in dog training.
Yiddish for dogs? Sure, why not.
Since many people around the world speak a second language, it makes sense that dogs would also be able to pick up commands in a second language, at least partially.
It worked for Toshiro Flores the Chihuahua, the first winner of the Facebook Watch TV series World’s Most Amazing Dog, and we would imagine that most dogs in the Canadian province of Quebec can understand both English and French.
That was why a class was held in New York City’s Central Park this weekend to teach Yiddish for dogs. This news comes from New York City’s ABC affiliate 7NY.
Dogs and their owners learned the words for basic commands like “Stay” and “Sit,” and all owners received a doggy bag of goodies after the session.
The event was hosted by the nonprofit Workman’s Circle, which puts on the world’s largest teaching program of the Yiddish language, with more than 800 students annually.
Yiddish language originated in Central Europe out of a mix of German, Hebrew, Aramaic and Russian, and in printed from it uses the Hebrew alphabet. For the non-Jewish public around the world, it is present in Fiddler on the Roof,, either from the 1964 stage musical or the 1971 film adaptation, or in Chaim Potok’s 1967 novel The Chosen.
While no one knows exactly how many Yiddish speakers are alive today, it was estimated in the 1996 by the Council of Europe that there were around two million speakers. In an odd bit of linguistic reversal, it’s more common for young boys to speak the language than young girls, possibly because religious subjects at Hasidic schools tend to be taught in Yiddish, while girls’ education is more likely to focus on secular subjects, taught in English.
Have you taught your dog another language? If not, which would you want the two of you to learn?