How to Teach Your Dog to Do March Madness Picks

It's MARCH MADNESS SEASON! You've already asked all your fellow basketball fans about their predictions for the NCAA teams, but you don't trust them. What about...your dog? This guide will show you how to perform this fun and cool trick for both basketball fans and dog owners alike.

BEFORE you attempt this trick: Make sure you know a lot about NCAA, March Madness, and basketball. Learn the names of the teams. If you can't remember, keep a filled bracket handy.

Write the name of each team on it's corresponding spot on the empty bracket. (You can find filled brackets from perhaps a fan site dedicated to NCAA or to March Madness).

Once you have learned all you can, find your dog and tell it to come.

Put out the chalkboard/whiteboard.

Write "Florida" at the top of the chalkboard/whiteboard and "Jackson St." below it.

Tell your dog to put his paw on a team.

Write the dog's prediction in the corresponding spot on the empty bracket.

Do the same thing for all the other team pairs.

When you find out your dog's "National Champion" give him a treat.

Tips

• If possible, after you do this trick you may want to find out the results of each game through the Internet or a magazine. If the results match with what your dog predicted, tell your friends and your dog.
• Remember that most of the time, what your dog picks is random.
• This is best done when your dog is young. Old dogs may be lazy and not very active to do tricks.
• Don't give your dog praise or treats just for being a homer (i.e. repeatedly picking local teams). Just say "Good boy!"
• If your dog DOES NOT pick the home team at any time, don't punish him.

Warnings

• Keep in mind, animals DO NOT understand basketball. They may not want to do this trick.

Things You'll Need

• A dog
• A chalkboard with chalk OR a whiteboard with a dry-erase marker
• Dog treats
• Empty bracket to write the dog's predictions on
• Filled bracket of NCAA teams (unless you know them all by heart)