Harry Potter Fan Names Her Dog Dobby—And Trains Him To Follow Magic Spells

Grab your wands Harry Potter fans, because this dog owner has gone viral after showing how you can train your pup using your favorite magic spells.

When it comes to learning commands, Dobby the labradoodle doesn't just follow simple commands like sit, stay, and leave—they're only for "muggles" or regular humans. Instead, 3-year-old Dobby, named after the beloved fictional house-elf from the series, much prefers to communicate using Harry Potter spells, including "accio," "stupefy," and "immobulus."

After naming her pup Dobby, there was no way Audriana Li, from Toronto, Canada, wasn't going to incorporate a little magic into his training. She explained to Newsweek that "teaching him spells is no different" to regular commands. But, rather than connecting the action with the normal muggle word, Dobby "associates the motion with a Harry Potter spell instead."

"Go to Azkaban, while technically not a spell, always makes me laugh. Azkaban (the wizard prison in Harry Potter) is what I call his crate, and Dobby loves his crate, so when I send him to Azkaban each night, it's funny to see him eagerly trot in there," Li said.

"Avada Kedavra is another favorite, mostly because Dobby's way of playing dead is comical and includes extending his legs out super straight and continuing to wag his tail."

Fellow witches and wizards will be wondering why they didn't think of this sooner, but Audriana Li regularly shares updates on Instagram (@dobbyisafreedoodle) to show exactly how it's done. A video posted in February showing how she taught him "15 Harry Potter spells" has already been viewed more than 28.6 million times.

Dobby likely knows more spells than most first-years at Hogwarts already, but Li isn't done yet, as she wants to train him with even more fun commands. She wants to teach him "flipendo," which means to roll over, "lumos" to turn the lights on," and of course, "nox" to switch them off.

But one spell has proved far more difficult than the rest, as she said that "Petrificus Totalus has been the most challenging trick by far."

Although, as any good house-elf is willing to go the extra mile, Li explained that Dobby knows regular commands too, just in case. His main recall word is "Accio," but he will also answer to "come" and his name. And if Li ever gets a dog-sitter who didn't go to the fictional wizarding school, she is very well prepared.

"I created a Dobby 101 PowerPoint with two pages dedicated to his spells, how to pronounce them, associated hand gestures, and what they mean. The other pages have key info on his routine, behavior, medication schedule, and how to prepare his meals. Dobby knowing spells as commands has never been an issue with any sitter, and the ones who are Harry Potter fans absolutely love this," she said.

The Social Media Reaction

Li has loved documenting her progress on social media and Dobby has gained an extraordinary following already. Instagram and TikTok users can't get enough of the magical pup, and who knows, maybe one day he'll find his way to Hogwarts after all.

"People seem to love the creativity of using Harry Potter spells as dog commands, as well as how well-trained Dobby is," Li told Newsweek. "Even though Dobby knows all these commands, we continue to practice and train daily.

"I thought mostly friends and family would follow the account and never imagined strangers would follow our page. I love that it's evolved into a digital diary of my journey with Dobby, allowing me to share photos and videos that capture special memories as well as the everyday ordinary moments."

With over 2,000 comments on the Instagram reel already, many Harry Potter fans were quick to praise Dobby's knowledge, which is sure to give even Hermione Granger a run for her money.

The official Harry Potter account commented: "he must know incendio because our hearts just melted."

Another person wrote: "This is so great and so fun. Top of his class!"

"I hope he gets extra treats for being amazing," a third comment reads.

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.