Toddler Intensely Watches Dog, Learns Unexpected Behaviors: 'Homeschooling'

Kids are very impressionable, tiny humans who soak up and learn about the world around them. They will even pick up on habits from the most unlikely teacher, as one toddler did in a recent TikTok clip.

A March 5 video posted to the TikTok account @shannonharroldx starts with a toddler standing over the family's dog as he was on the floor. She intensely watched the dog rolling on his back when curiosity got the best of her. She wanted to try it out herself.

The video cuts to the toddler on the ground with her arms and legs spread out. Her body was moving as fast as possible back and forth, mimicking the dog rolling on his back.

The caption reads: "Is this classed as developing more motor skills?"

The toddler nailed the performance during her first attempt at rolling on her back, which shouldn't be surprising since she had an excellent teacher. The dog was even seen walking away as he knew his work there was done.

Well, at least this time he was done. The mom shared in the comment section that this is not the first time the dog has taught her daughter other habits and it likely won't be the last. She wrote: "This is nothing. She dropped jelly on the floor and saw the dog grab some so jumped down and ate it face down off the floor too."

Newsweek reached out to @shannonharroldx via TikTok for additional comment.

'Observational learning!'

The video quickly went viral, reaching over 7.2 million views, 1.8 million likes and 4,442 comments as of midday Friday. The clip left people in stitches over this unusual way of teaching, but hey, it worked.

"This is homeschooling," a viewer wrote. Or as someone else pointed out: "Observational learning!"

Another commented: "I love how she watches intently on the proper technique before attempting."

The truth is that children picking up on dog habits is not new for some parents. One person said: "Crying, My child pants like a dog since she was 3 months."

A second chimed in: "The dog potty trained my toddler in our garden during summer lockdown." A reminder to all parents that children are always watching and learning.

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.