Good day to you humans. I’m Professor Akira, a Japanese Shibu Inu who has confounded experts by learning how to count in English and Japanese, identify colours and give yes or no answers to simple questions. I can also add up. I have achieved so much, a major university wants to study me!

Clearly, I am a highly intelligent dog, but I’ll let you into a secret - all canines love brain training. It’s as exciting as a bag of tennis balls to us and what’s more, dogs and owners will develop a close bond if they practice my methods.

The Professor Akira Method is easy to follow. It consists of a set of 86 flashcards designed to improve the mental agility of dogs of all ages. Don’t believe the saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks… You absolutely can.