Mom Teaches Labrador to Fetch Diapers: ‘Goodest Big Sister’

They say elephants never forget, but maybe that’s true for dogs too, after a chocolate Labrador showed remarkable memory skills by recalling a trick she had been taught years earlier.

Her owner, Alex Atkinson, posted a clip of Holly, three, fetching diapers on command—something she taught her dog when she was pregnant back in 2021.

Atkinson, from New Hampshire, told Newsweek that Holly immediately proved to be a fast learner and amazing with children when they got her.

Chocolate lab Holly
Owners Nick and Alex Atkinson didn’t expect the reaction to their spontaneous video, but told Newsweek that Holly deserves all the praise for how amazing she is. She can fetch diapers on command.

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“Even as a puppy, she was gentle with our niece and nephew and sweet-tempered all around. She picked up on learning new tricks, like sit, ‘sitting pretty’, lay down [and] roll over incredibly fast,” the 30-year-old said.

When Atkinson and her husband Nick, 32, found out they were expecting their first child in 2021, they decided to teach Holly a new trick that would help with the latest addition to their family.

“We knew she would take her role as a big sister seriously and we wanted to have a way to involve her with the new baby, so we decided to teach her how to fetch diapers,” the mom of two told Newsweek.

Nick took the lead in training Holly (who the couple adopted at Christmas the year prior) and starting by getting her accustomed to holding a diaper in her mouth. Each time Holly successfully held the diaper, she was rewarded with a treat.

Nick then introduced the command “drop it” and subsequently rewarded her for holding and releasing the diaper. “Before we knew it, she was a total pro,” Atkinson added.

Holly’s training took just a few days and when Atkinson’s baby finally arrived, the Labrador was ready to show off her skills. “She even got so good that she would be able to bring a diaper all the way upstairs to the baby’s room if we asked her,” Atkinson told Newsweek.

Labradors are known for their high intelligence, which is evident in their ability to quickly learn and perform tasks. With proper training, Labradors can execute multi-step commands, such as fetching specific items like diapers.

They also have an excellent memory, allowing them to remember commands and tasks even years after learning them.

Atkinson’s clip has gained over 200,000 views and over 70 comments from other social media users, one of whom called Holly’s fetching skills “such flex.”

As their daughter grew, she and Holly became best friends, Atkinson told Newsweek, adding that the dog’s moniker was one of her first words.

Now with their daughter enthusiastically helping around the house, Holly’s diaper-fetching duties have lessened, but she still contributes in her own ways, such as being part of the “cleanup crew” during breakfast, lunch and dinner, Atkinson said.

“We couldn’t imagine our lives without our four-legged kid,” she added.

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.

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