Most dogs are more than willing to lend an ear to their owners.
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But Dashi the whippet is also happy to listen to Canberra students who are having trouble reading and help build their confidence.
Dashi is the only dog in Canberra part of the Story Dogs program, an initiative where children who find reading challenging practice by reading to four-legged friends.
The co-ordinator of the ACT program, Robyn Bromley, said reading to dogs was all about boosting the children's confidence in their own abilities.
"When kids sometimes read at school, sometimes there'll be attention from their peers if they stumble over words or they aren't as confident as the rest of the class, and as their confidence erodes, they find it harder and harder to read," she said.
"Reading to a dog which isn't judgmental or isn't going to laugh at pronunciation is much easier and it's confidence building."
Story Dogs has been running in the capital since mid-2017.
Similar sessions also happen around the country in other states including NSW, Victoria and Queensland.
Ms Bromley said since the program started in Canberra, many of the primary school students had made large improvements in their reading capability.
As part of a 20-minute session, the children first spend time playing with Dashi before sitting down next to him and reading out aloud.
"Dashi is quite good, he'll just lie his head on their lap or lie next to them," Ms Bromley said.
"Another benefit is that it can help teach children how to interact with dogs, and they've formed a really close bond. Dashi just loves kids."
One of the children who attends sessions regularly is Iris Hallinan, 8, who has been reading to Dashi since last year.
Her mother Alana said her reading skills had improved immensely in the time since.
"It's been really encouraging for her, and it's something to look forward to each week," Ms Hallinan said.
"For some kids, they really affiliate with animals, and it helps to calm them and encourage them."
As part of reading to Dashi every week, Ms Hallinan said Iris will pick out books about other animals that "Dashi would enjoy as well".
"It fuels her creativity, and this is one of her favourite parts of the week," she said.
In order to become a story dog, Dashi had to undergo a large amount of training.
"The dog nees to be relatively calm and friendly, and they're assessed on the basis that they don't jump on people, because that can be quite intimidating for kids," Ms Bromley said.
"They also have to be comfortable around strangers."
