"Pup-casso": Minnesota rescue dog learns how to paint

Thursday, February 26, 2015
Painting dog
With the help of some training, treats and duct tape, Newman has become a current day Picasso pup.

EUCLID, Minn. -- I'm sure we all think our own dogs are the sweetest, smartest and most talented.

But one rescue dog in Minnesota is not only showing off his artistic side, but also using his talent to help other animals, ABC affiliate WDAZ-TV reports.

Meet Newman. This spitfire of a dog was adopted by the Grunhovd family in Minnesota. Newman's mom soon noticed he had a lot of extra energy, especially during the cold winter months when he doesn't get to play outside as much. She decided to try to teach him how to paint to channel some of that energy.

Newman's mom says she had seen lots of dogs paint with their paws, but she wanted to see if Newman could go one step further and actually paint using a brush. She used positive reinforcement and lots of treats to first get Newman to just hold the brush before finally getting him to actually paint with the brush on the canvas.

Newman now sells his creations on his own Etsy page.

Newman's paintings range in price from $10 to $35. So far, he has sold several of his paintings.

All the money raised goes to animal rescue groups near his home in Minnesota.