Watch This Downward Dog! Australian Shepherd Named Secret Does Yoga With Human Best Friend
Once she rolls out her mat, Secret the Australian shepherd is focused, balanced, and full of love for her human companion and all the wonderful things they do together. 
Tracey L. Kelley headshot By Tracey L. Kelley May 19, 2021 Advertisement Pin FB More Tweet Email Send Text Message Print
The interwebs are rich with videos of people doing yoga with dogs, cats, various farm animals, lemurs, and even reindeer! (Yes, reindeer!) But after catching a glimpse of Mary Peters and her yoga-loving 6-year-old Australian shepherd, Secret, we're totally convinced these two best friends are fast becoming viral superstars and yoga influencers!
From her initial Instagram posts of Secret in 2015, Peters, then a homeschooled teen from Bellingham, Wash., captured the attention of dog lovers everywhere. Just 14 at the time, she asked followers for proper puppy training tips so she could raise her adorable furball the right way. Did this uber-cute pup need some loving guidance? Maaaaybe!
Australian Shepherd Credit: Chinook Måne / EyeEm / Getty
As the two formed their bond, Peters continued to explore the rich and engaging mind of her Aussie. This herding breed is notoriously whip smart, eager to do tasks and learn new tricks with their human companions. Peters used positive reinforcement to teach Secret different things, from distraction training to painting!
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But the two really got physical as Secret got older, working on tricks such as stalls, agility, jump roping, dancing, and even riding a scooter! So a little doga (dog yoga!) to promote calm seemed like a natural fit.
Secret has actually rolled out a yoga mat all on her own since 2016, and she knows plenty of different postures, such as cobra lift, side twist, child's pose, and single-leg downward dog. But it's this recent video of her dual yoga session with Peters—which now has more than 3 million views!—that's taking the internet by storm. Look at that form, totally in sync with her breath. Ahhhoooooom.
This limber pooch has both balance and focus in her yoga practice—maybe we should ask for some pawsitive adjustments!
Peters' Instagram feed is peppered with other videos of Secret's amazing feats, including practicing a more advanced form of acro yoga (balancing right onto Peters' feet!), pushing her favorite human on a swing, playing hide 'n seek, and doing backward trust falls.
"Falling backwards is a scary thing for most people, but even more for a dog: you can't simply explain that you are going to be there to catch them," Peters wrote in the video post. "Instead, you need to show them that you will be there for them. You need to show them that in everything you do, not just when they are physically falling. Secret trusts that I will catch her, but more importantly she trusts that I will be there for her in every aspect of life."
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This loving pair is headed to the University of Washington this fall. In a recent interview with Newsweek, Peters said, "I have been diagnosed as on the autism spectrum, and I spent a year training Secret as a service dog for me." We suspect the unconditional love between these two best friends goes much further than that.
