Teaching the Dog Vowels

I am teaching the dog vowels.
If he growled or howled
he would already have
a diphthong or two in his vocabulary.

But he doesn't do such things.
When the sirens in town go off
he remains silent, though others
(hounds mostly) imitate the wailing.

I am teaching the dog vowels.
I say, "Do this: O."
He tries. Sometimes he gets close,
but he looks at me in distress and disbelief.

I say, "Do this: A."
He obediently tries this, too,
but his looks suggest he may be thinking
I am loony.

I skip E, I and U for the time being.
His lips don't move in enough directions
to do them justice,
and he feels self-conscious.

I am teaching the dog vowels.
He may not enjoy it right now,
But he will be fine when we move on
to consonants, especially fricatives.