Dogs want to be people. That's what their lives are about. They don't like being a dog. They're with people all the time, they want to graduate. My dog would sit there all day, he would watch me walk by, he would think to himself, "I could do that! He's not that good.
It is important to monitor your mind constantly. This is particularly important if you are studying with an enlightened teacher, because you are absorbing tremendous power from the teacher.