This was a standard feature on the Bullwinkle Show (often called Rocky and Bullwinkle) a seemingly juvenile cartoon show which sometimes appeared to have been scripted more for adults. At the time, it was fairly popular with college students. Mr. Peabody is an erudite, bespectacled dog (he appears to be a beagle) who is, in effect, the master of Sherman, a credulous, bespectacled boy, whom he often gently chides and criticizes. I always found it funny and amusing, both as a child and as an adult.
The same theme is closely followed in the film version of Harlan Ellison's novella "A Boy and his Dog" (1975) featuring a polished, yet acerbic telepathic dog and his "boy"---a young Don Johnson, who later starred in Miami Vice. This is a sick, twisted, at times darkly funny movie about a ravaged, post nuclear world which is definitely not for children. But the parallels with the old cartoon are quite striking for those familiar with the Bullwinkle Show.
