A dog's ability to understand the English language.

[JerseyJanice]

Did we just get an extra smart pooch or are they all like this?

Max has a very keen understanding of many things we say. Examples:

-We are going in the car. (See my other thread that inspired me to write this one.)

-We are going in the C-A-R. (Same effect! The dog can spell!)

-Want to take a walk? (Don't say W-A-L-K either!)

-Are you hungry?

Well, you get the idea--the dog has figured out the English words/spellings for those things he loves and looks to get from us.

What an enthusiastic animal we adopted! Are they all this smart?

 

[Ilove8Trax]

Try using different words other than car that sound like car. BAR, TAR, JAR. See if you get the same effect. If they don't respond at first, put a little more umph in the word, in the command and see if your pet still goes. We learned about this in my Comm class about animals. They are not capable of cognitive thinking. But many people believe that pets are smart and "know" things. We rather anthropomorphize them; give human like qualities to things that are not human.

Please don't hate me now.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

Our dog knows
RIDE - he doesn't go in the car often, but somehow knows what this means
WALK - a treat for him as he's usually left in the yard to do his business
OUT- must be spelled out when it's close to his time to go
PEE - ditto Out

and for whatever the reason he goes nuts over "Guinea Pig"

Sometimes he picks out these words in casual conversation and next thing you know he's going crazy for what seems to be no reason.

 

[ShuisFan584]

If you say anything with the words "wanna" or "where's" enthusiastically, my dog will go crazy. She knows quite a few words very well and some words you can't even spell out because she knows them, like walk and park.

 

[TarraLee]

Our dogs' (2 of them) vocabulary:
Walk, run, out, potty, W-A-L-K, bye-bye, Grandma's, cookie, night-night, "get your leash", bath, ready

We can just have a normal, people conversation and mention going to Grandma's, and they go nuts! I know studies say they can't think, but I'm not sure I believe it after some of the stuff they do!

 

[stinkerbelle]

If ANYONE around my house says "pizza" our dog is on them like white on rice.

If she sees the box...forget it, the tail doesn't stop waggin' for hours

 

[chichihoney]

1 of my dogs name floppy knows

car she loves rides
walk she goes crazy if she see's a leash
bath she don't like it

 

[pumba]

she would know if we were whispering cause her ears would pop up.....and bath was spelt out ......and if I said grammie was coming......no matter to who or tone of voice....she would run to the windows and look to see if she could see her......

just loved that doggie

 

[DMickey28]

Our old dog was like that...

When you said Mama, she ran to the front door to look for my mom's van coming home from work..... she would find Mama anywhere in the house if you asked.

She had a plastic football toy and when you said football she would run and get it and drop it at your feet.

She also loved Bunnies... when you said "Shara, where's the bunny?" she would run from window to window looking outside for the bunny....

 

[nemo1987]

Ilove8Trax: i disagree. i realize you learned this in a class, but our do is quite smart. she knows many words and the way she responds is soo funny. she knows grandma, is somebody here?(she will go to the door and perk her head), mom, dad, sarah, jason, ball, biscuit, cookie, ice cream, hungry, and many more. whenever we mention these words she gets excited and goes to wherever or whoever we are talking about. dogs are exceptionally smart animals and whether or not they have "human" qualities, they can still know words and respond in their own ways. oh and if they dont have human qualities, then how can they tell you they haveto go outside?(not by talkin obiviously, but how are they able to learn that sort of thing????)
**Sarah**

 

[disneydragon]

I agree with you, Sarah. Dogs are very smart in their own way!

 

[DISshopkeeper]

Try using different words other than car that sound like car. BAR, TAR, JAR. See if you get the same effect.

So true... My dog Rocky answers to Hockey and Spockey.

 

[mrsv98]

Our two labs are like night and day. Sammy, 8yo and the black, is incredibly smart. She is an alpha and always has been. At one point we started to count the number of words she knows and stopped at around 3 dozen. We have to spell and even then she usually figures out what we are talking about. We have done numerous experiments with dropping words in general conversation in a regular tone of voice and she still understands. She also knows what different things mean and learns new routines all the time. Case in point, most evenings, I will make a cup of hot tea for DH and myself, turn off the lights downstairs and carry the cups upstairs. Sam knows the difference between turning off a light just because and turning off the light to go up to bed. She watches me and as soon as a certain light is off, up the stairs she goes without prompting.

Now Lilly is another story. She is the yellow and is 14 months old. She is very sweet and wonderful with our DD but when God was handing out brains, well, Lilly must have been in another room! She did well in obedience class but in RL, she is just not all there. Her favorite activity is chasing her tail, catching it and continuing to spin in circles with her tail in her mouth. I am hoping she will learn from Sam, but really, the most important thing is that she is great with DD and they are growing up together.

 

[cassie]

Dogs don't recognize sentences as such...just a word or two in that sentence. They have an uncanny 6thsense of your next movements as most of us are predictable. My dog (and passed dogs) know I shower right after getting up, and after dressing she goes out. That dog never moves from her bed till I go back to the bedroom and make up my bed. As for rides...when I'm home on a day off, she watches me. If I'm going out and don't take her, I have to tell her "no" you can't go. I do feel bad watching her slink off. I'm the pack leader in my home, be it cat, dog, or bird. They follow me.

 

[DisneyJules]

When we would talk about "c-o-o-k-i-e-s" infront of our dog, her ears would dart up and she'd smack her lips. They're so smart.

 

[BHFan25]

My dog is smart too JJ. I think they are smarter than we give them credit for. And after all, who goes to work everyday and who stays home and sleeps on the couch waiting for their next meal and a belly rub?

 

[disneydragon]

Originally posted by BHFan25
My dog is smart too JJ. I think they are smarter than we give them credit for. And after all, who goes to work everyday and who stays home and sleeps on the couch waiting for their next meal and a belly rub?

Ha ha ha! Wasn't it Jerry Seinfeld who said something about aliens looking at Earth and assuming dogs were in charge, since the human carries the dog's poop for it in a baggie?

 

[MosMom]

If you heard the way I talk to my dogs, you would think they spoke fluent english.

What I say...

"Now I've told you NOT to break into the food bin a million times! I don't know why you insist on doing this. It is a big NO NO"

What they hear...

"lkajdfoaijel lkajd w ejf;lakjdoijfadkjfadkjkljdkJLIJLKJLKJal djjfalkdjjaljj alkdjf adlkfjaldkjf ajdlkfjaldlj. kljdkjfsl NO NO"

 

[Serena]

I think dogs, some dogs are incredibly smart.

 

[browneyes]

Originally posted by cassie
Dogs don't recognize sentences as such...just a word or two in that sentence.

I think they just get bored with all our jibberjabber. They have selective listening like men sometimes seem to have.

My puppy understands mama's boy means him. He gets mad if I call my ds mama's boy.