How Much Human Speech do Dogs Understand?
I’m sure Will’s “Helen Keller” moment will come sometime in the future, but in the interim, his struggles are a constant reminder of the ongoing challenge to understand what’s going on in our dog’s brain. It’s important to understand which concepts dogs understand and which they don’t. Keep that in mind, and think of the following questions as wonderful ways to entertain yourself and your dog through the last cold days of winter: How much of what you say does your dog understand? What could you do to try to find out? What type of everyday concepts does your dog understand? Does your dog understand that the words you use can represent both actions and objects? Can you teach your dog to distinguish “larger” from “smaller”? You may get some definitive answers, or you may generate more questions, but whatever happens, you’ll keep your dog’s mind (and yours) entertained and engaged until spring arrives!
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This article first appeared in The Bark, Issue 48, May/Jun 2008
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I came across this article because I believe my chihuahua is exceptionally intelligent. I've had dogs my entire life, and he is unlike any dog I have ever met. I believe he understands "other", or alternate, as a concept rather than just a word - among other things.
Initially, we thought he only understood the command "Go the other way." as it relates to rolling over. We would ask him to roll over, then we would ask him to go the other way and he would.
Now, he has been able to apply the concept of "other" to various commands. For instance, when we are walking him and he finds his leash tangled around a post, we can ask him to "Go the other way." and he walk around the post the opposite way until he is freed. He also applies this concept to sides of a door. Being that he is so little, when we come into the apartment building after a walk we tell him to "move over", so he isn't right in front of the door in case someone were to open it. Sometimes he goes to the wrong side of the crack in the wall, in which case we tell him to "Go to the other side." and he moves over to the other side of the crack.
I have yet to see another dog grasp a concept such as "other" in the way it appears he has done. This is the same dog that will not scratch his water bowl if he is out and we have not noticed, he will "bring us" to a water bottle or even the bath tub faucet and "ask" for more water.
Dear Patricia B. McConnell,
How Much Human Speech do Dogs Understand? I think it depends on the age. I started talking to my baby girl (dog) when she was two weeks old. Holding up to my face with one hand gently talking to her then cuddling her as she grew bigger and bigger. (I thought she was one breed of dog but later found out she is a fox hound.) She is a little over two years old now and she just knows everything I think beforehand by the movement of my eyes, facial expressions and body movements. She talks to me with many different sounds that I can recognize that lets me know what she wants. I also smiled throughout my life with her and funny thing is she smiles sometimes. Mimic's me and has a voice of her own. It's astounding. She is really smart! And, a great protector. She senses by emotions which determines her outlook on life.:) I love her and she loves me! I'm so happy I could cry. Thank you for the article.