# You talkin to me?



## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

It really is quite amazing just how much human speech dogs understand. 

Even aside from understanding some English, when my dog hears me talking negatively, but not to him (yelling nasty things about other drivers or on the phone or to myself etc) does he know that its not directed at him? In the same room on the phone or in the close quarters of a car, back to him or walking around the house. Yikes, I hope not.


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

If you are not directly looking at him, then maybe not. Actually I have no idea just a vague guess. Interesting thought though. I think our dogs can get upset or agitated if they see/hear/feel us getting upset though.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

I am convinced if you take a young puppy and talk to him A LOT, he will learn how to understand you. I swear my heart dog, Skylar, understood most of what I told her. I talked to her all the time. I taught her stuff, "look ... that is a squirrel ... this is a shoe", etc. I could tell by the expression on her face whether or not she understood me. I think the secret is to talk a lot and do it when they are very young and never stop. It amazed me how well she understood me when I talked to her.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

I think this as well!! or i want to believe it!! :lol:

Tobi knows mama... and whenever i say mama he goes into search mode and when he cant find her inside he goes outside and the search is on for her :lol:


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## garry (Jul 22, 2011)

I am pretty sure they understand us if they are with us from young age. My dog would get nervous if I was while talking to someone, but it was different when I was talking directly to him.

I got the impresion that he was sure that I was talking to him when I faced him and looked at him, and also that he had no idea what to make of me talking on the phone.


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

Bugger it! - there's probably not much hope for my boy then? I got him when he was 5!
I do bark at him though in different pitches to see if he can recognise it at all as any kind of dog speak.............he just looks at me like I'm an idiot.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

they say dogs can understand well over 300 words, and most people teach them about 12.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

sozzle said:


> Bugger it! - there's probably not much hope for my boy then? I got him when he was 5!


He can still learn, just not as quickly nor will he be able to learn as large a vocabulary as a very young puppy.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Two of my guys are very sensitive so if I raise my voice at all they are immediately in a submissive posture even if it has nothing to do with them. Which actually it never does because both of them are so well behaved. If Toby, my Chihuahua, (aka my 4-legged boyfriend) is barking at the back of the yard at my sweet neighbors for instance and I go to the back door and yell for him to come, Bri and Karma will both come to me, wagging, heads down, looking at me like, "Please don't be mad mom." Toby on the other hand could literally care less that I'm annoyed with him and will continue torturing the neighbor until I go out and retrieve him. No recall AT ALL for that little fool! And he'll give me a look like, "Why are you bugging me? Can't you see that I'm keeping that evil neighbor in their place?!"


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

I have some pretty 'spirited exchanges' either on the phone or in person. Sometimes I walk around the house and yell at myself after doing something stupid. Nicky lays under the table as flat to the carpet as he can get he looks genuinely scared. Thats when the phrase "now stop it. Youre scaring the children." comes to mind. I realize I better ratchet it down and I change my whole demeanor and go over and pet him and tell him he is a good boy just in case he thinks its directed at him, even if I was in another room. Someone said it freaks the dogs out because to them, I am acting like Im being attacked but they dont see anyone else. Hmm...


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## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

My boys DEFINITELY react when Im on the phone or just ranting about something...most of the time when I use different words (like "idiot") they all 3 run outside and watch for someone on our lawn...because that is the word, well one of the words, I use for people on our lawn!LOL (Its kind of funny!LOL) They also HATE when Daddy cusses because he uses a different tone for cuss words...and he is working on that!:wink:


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

that's hilarious. unless you can speak dog in a bark
why would he recognize it??? also, how do you know what
you're saying in bark?? 



sozzle said:


> Bugger it! - there's probably not much hope for my boy then? I got him when he was 5!
> I do bark at him though in different pitches to see if he can recognise it at all as any kind of dog speak.............he just looks at me like I'm an idiot.


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## doggiedad (Jan 23, 2011)

bump. :thumb:



sozzle said:


> If you are not directly looking at him, then maybe not. Actually I have no idea just a vague guess. Interesting thought though. I think our dogs can get upset or agitated if they see/hear/feel us getting upset though.


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

I don't know really, I just like to bark sometimes to see if I get any reaction to my dog or to show off, you know like an impersonation. Not in public of course as I am a middle aged woman. He does kind of look at me but doesn't react and no of course I don't know what I am saying.
Maybe I'm just a bit dotty!


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

I must admit I've done that too...but sometimes it just gets Louis all excited and he starts barking too, and I'm just like, "Oh...I shouldn't encourage this...:doh:"


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

thegoodstuff said:


> I have some pretty 'spirited exchanges' either on the phone or in person. Sometimes I walk around the house and yell at myself after doing something stupid. Nicky lays under the table as flat to the carpet as he can get he looks genuinely scared. Thats when the phrase "now stop it. Youre scaring the children." comes to mind. I realize I better ratchet it down and I change my whole demeanor and go over and pet him and tell him he is a good boy just in case he thinks its directed at him, even if I was in another room. Someone said it freaks the dogs out because to them, I am acting like Im being attacked but they dont see anyone else. Hmm...


i am russian and a redhead....so it's safe to say i'm boisterous....and vocal.....my malia doesn't bat an eye when i'm having what i call a rant and rave...but bubba, who has been here since he was two.....gets this look on his face..i could be ten feet away from him and not even looking at him....but i can feel him getting scared.

i talk to my dogs all the time, mainly because they understand every word i say. they are my best audience and uber intelligent.

i've become more careful about tone, since bubba came home to me, tho.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

Thats so true!:biggrin1: I have found one thing is so relevant here ~~~my dogs understand only what they want to understand ha:tongue::redface::biggrin1:, sort of like my kidshwell::heh:! Go figure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

wags said:


> Thats so true!:biggrin1: I have found one thing is so relevant here ~~~my dogs understand only what they want to understand ha:tongue::redface::biggrin1:, sort of like my kidshwell::heh:! Go figure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


my dogs understand everything i say. 

they just choose not to listen


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

magicre said:


> i am russian and a redhead...


I'm Russian, but a blonde! :wink:

Dogs ARE very smart.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Caty M said:


> I'm Russian, but a blonde! :wink:
> 
> Dogs ARE very smart.


you must have roots in the ukraine, kiev, maybe?

i was born in moscow...


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

Yesterday afternoon, I got some ice cream out. Well, the boys really like ice cream, so they were dancing around, looking cute. trying to get some. I told them that they weren't going to get any right now, that I'd give them ice cream after dinner. So the boys finish their dinner. I pick up their dishes, put stuff away and went and sat down to watch tv/read. I couldn't figure out why Blaise kept going and sitting on his "towel" every time I got up. Then it hit me, he was waiting for his ice cream. This was almost 4 hours later.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

We got Rocky at 8 weeks and at the time, both of our boys were living away at school. So we just raised Rocky as another 'child' and talked to him constantly. Of course, then we took him on a two month trip in the motor home across the country with us so he was constantly by our side all that time. Now he pretty much understands almost everything we say. We can say complete sentences to him and most of the time he seems to pretty much understand what we tell him. My MIL was amazed when he was pestering me for attention and I just looked at him and said 'I'm not going to play with you now, just go play by yourself' and Rocky just looked sad and turned and walked away. 

Then there is Shade. He is the one that gets upset if we even yell at the TV set during a hockey game. We're still working on teaching him a lot of words but he's starting to catch up. I saw a dog on tv that knew 2500 words so we're working our way up to that.


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

Im about half way through this, it's definitely worth the read.

How To Speak Dog: Mastering the Art of Dog-Human Communication



Like I said, it really is quite amazing just how much human speech dogs understand.


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