I don't get how dogs don't understand the word "no"

ORIGINAL: corvus

I think you're right, mudpuppy. There's nothing wrong with using no as long as you don't use it so much it has no meaning anymore. I use no with Penny as a no reward marker. I also use ah-ah and just a harsh, growly ah!

Indicentally, isn't it interesting that 'no' sounds very similar in many languages? It's a short, abrupt word beginning with 'n'.

 
Although when you talk to a trainer, they will classify "no" as either a NRM or a correction, I think of it as a form of communication in order to set a boundary and stay stop and pay attention, first.
 
"No" has a deeper more growly tone to it. But if a dog I'm working with is walking towards an object and I want to tell them to stop heading in that direction, I will use "eh-eh". A more serious word to get them to stop and pay attention is "hey". A loud bark of "HEY" works good in emergency recall situations for me, even if I haven't specificly taught a solid recall, if the dog already responds to "hey" and understands my meaning in calmer situations.
 
I've been able to clearly communicate with many dogs this way, and just as you said about the word "no" in many human languages, there is something about "eh-eh" that many people naturally use to communicate with their dogs (or kids heading for trouble!) without anyone instructing them in the use of the word or tone. 
 
I always "think" communication and instruction over conditioning and consequences when interacting with dogs.
 
 

Thinking "communication", to me, means telling the dog what you want him to do.  So, first you need to teach him some behaviors.  We all do this - sit, lie down, leave it, come, stay, spin, watch, whatever.  A "no reward marker" is not the same as an "interruptor". 
Personally, I think mudpuppy is correct - you can teach the dog what "no" means.  But, humans misuse that word, and use it so frequently, that it just becomes so much background noise to the dog.  So, when it's clear that he ignores the word, for that reason, does the human figure it out?  No they don't - nine times out of ten, they just shout "NO" louder.  Still doesn't tell the dog what to do.  The "interruptor" that I prefer is to simply command the dog to "leave it" because I have trained my dogs to ignore whatever they are into at the moment when they hear that word.  The next thing out of my mouth is usually "come".  Then, I find that my dogs are sitting politely next to me, while other peoples' dogs are still running down the beach after a seagull with them yelling "no". [sm=uhoh.gif]

I'm quite sure my dogs have no idea what the word NO means because I never use it with them. However, on a few emergency occasions I've instinctively screamed at the top of lungs NO and the dogs have all frozen in their tracks. An "interrruptor". Great word Anne. But the dogs learned nothing from my interrupting them in their activity, they just temporarily stopped doing it long enough for me to take charge of the situation.
Have you ever heard a dominant dog use an "interruptor" bark? a very sharp, loud, crisp noise, usually directed at a rude puppy about to toddle up to a treasured bone.