How much do they REALLY understand?

• 04-02-2008 6:27 PM

  glenmar Joined on 09-10-2007 Northwestern Michigan Posts 11,511 Points 405

  How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact My dogs never cease to amaze me with what they understand.  Case in point, when we walk we walk on the road....this is in the deserted campground so no one is in any danger. The dogs of course like to go up onto and beyond the snow banks.  That's fine AFTER they've pottied, but not fine if I've got to climb up there to clean it up.  DH lets them potty where they want and trudges after them.  *I* say "Mom can't get up there to clean up" and they come right back down onto the road and head for the places I CAN get to.  I've never told them no, eh eh, or anything thing else, just that I can't get up in the snow like they can.  I don't tighten the line, no extra tension on it at all. So, they must be able to comprehend something in what I'm saying. Lets hear your stories! A house without fur is not a home. Glenda

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• 04-02-2008 8:06 PM

  In reply to glenmar

  ron2 Joined on 09-10-2007 far north central Texas Posts 9,831 Points 500

  Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact When I come home from work and Shadow is in the back yard by the double gate, where he can see me pull up, I will say "is that my bog boy?" and he will take off for the back door. Once I did it in Spanish and he just tilted his head. Another time, I said it in German and he just waited. Recently, a few times, I'd ask, "Is that my pretty boy?" And he waits. Then I say, "is that my big boy?" and off he goes. He seems to recognize that particular phrase. If I think of something else, I'll add that, too.   The way you treat your dog in this life determines your place in heaven. - chukchi proverb

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• 04-02-2008 8:13 PM

  In reply to ron2

  Cita Joined on 12-13-2006 CT Posts 4,485 Points 735

  Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact Rascal is just entranced by squirrels, so now if we say the word "squirrel" in any context, even indoors, he will immediately start looking around to figure out where it is. We've teased him with that a lot recently, so he now occasionally ignores us, but if we follow up with a, "Do you see it?" or "Look!" then he looks all around trying to figure out where it went! In general I don't think he really "understands" what I'm saying, he just learns particular words or phrases. Maybe it's because I've not had him for years and years and he's still trying to "figure me out." He does read my body language very well, though - I can get him to play or to stop playing pretty much instantly just by the way I move around him. He responds to my commands as well or better non-verbally than if I'm actually telling him things, even complex things like, "Get up, go over that way, I need to walk there" or "Settle down and wait for me, I need to finish this."

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• 04-02-2008 8:20 PM

  In reply to Cita

  jennie_c_d Joined on 09-10-2007 Southeast Georgia Posts 8,710 Points 75

  Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact I'm pretty well convinced that Emma understands just about everything. At least, she understands as much as I do. Of course, the day old kitten that a coworker is bottle raising confuses her. It sounds like a kitty, but by gosh that thing is tiny! And it smells like a puppy! What the heck? LOL   When I'm walking her, I ask her to stay off of the road. It's not anything I've trained, and it's not in the form of a command. It's just "Off the road, please". She understands. Of course, I can't think of anything right now, but on a semi regular basis, I'll say something to her that I haven't said quite like that, before, and she gets it. I might talk too much.... That has to be how she picked it up LOL.  Mischeif N Miracles, CGC, RE (PRT, 10/13/2003) Libby's Monkey N The Middle (Chinese Crested, 1/26/2008) Teenie Weenie at the Bridge (Dachshund, ???-12/28/2007)

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• 04-02-2008 8:25 PM

  In reply to glenmar

  jennyx0023 Joined on 09-10-2007 Pittsburgh Posts 1,490 Points 215

  Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact Teddi is very smart and observative. I never taught him this, but he knows that the way the doors open is to turn the door knob. So now, anytime he wants outside or downstairs and the door is shut and he cant open it himself, he politely taps the door knob with his nose so it makes a small noise, and then sits and waits for someone to come open it. He just did something else the other day too but I can't recall it right now, if I think of it I will post. ~~ Jenn ~~ "Dogs are miracles with paws"

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• 04-02-2008 8:35 PM

  In reply to glenmar

  Krissim Klaw Joined on 08-26-2007 Posts 291 Points 100	Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact  Nope, Kirby is as dense as wood.  He picks up trained commands easy enough, but when it comes to more innate learning/noticing things he is off in his own little land.  In human terms I guess it could be said of him he lacks common sense, though maybe he is just soooooooooo smart he has figured out ignorance is bliss.
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• 04-02-2008 9:14 PM

  In reply to Krissim Klaw

  kpwlee Joined on 06-17-2006 North Carolina Posts 4,032 Points 380

  Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact I suppose the one that amazes me the most is that we live in a development with no sidewalks so we walk on the left side of the road, Bugs on my left.  He moves onto the grass if a car comes and off the grass if it has fertilizer on it.  No words needed.  I did tell him on the grass when he was a pup and off the grass when i saw or smelled fertilizer.  Now he is rock solid on both without instruction. Bugsy's command of the english language is incredible so i won't list his responses to words  It cracks people up when they seem him respond to things "I think Karen should get a BC next time because she deserves a more mellow laid back dog! Or a Maremma because she needs a more clingy, biddable, easily trained dog." Brookcove 2008

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• 04-02-2008 9:38 PM

  In reply to kpwlee

  glenmar Joined on 09-10-2007 Northwestern Michigan Posts 11,511 Points 405

  Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact Poor Tyler is trying very hard to understand why I won't let him walk on the one and only sidewalk around the campground.  When we started doing the MS Walk, I told him to "stay on the sidewalk" and if he strayed onto the grass, I'd ask him again.  So now he really, really wants to walk ON THE SIDEWALK...and this particular sidewalk leads directly to the bath houses and is next to the NO PETS posted playground!  They ALL think that they should walk on the sidewalk because walking in town that's a cardinal rule....we don't walk on anyones lawn. It's good to see that others are as in tune with their dogs as I am. A house without fur is not a home. Glenda

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• 04-02-2008 9:46 PM

  In reply to glenmar

  kpwlee Joined on 06-17-2006 North Carolina Posts 4,032 Points 380	Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact  LOL our biggest challenge is when I need him to walk on the right or as in our dog walk in the middle of the road funny creatures   "I think Karen should get a BC next time because she deserves a more mellow laid back dog! Or a Maremma because she needs a more clingy, biddable, easily trained dog." Brookcove 2008
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• 04-02-2008 9:46 PM

  In reply to glenmar

  willowchow Joined on 09-10-2007 Posts 6,321 Points 300

  Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact When Willow tries to wake me up in the morning and I'm not quite ready to get up--I tell her OK, go out there and wait for me.  And, she does!  It's funny I never really purposely taught her any of those words.  She just seemed to know that meant to leave the room.  Or, another one she does is when we hike I sometimes say to her "slowly" if she's getting too fast for me.  And, she understands that one too.  I think they pick up on a lot of things that we don't intentionally train them for.  The other night my husband and I were getting ready to watch a show and as we came into the living room he said, "she knows".  She was on her bed turning around like they do getting comfortable.  She knew we were going to have some TV time.

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• 04-02-2008 10:16 PM

  In reply to willowchow

  RidgebackGermansShep Joined on 03-24-2006 Lexington, KY Posts 2,861 Points 425

  Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact  somehow both of the dogs have learned the phrase, "head down". If they give me the stare down while i'm eating, i'll say this, and they both lay their heads on their paws. "Go upstairs"  or "Go to your room" is another one of my favorites. I feel like Kaiser understands more than Wyatt though. Eat, drink, and be merry...for tomorrow we die..." - Dave Matthews Band Megan

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• 04-02-2008 10:29 PM

  In reply to RidgebackGermansShep

  CoBuHe Joined on 08-03-2007 Southeast Texas Posts 894 Points 35

  Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact Its the repetition of words and phrases along with the action associated with it at my house.  Buddy and Heidi both know what "up front" means versus "go to the back".  Up front is to go in the front yard, and then of course...go to the back means to the back yard.  However, when I say "all the way in the back", off they go to the big 30x30 kennel space which is further in the back of the yard.  But, they should know it...I must have said each of those phrases 5000 times along with walking them to the spot.    Its just so cool when they do it on their own after you tell them. My Codycoe (RIP) would respond to "go up front and lay down on your bed".  We could be all the way in the far back of the house, and off she goes to lay down on her bed in the garage up front.  There are many other phrases that they REALLY understand.  Its one of the joys, isn't it.

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• 04-02-2008 11:38 PM

  In reply to CoBuHe

  calliecritturs Joined on 09-10-2007 Central Florida Posts 7,299 Points 1,975

  Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact I'm missing the Fox tonight so it's gotta be a Foxy story.  Years ago back when we had Muffin the Intrepid, I noticed this one week that Foxy kept sniffing his brothers 'willie' and I'd told him a few times to knock it off.  One night I said "WILL YOU PLEASE leave your brother's willie alone? What the heck gives?" He gave me this look that ONLY Foxy could give.  Danged but I was sure I saw his lips move when he looked at me "Then ***YOU*** come and look at it if you don't want ME to!!" Ok ... I give up.  I went over, got down and rolled Muffer-Reno over and dang ..... there is a small 'bump' -- darned thing was 'rooted' and about the size of my little fingertip and right under the tip of Reno's willie. *sigh* Yes, it WAS malignant.  then a couple of months later Foxy finally got it thru my head there was a nother tumor ... yep -- it was cancer.  Fast forward about 3-4 years ... we were at Dr. D's (holistic vet) back when Billy was really sick.  Out in the waiting room waiting to pay.  And out of one of the rooms comes a lady with an old old terrier, Capone, that we'd seen many times before. Foxy went up to say 'Howdy' but immediately zeros in on Capone's abdomen and starts to sniff.  Foxy turned around to me, with that completely panicked look only he was capable of and screamed "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! ***BAD*** stuff!!" into my head.  Dr. D happened to walk in the room at the time and I said "Ok, Foxy -- tell Dr. D what you just told ME about Capone!" (I figured Capone was really NOT looking well at all and I thot I was hearing stuff that indicated he was terminal but I didn't want to say the wrong thing.) Foxy turned around and *sighed* at Dr. D then turned around and pointed that pointy Sheltie-mix nose at Capone's gut and then turned around at Dr. D and 'huffed' -- back at Capone - back at Dr. D and then tilted his head. Dr D (who knew Foxy's history as a cancer-sniffing dog for Muffin) looked at Foxy and said "Foxy, you are **absolutely right**.  Capone does have cancer and it is RIGHT there.  But we're on it, buddy -- but what a good friend you are!!!   Capone's Mom appreciates it but we'd already found it.  But you are right on target Mr. Foxy!!" Foxy was so darned relieved it wasn't funny.  He truly hated to 'find' it but he hated worse the idea that just maybe nobuddy knew Capone was sick!!  He was actually relieved ... never saw anything like it.

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• 04-02-2008 11:53 PM

  In reply to glenmar

  dgriego Joined on 05-19-2007 New Mexico Posts 1,790 Points 1,095

  Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact  My Gunnar is my shadow, my velcro dog and he is sensitive to my moods, today has been a very bad day full of bad news and this evening I sat on the porch playing ball with the dogs and began to weep. Gunnar loves nothing more than chasing a ball and I have never once seen him fail to go after one but tonight as I tossed the ball and sat and cried he paused in his retrieve and came back to me and whined and put his head in my lap. He paid no attention to the ball or to Hektors attempts to distract him, and he sat at my feet with his head in my lap and cried with me.  I was amazed and touched by his sense that something was not okay with Mom.    I do not want to get into the details of my day, it is enough to say that I am very sad tonight and most likely will be feeling this way for awhile. But I am okay. Owned by: Gunnar the Bee Eating Vizsla and Hektor the Pig Dawg Dogo Argentino "I had learned not to care. I blew a few smoke rings, remembering those years. Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though. ..." -- Barack Obama

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• 04-03-2008 8:11 AM

  In reply to calliecritturs

  sl2crmeg Joined on 10-08-2006 New Smyrna Beach, FL Posts 2,519 Points 345	Re: How much do they REALLY understand? Reply Contact Pirate didn't touch his breakfast when I set it down. He gets like that, some mornings. When he wandered away from it I said, 'Fine, but if you don't eat it, I won't get green ball out'. He begrudgingly ate. LOL.
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