Language comprehension in dogs

[MamaSheepdog]

We all know that inflection plays a huge part on the reaction we get from our dogs when we talk to them, and know that through simple repetition and association they readily understand commonly used words and phrases such as "Do you want a cookie?" "Let's go for a walk!" and so forth... but occasionally there are instances when I am forced to question how extensive their comprehension of the spoken word really is.

This morning when we were opening our Christmas gifts, Firstpup's dog Switch had climbed up to share my chair. There wasn't much room for her, and in a conversational voice, I said "Switch- that can't possibly be comfortable. You're butt is hanging off of the chair, and it looks like you are about to fall off.", whereupon she swiveled her head over her back and peered over her rump and at the ground. She then got up and turned herself around, so she was more securely seated on the chair. :shock:

I also am convinced that our dogs understand sarcasm and humor. If we tease them and make a patently untrue disparaging remark about them, they will "sneeze" in negation and "laughter".

Now, obviously a dog that lives primarily in the backyard isn't going to have such a well developed comprehension of language, but I think that dogs that are part of the family understand far more than most people give them credit for. I have seen this rather uncanny behavior time and time again with our dogs, and would love to hear if anyone else has similar stories to share.

 

[Zass]

I've read that some dogs can learn over 100 words.
Obviously, some breeds and bloodlines are sharper than others.

My Newf is the smarter of my two. He understands my intent, if not the words. I like to ask things of him conversationally, and in varying language, to kinda show off how responsive he is.

 

[EnglishSpot]

I had a really intelligent Cocker Spaniel named Sophie. If she'd had thumbs, she would have been a terror at the local billiards hall, her internal math was that good. She figured out where I worked. We had to outthink her as a puppy since that was the only way to really train her. I miss her a lot. It's been 4 years since I had her put to sleep and I dream about her.

I currently have another Cocker Spaniel, Hyde Park. He's not smart at all. He's rather dumb. And flighty. He was the total omega of his litter. But he's a good dog, and enjoys being just that, a dog. Not a frog-catching, duck-pointing, smart aleck who could make a joke humans can understand like Sophie, but he's just a dog. And that's ok.

 

[akane]

The record number of words a dog has proven to know is 200. That does not cover things the dog knows but have a more subtle behavior so you can't completely prove them. I don't think inflection works the same as what some believe. I had a farrier who talked to his dog in normal human conversation right down to saying please and it's one of the most obedient dogs I know. It reacts without special emphasis on any words. How I say a command depends on situation and energy level. Sit is not just sit. Sometimes it will sound like "if you wouldn't mind sitting..." other times a higher pitched "yay! Let's sit!" Then there's the "sit right now"and "plop your butt down and do not move if you value your life". Yet still with all different voice range sit results in sit. Technically suwari means sit for ours. It's close enough though that they will react to someone saying english sit if there is a little body language behind it. Inflection for mine is not on the command matching every time but the mood of the moment. I probably call them in about 10 different ways depending what I want them for and they come with 10 different types of body language.

 

[Zass]

Body language means a ton to dogs, not just hand gestures or postures, even the look in your eyes can mean something to them. There have been many times I've seen a dog follow it's owners gaze to see what their person is looking at.
Well, some dogs anyway.

My pitbull, Deimos, is just a dumb dog. A good dog who will do anything you want him to do, and nothing more. He never attempts to outsmart or outthink anyone.
He never reads between the lines like a clever dog will.
Loyal to a fault, and I'm convinced he'd be willing to work himself to death if I asked it of him. The kind of dog who sits by the door waiting to get back inside on the rare occasions that he's been left outside. Stubborn as a mule. Left too long, he will tear strait through a door that is in his way.

It's a good thing the only place he ever wants to go is the couch or bed. Anywhere he can lay comfortably in sight of me.

The Newf is a working dog. He gets his primary satisfaction in life trying to figure out what I might wish of him, and doing it.
He's fun because I can get him to bark on command, pull on command, stop on command. He doesn't seem to require training. Instead, he reads me carefully, and makes educated guesses.

 

[Dood]

After a lifetime of living with and training dogs in obedience and agility I don't even think about their abilities as its an every day occurance and just common sense to me. I get flabbergasted when people don't see how smart and sensitive and attentive their dogs are :shrug:

People do use inflection when speaking even when the human ear only hears a mono-tone, and dogs pick on this and of course they perceive the most suble of body movements which they use to help understand the message others are sending.

An attentive dog that watches their owner like a hawk can be told to do numerous things with a whisper or barely discernable movements, others need a blow horn to get their attention - canine personalities are as varied as those found in humans

 

[EnglishSpot]

I had trained Sophie to what I called 'field commands', meaning, depending on how my arm was positioned and what I did with it indicated a command (come, stay, lay down, etc). This was very handy when we were in fields and she was ranging ahead of me or in high noise situations (fairgrounds, lots of partiers at the house that night.) Did I mention she liked the occasional jello shot and the bottom tiny bit of Smirnoff Ice from a finished bottle?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I've read that some dogs can learn over 100 words.

The record number of words a dog has proven to know is 200. That does not cover things the dog knows but have a more subtle behavior so you can't completely prove them.

My first dog, an American Eskimo, knew over 100 commands alone, so I think those numbers are a low estimate for an "educated dog".

I don't think inflection works the same as what some believe. How I say a command depends on situation and energy level. Sit is not just sit. Sometimes it will sound like "if you wouldn't mind sitting..." other times a higher pitched "yay! Let's sit!" Then there's the "sit right now"and "plop your butt down and do not move if you value your life". Yet still with all different voice range sit results in sit.

In that example, the dog clearly understands the meaning of the word itself, and is just relying on inflection to gauge the intensity of reaction.

What I meant when I mentioned inflection is that some people assert that the dog is reacting to tone alone- for example, if in a happy, praise filled voice you tell your dog "You are the biggest, ugliest, stupidest loaf of a dog ever, and mommy wuvs you tons!" many dogs will wag from head to tail despite the fact that you have just thoroughly insulted them. Ours, on the other hand, will sneeze. :roll:

An attentive dog that watches their owner like a hawk can be told to do numerous things with a whisper or barely discernable movements

I think that the way you train has a huge impact on the way a dog reacts- too many people speak too loudly to their dogs, probably because they doubt their own authority- whereas I think it is so much more impressive if you have a dog that responds to a whisper or a subtle hand signal.

others need a blow horn to get their attention - canine personalities are as varied as those found in humans

Agreed- some dogs are dumb as rocks, and the skills of the handler can only go so far.

 

[akane]

Oh of course dogs can rely on just inflection if necessary. I just ramble on in whatever tone I want when keeping the attention of a spitz breed. Doesn't matter what I say except I throw in a few actual commands. A sort of sing song "why don't you want to go through tunnels today?" while working to the next agillity obstacle before an actual command of "go *obstacle*". My akita understands when you are asking a question no matter how you phrase it and what you ask so long as you end it the way you would a question. "Why are you such an annoying dog?" "Why did you decide to fluff in the middle of winter?" "Do you want to go outside?" "shall we check if there's any dog meals left in the freezer?" all equal wiggle hopefully and then cock head if nothing specific is designated immediately after.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

What I am really looking for here is dog's reactions to conversational language, as opposed to reacting to "key words" or body language.

The American Eskimo I mentioned earlier had an enormous vocabulary of associative words and behaviors- for instance, she was trained to take an edible treat to her "bed" to eat so she wouldn't make a mess on the floor. If we were away from home I could designate anything as her "bed" just by showing her the item (towel, jacket, throw rug, etc.) and saying "this is your bed" and then tell her "take it to your bed" and she immediately knew what I was talking about.

One time a friend and I were at a park with a pond and I told her to "Go get the ducks!" and she just looked around alertly trying to figure out what she was supposed to "get". It wasn't until I grabbed a duck feather and had her sniff it and told her "This is a duck! Go get the ducks!" that she understood what I was talking about and tore off after them.

She also showed logic and knew how to communicate her needs when we were away from home. If she was thirsty and had seen someone use the kitchen sink, she would put her paws on the cabinet and look up at the sink to indicate she needed water- but if that hadn't happened yet and she knew where the bathroom was, she would jump into the bathtub because she knew water came out of the spigot there.

 

[Zass]

I find that dogs often understand the names of their body parts. When I'm having a problem with one, I will usually let them know exactly what part of them is causing the issue. Perhaps a nose or paw, or even tail is somewhere it isn't supposed to be.
They seem to understand that much faster than simple NO! or BAD!

"Give me your paw" or "let me see your paw" were never trained to the newf, but he understood just fine when I asked those of him the first time. (at age 4)

Maybe because I talk to them conversationally instead of in the form of commands, they pick up a lot.

Dogs definitely have a sense of humor. They express it different ways too. My old pitbull snorts like a pig instead of sneezing.

There was a GSD I took care of for a winter while the owner was away. She reacted at the speed of thought, ready before I was. Interfered when someone tried to carry my then-infant daughter out of the room. Sat beside me, raised her hackles and growled warningly at someone who made me uncomfortable.

Always one step behind me and ready for anything.

 

[akane]

I don't have any good dog sense of humor stories but animals definitely seem capable. My very spoiled, annoying cat was trying to get attention from my mom in her office. Not succeeding she turned to the dog. She looked over the edge of the desk down at the dog, looked around the area, swiped a white out bottle off the desk, and quickly looked over the edge again as if checking whether she successfully upset the dog.

 

[Zass]

I can ask the newf, "What do you have?" and he will work whatever object he has in his mouth out just far enough for me to see.
I never taught him that. :?

He waits for a follow up like "eww drop that", or something like "give it to me" or "bring it here" , or "that's OK", "go ahead", or "Oh, alright."

He might just be guessing at what I'm saying and reacting to tone and body language to some degree, but he's quite good at it. I don't remember him guessing wrong, and it looks for all the world like he totally understands my "conversational english". :lol:

 

[JenerationX]

We had to spell p-i-z-z-a because my boxer knew he would get some crust and got overly excited. Then he figured out what p-i-z-z-a meant and we had to resort to just giving our phone number, telling them it was the usual order, and the address.... didn't take long for him to figure out that meant pizza too.

He was huge for a boxer, 90 lbs and not fat.. and he'd still try to get up and sit on you and/or the couch or chair where there wasn't room. He's hike his butt up onto something first then wiggle backwards till he was up. "Where's your butt?" would result in looking around at his butt and sometimes getting off depending on the look in my eyes apparently. If he knew I didn't really mean it, I'd get the ashamed face followed by a wiggle further onto my lap. LOL

I miss that dog. It's so neat to be able to have a conversation with a dog that at least seems to understand most of it. There are definitely dogs that are just plain stupid vs. ones that seem to be able to read your mind.

 

[Dood]

What I am really looking for here is dog's reactions to conversational language, as opposed to reacting to "key words" or body language.

Conversational language is HEAVILY dosed with inflection and body language and often the words people say are contradictory to their body language (one of the reasons people on the autism spectrum have such a hard time with it)

It has been shown that when given a verbal command and a different hand signal at the same time the dogs are more likely to obey the hand signal.

Even when given key words that are well undestood by a dog, very few of them will obey such a command given through a telephone or a recorded message - it has been found that their brains recognize the word, such as "sit" , but for some yet unknown reason they don't act on it.

It has been suggested that scent might be just as important as sight or sounds in canine communication and why they don't respond to commands given by inanimate objects

 

[Bad Habit]

The American Eskimo I mentioned earlier had an enormous vocabulary of associative words and behaviors- for instance, she was trained to take an edible treat to her "bed" to eat so she wouldn't make a mess on the floor. If we were away from home I could designate anything as her "bed" just by showing her the item (towel, jacket, throw rug, etc.) and saying "this is your bed" and then tell her "take it to your bed" and she immediately knew what I was talking about.

Chuck's the same way... Except he very much wants to have a bed to know where he can go, lay down and be good. He likes being a good boy. I talk to him all the time, in a conversational tone... He knows so much.

When we're walking, he knows not to get his leash tangled around poles. Probably 95% of the time he figures it out without me telling him to, he'll come around the object on his own so he can keep on going. If he's gotten really tangled, I may have to show him how to get out, but he definitely tries to figure it out.

Chuck's got a huge vocab. There are very few actual commands he knows(sit, stay, lay down, walk nicely, and a few parlour tricks*), most of what he knows is more behavioural than actual commands. Such as having his own bed, and knowing that's the place to go. He also knows that when food is out in the kitchen, he has to be out of the kitchen as well. He has his bed in the bunny barn, and loves that he has a place to go there, and he knows which cages have rabbits in the house.

He understands tone of voice and body language, as well. He can tell when I'm in a bad mood and will be on his best behaviour. He's been being naughty the past few days, because he knew he could get away with it.

He will go to the bathroom(both pee and poop) on command. That's one he picked up on his own after being asked if he needs to pee or needs to go poo before going out, and translated into me being able to tell him "alright, you haven't peed, go on go pee" or "go poopies, you haven't gone yet today!".

I find that tone doesn't matter that much, except for how quickly he obeys. Example, telling him to sit when he's across the room, if I sound angry, he does it immediately. If I sound happy or excited he will come closer to me to sit.

He also will stop barking if I tell him "No one wants to be your friend when you talk like that!"

I don't know if this was exactly the type of behaviour you were thinking of, MSD, but I like bragging about how smart my dog is.



** His parlour tricks include play dead, roll over, balancing a treat on his nose, shake paw(and other paw), sit up, meerkat(which is standing on his hind legs) and "walk like a people"(which is him walking on his hind legs).

 

[mystang89]

lol MSD, with as much sarcasm as you hand out on these forums I would be surprised if your dog DIDN'T understand sarcasm!

 

[MaggieJ]

Mystang, I've been worried about you. This is the first time in ages that you have okeeye: at MSD. Glad you're feeling better. :lol:

* * *
I hope this post is not too much of a digression. This is an interesting thread and I've enjoyed all the posts. I think dogs--and cats--have a lot more comprehension of language than we give them credit for. My Dad's dog, Penny, knew so many words. You could tell her to fetch a certain toy (she had dozens) and she would nose through her basket until she found the right one.

Our new cat, Jenny, came to us from a home where the owner, a bachelor, was out most of the time. He wanted to rehome her because he knew she needed more attention than he could give her. (She was rescued from a ditch as a kitten and he kept her out of compassion.) She came to us only knowing "kitty, kitty" and "treat" but she very quickly learned a wide variety of our words and phrases. Marilla, my avatar cat, had a huge vocabulary. You could talk to her in paragraphs and she seemed to get the gist of it at least. Cats use body language to communicate more than vocalizations. The signals can be subtle and we dumb humans sometimes miss them at first.

I believe animals feel basic emotions much as we do, although their feelings may express themselves in ways we don't pick up on. Geese, surprisingly enough, are both intelligent and responsive. I've seen them on many occasions exhibit what would be laughter in people. One tripped over the water bucket and they all stood around it and laughed (gabbled) at the klutz. Once they escaped their yard by some devious means and I caught them tip-toeing silently across the patio on their big flat feet. Busted, they looked and acted like naughty two-year-olds. They laughed and laughed as I herded them back to their yard. They mourn, too. When Willow died, the remaining two stayed with her and then followed us down to the waiting grave. They stood silently watching with their heads down until we started to fill in the grave and then turned and slowly went back to the house. They were sad and had mournful voices for days.

 

[Zass]

Maggie J, birds can be pretty amazing in what they comprehend. I feel that they tend to think a little more similarly to humans, being vocal, sight oriented, and often quite social. It makes their reactions easier for me to understand empathize with.

With dogs, I think it's impossible to separate elements of tone and body language when it comes to communication. They use it all together when they try to understand our words and intent. Selecting certain toys is on obvious sign of understanding language, along with understanding body parts. My boys also know the names of the rooms in the house. Upstairs downstairs, kitchen, bed, and of course, outside.

My Newf pees or poos on command like BH's Chuck. I never taught him that either, but it's handy. He's the only animal I've ever had that will void his bladder on command anywhere we happen to be. He definitely knows the difference between "go pee" and "make poops."

If his paws are muddy from being outside, he heads strait to the tub for a foot washing. I didn't specifically teach him that, but I DID wash his feet a few times. Now, he uses his own judgement to tell me when it should be done. He had good judgement, and I trust him.

I think, I take a lot of his reactions for granted. I know he's clever, but still do not know exactly HOW clever. I've never really explored his level of understanding. Instead, he occasionally surprises me with what he knows.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Maybe because I talk to them conversationally instead of in the form of commands, they pick up a lot.

I would have to agree with that. Just as with anyone, I think that they can figure out the meanings of new words through context.

Dogs definitely have a sense of humor. They express it different ways too. My old pitbull snorts like a pig instead of sneezing.

Our dogs only react with a full fledged sneeze when something is particularly ridiculous- otherwise they just blow air out of their nostrils.

My very spoiled, annoying cat was trying to get attention from my mom in her office. Not succeeding she turned to the dog. She looked over the edge of the desk down at the dog, looked around the area, swiped a white out bottle off the desk, and quickly looked over the edge again as if checking whether she successfully upset the dog.

:lol: One of our cats, Jigsaw, loves to sit up on the banister and knock things onto unsuspecting people's heads!

I can ask the newf, "What do you have?" and he will work whatever object he has in his mouth out just far enough for me to see.

Wow! That's pretty neat!

He waits for a follow up like "eww drop that", or something like "give it to me" or "bring it here" , or "that's OK", "go ahead", or "Oh, alright."

Our dogs know most of those phrases too!

He might just be guessing at what I'm saying and reacting to tone and body language to some degree, but he's quite good at it. I don't remember him guessing wrong, and it looks for all the world like he totally understands my "conversational english". :lol:

Yeah- I think that initially tone and body language give them the most clues, but eventually they actually understand the words themselves.

We had to spell p-i-z-z-a because my boxer knew he would get some crust and got overly excited. Then he figured out what p-i-z-z-a meant and we had to resort to just giving our phone number, telling them it was the usual order, and the address.... didn't take long for him to figure out that meant pizza too.

That proves right there that dogs can anticipate the future!

he'd still try to get up and sit on you and/or the couch or chair where there wasn't room. He's hike his butt up onto something first then wiggle backwards till he was up.

Our Aussie Sherlock does that too! Like you wont notice... :roll:

"Where's your butt?" would result in looking around at his butt and sometimes getting off depending on the look in my eyes apparently. If he knew I didn't really mean it, I'd get the ashamed face followed by a wiggle further onto my lap. LOL

It's amazing how they gauge our response and react accordingly.

It's so neat to be able to have a conversation with a dog that at least seems to understand most of it.

Yes, those dogs are pretty amazing.

Even when given key words that are well undestood by a dog, very few of them will obey such a command given through a telephone or a recorded message - it has been found that their brains recognize the word, such as "sit" , but for some yet unknown reason they don't act on it.

Very interesting. That correlates to a study I read once on language development in infants using television or radio as opposed to human interaction.

However, Frosty (the American Eskimo) and my JRT Chase would both react to my voice on the telephone if I was away.

Chuck's the same way... Except he very much wants to have a bed to know where he can go, lay down and be good. He likes being a good boy. I talk to him all the time, in a conversational tone... He knows so much.

Yes, Chuck is a good canine citizen, isn't he? Do you notice that he will discipline other dogs or animals if they "break the rules"? I notice that the really well educated dog will do that.

I don't know if this was exactly the type of behaviour you were thinking of, MSD, but I like bragging about how smart my dog is.

Your Chuck is to you what my dog Frosty was to me. More a part of you than a pet.

lol MSD, with as much sarcasm as you hand out on these forums I would be surprised if your dog DIDN'T understand sarcasm!

A very valid point. :roll:

Mystang, I've been worried about you. This is the first time in ages that you have okeeye: at MSD. Glad you're feeling better. :lol:

Maggie!

I finally seemed to have Mystang cowed into submission and showing proper respectfulness toward the Moderating team (well- myself specifically!) and I fear you have just undone all of my hard work in one fell swoop!!! verreaction:

Woe is me! Back to square one, AGAIN!

My Dad's dog, Penny, knew so many words. You could tell her to fetch a certain toy (she had dozens) and she would nose through her basket until she found the right one.

I saw a show about a Border Collie that knew the names of all of its toys- and it had about a hundred! That's a pretty neat thing to teach a dog.

Our new cat, Jenny, came to us from a home where the owner, a bachelor, was out most of the time. She came to us only knowing "kitty, kitty" and "treat" but she very quickly learned a wide variety of our words and phrases.

It is pretty remarkable how quickly they learn when you treat them as part of the family and give them credit for being intelligent.

Marilla, my avatar cat, had a huge vocabulary. You could talk to her in paragraphs and she seemed to get the gist of it at least. Cats use body language to communicate more than vocalizations. The signals can be subtle and we dumb humans sometimes miss them at first.

The most amazing cat I ever had was a cat named Watts. It wasn't only me that felt rather humbled in his presence- just looking at him, you knew that his wisdom and IQ blew yours out of the water. Marilla had that same air about her, from what comes through in her photos.

I believe animals feel basic emotions much as we do, although their feelings may express themselves in ways we don't pick up on.

Yes, I agree. They seem to carry most of the burden of understanding in animal/human interactions.

Geese, surprisingly enough, are both intelligent and responsive. I've seen them on many occasions exhibit what would be laughter in people. One tripped over the water bucket and they all stood around it and laughed (gabbled) at the klutz.

:lol: I swear my ducks laugh too!

Once they escaped their yard by some devious means and I caught them tip-toeing silently across the patio on their big flat feet. Busted, they looked and acted like naughty two-year-olds. They laughed and laughed as I herded them back to their yard.

:rotfl:

They mourn, too. When Willow died, the remaining two stayed with her and then followed us down to the waiting grave. They stood silently watching with their heads down until we started to fill in the grave and then turned and slowly went back to the house. They were sad and had mournful voices for days.

Aww. Poor things.

I have seen that with horses, too.

Our neighbor had a pair of Belgian draft horses, and one died in the pasture. The living horse stood over her body, head lowered. The owner dug a grave right there in the pasture and buried the mare while the other watched. For days whenever I passed by, the surviving mare was always at the grave, with her head lowered in mourning.

Maggie J, birds can be pretty amazing in what they comprehend. I feel that they tend to think a little more similarly to humans, being vocal, sight oriented, and often quite social.

Very good points. I never put all that together that way.

I had a miniature Macaw when I was a teen. He was incredibly smart, and had a sense of humor, but also a wicked side. He would laugh with you or at you, depending on whether his angel or devil was in charge at the moment.

If his paws are muddy from being outside, he heads strait to the tub for a foot washing. I didn't specifically teach him that, but I DID wash his feet a few times. Now, he uses his own judgement to tell me when it should be done. He had good judgement, and I trust him.

He sounds like an incredible dog. Newfs were bred to think for themselves in regard to their rescue work... how nice to see that their intelligence bleeds over into day to day activities.

I have always admired the breed, and they are on my "bucket list" of dogs to have.