To think some dogs can actually pick human language?

[Bronsons]

I don’t mean the usual “come, sit, stay” stuff that most dogs can learn … I mean stuff they have never been taught but appear to have picked up like a person would pick up a language.

Im convinced my dog has picked up basic English. I can talk to her in the way id talk to a person and she seems to know exactly what I mean - obviously I don’t mean I discuss politics with her 😂 or she talks back to me etc … I’m not totally nuts …

but for example if she’s chewing her bone on a hard surface and making a racket I’ll say “move that onto the carpet Margaret” and she’ll immediately pick it up and move it onto the carpet. She’s never been taught this, I don’t even know how it happened. I’ve just gotten so used to it that when other people act surprised I’m reminded of how it maybe isn’t normal?!

Just now I was sat and she was sprawled across me but I couldn’t find the remote so I said to her “just get up a minute so I can find the remote” so she stood up, waited until I got the remote and then came back. I’ve never had a dog that seems to understand normal communication like this, my other dog doesn’t.

AIBU to think certain dogs of the intelligent kind can actually pick up the basics of a language that goes beyond “commands”?

Sensible person explaining why the talking dog is nonsense

I read a study about this once. Collies know the most words, I can't remember how many now.

But it's definitely a thing!

Which is nonsense.

Ours does too. We've got a dachshund and we tell her upstairs/downstairs, let me take your collar/lead off. Before we go out you need to go for a wee. Eat your food before we go out. There's loads she just understands which we've never taught her.

Our collie is just like this, she’s 13 now and I just speak to her like I would a human, it took some getting used to when we got a new dog as the Doberman likes almost military like commands barked at her, and totally blanks me when I chat to her like I do the collie!

Yes this!

I don’t believe dogs can think like that. It’s all about connections for them. Very complex ones for us to understand because we are verbal communicators

It’s like up to 8000 I think

Yes, if I have repeated words often enough he associates them with context.
You need to wait here, do you want a chicken in the garden?, shall we go up nannies?, Come on, in the car... All get me a definite understanding response. He will hop on the sofa instead of coming to the door if told he is waiting at home for example. He also knows that my bringing my handbag means he is unlikely to be coming though and puts himself to bed on those occasions. He clearly understand lots but I suspect it needs plenty of repetition and a clear routine for him to build his vocab.

One of mine definitely understands language not commands. My other is thick as shit

"just get up a minute so I can find the remote"

And he would've got up, found it and brought it to you without training?

He needs to be on TV.

Even assistance dogs need commands.

My dogs are always listening, even when not in the same room as me. They have lots of trigger words. Especially if I am on a work call and I mention something I'm doing next - they listen and know! They come bounding in expecting a trip to the shops or whatever I've mentioned to a colleague. They are greyhounds so not renowned for their intelligence, but I think they just hide it well.

My senior, stubborn Chihuahua would lie in his bed under my bed, impervious to summons.

But he loved my pasta sauce for some bizarre reason. All I had to do was say "Romeo, want saucy?!" and he would fly down the hall and come skidding into the kitchen like a bat out of hell. It was hilarious.

They definitely can my boy (he's passed now ☹️) understand most things.
People would laugh at the things he could do; when he came in from the rain I'd ask him to dry his paws and he would or if I was asking the kids where something was he'd help find whatever it was and 90% of the time it was him who'd find it.

My dog knows more than the basic sit etc. I remember the first time I told him to ‘go and get a drink’, my new OH was gobsmacked haha.

My DIL’s nan had a collie. It had about 15 toys and knew them all by name. Whichever one you asked for the dog would fetch it.
We have a Staffy. Beautiful dog, thick as mince though!

My chihuahuas used puppy pads by the door in inclement weather.

If i wanted to ensure they were ready for bed, i could say "Do wee-wee!" They would toddle out of the room to the pad and take turns, then come trotting at me for a treat.

They're very good at picking up what matters to them, whether it's good or not good. Within a few weeks, my dog picked up "Are you hungry" or "do you want to eat", just because each time I said that, food was coming soon after.
But he also picked up very early on that opening that bottom drawer in the kitchen = nail clipper is out.

I also think that a dog that is being trained daily with positive reinforcement pays more attention to what is said, because they know that may holds the key to a lot of treats.

I'm sure they do know loads of words, but years ago, with my very first dog (well I've only had two) I couldn't work out how she knew I was taking a cup of tea to my then DH who was on nights so was asleep upstairs. I made lots of cups of tea for myself over the day, but when I made him one, she would excitedly race upstairs and wait outside the bedroom. I wondered, could she see there were 2 cups - but no, she did the same when I made just one. I finally worked out that it was because he took sugar - she could hear the spoon tinkling in the cup. Not understanding language, but I still thought it was pretty clever. She was a rescue mixed breed, but with a lot of collie.

I would take late Ddog for a walk after Coronation Street. As soon as the closing music started she knew it was walkies time and got up and went to the door. She would react the same if we watched it at a different time of day on catch up.

Dogs learn all the time, whether you are teaching them or not, and some pick up words more easily than others. Others will always prefer to rely on hand signals.

That said, even my stupid dog has learned that 'back on the path' means 'stop running about in/on the farmer's crop'. I said it often enough with a directional hand signal that it finally sank in. The brighter dog picks things up scarily fast, but she likes a hand signal more.

My collie knew about 350 words we sat and wrote them out over the course of a few days and were amazed. Could definitely chat to him and feel like you were having a conversation. His wolfhound cross sister seemed stupid as anything but since the collie passed 6 months ago we're realising just how much he rubbed off on her and she knows a crazy amount of words too for a dog we thought barely knew her own name 🤣

She's not quite the conversationalist type though.

I think DDog knows a meaning to a lot of words, particularly names of things, people and other dogs. And sometimes she can apply it eg if you tell her where we’re going when we leave for a walk (eg we’re going to see friend X) she will know the route and lead the way.

She also picks up on when we’re spelling out a word (like ‘when shall we take her for a w-a-l-k?). I think she picks up on the change in the rhythm of the voice and has learned that when that happens we’re on about something that would interest her and she clearly starts paying attention

Mine used to have a basic understanding in that she associated certain words or phrases with objects or actions. She knew what things were, you could ask her to go find me a Teddy or a ball or shoe and she would come back with the right object. Understood if I called to her to get on the path if there was a bike coming. Got excited if I told her certain people were coming round and definitely knew what the word vet meant.

I was watching something with blind people talking the other day and one person said you can literally smell anger on people. I immediately thought that this is why dogs sometimes dislike certain humans.

@Allthegoodhorses yeah I seen that on some national geo animal planet programme they say even the daftest dogs have the intelligence & understanding of a 3yr old human.
Dogs are really intelligent when we stop and consider exactly what some of capable of; police dogs, guide dogs etc... they're fantastic animals and 100% mans best friend.