Question.
Has anyone else ever thought there dog understands every word they are saying??? Like way more then a dog should? I know I am a crazy dog lady and all but I swear Minou understands english.
Today for example she was lying in my lap and the light was hitting her ears in such a way that I could see through them. I could tell there was still a bunch of wax in them after cleaning them last night. So I said to Luc, without touching her or doing anything, "hers ears still need cleaning, but" and before I could say 'I ran out of q-tips' she was gone - hiding somewhere.
She definitely understands a huge vocabulary which shocks me. Most of this was not due to training. Cookies, treat, greenie, cake, pee pee, outside, poo, sit, lie down, enchante, give me 5, turn around, up, stay, go get it, baboon, give me a kiss, bath (if we say this one while out for a walk she won't go in the house when we get home), cut your nails, clean your ears, brush your teeth, find it, where is ..., put a little sweater on, do you want to wear your collar...... I'm sure there is more I just can't think of them right now...
I can be standing in the living room and say that we need to cut her nails and before I can find he nail clippers she is hiding some where. Saying greenie almost puts her into convulsions turning around as many times as she can as fast as she can. I'll be discussing people cake with Luc and she will run over and give us kisses. It will often take me a few minutes to realize what I said that got her excited.
Sometimes I know it is because something rhymes. Today Dictator was imitating Ned Flanders and said "okaly dokaly neighboureenie" she got all excited about that thinking it was greenie.
And then we have Birdie. Right after Minou ran away from the ear cleaning incident I said to Birdie "I think we will have to anal probe you for the next 6 hours." She rolled over on to her back exposing her girly bits for all and gave me a kiss on the nose. Not so clever. Ok ok Minou doesn't understand anal probe either - but I did then offer to cut her nails and clean her ears and she just stayed there wriggling away looking for kisses while Minou shuddered somewhere in earshot.
Just wondering about other peeps dog experiences.....
Nomad, now with light
3 weeks ago
Pappy's pretty reserved in general, but as he gets a few years with us under his belt he seems to understand more and more. A few words, but more body language-- which I think may be part of Minou's ingenuity. I'll just be thinking about taking him into the house during a rousing bout of fetch, and he'll just stop cold and stare at me from across the yard. I'm not even aware of doing anything.
ReplyDeleteBentley was, as you know, a certified canine genius. He's been gone a long time now, but I do remember that he always seemed to know what I was thinking. He had a large vocabulary and was even known to sit with his front paws between our seats in the car, navigating. He knew the way to my grandmother's house and always knew where we were heading when we went home for a visit.
ReplyDeletePippin knows that when he comes to visit I usually cut his toenails. If I even walk toward the drawer where I keep the clippers, he's off like a dress on prom night.
Angela, you know that my Sebastian was just like Minou. He had a large vocabulary and he could even read. Well at least his name, he always picked out his presents even if Anna's was the same. When I got Anna, people said now I had a real dog. Sebastian was just a little person with a fur coat. He could understand more than we realized. Towards the end of his life, he was even talking... telling me YUM, Yum when he wanted to eat.
ReplyDeleteAnna though has limited vocab. She thinks her name is Anna-No.
Car ride, treats, go see and walk (although she is Canadian and knows walk in French is promenade), but other than that she is just a dog.
Brenda
I think Soph's always on the alert for her favourite words (cheese, tomato, outside, bedtime, walk). I think her "genius" comes from her paranoia. She is one of the most neurotic dogs - she often hides when I offer her a treat, terrified I might "do something" to her (clean her ears, cut her nails).
ReplyDeleteShe does understand more english than she lets on, though, because I can bargain with her. "If you pee/poop quickly you can play in the backyard/go for a car ride/etc"
Of course our Sparky is very intelligent; he understands a lot of our conversation and even if he doesn't he has a look on him like he does. He knows outside, nite nite, treat, go have a pee, get off the deck, ball, monkey, bunny, puppy, Where is Mel, Where is Karen, deer, squirrel, Go get it, do you want water, bath,get in the car, let's go for a walk, come here, no, and so on.By the way he really likes his monkey - it is already minus both ears and is torn in the seams all over - guess I will have to do some stitching. His other favourite toy right now is the huge cranberry juice bottle with handle. He carries it everywhere and tries to jump on the couch with it.
ReplyDeleteOf course they understand you, they 'read' visuals you are thinking of especially well. Works for cats too. And tonight I had a horse butt me (hard) because on Saturday I brought molasses treats and I mentioned that she would get more treats after the ride. Apparently she didn't want to wait until after.
ReplyDelete