2006-10-25 00:51:28 · 14 answers · asked by ajigrone 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
It depends on what you're saying to them.
If you're giving him the you'resuchagoodpuppy baby talk, he knows you're pleased with him, and he's happy!
If you're scolding him for eating the couch, he knows you're mad, and he'll cower down.
If you're lying on the bed with him and telling him that your life sucks and nothing ever goes right for you and why can't you get so-and-so to notice you/get the job you want/make your parents understand you, he knows you're sad and he will try to comfort you.
Communication to dogs has a lot to do with tone of voice, body posture, and other things that only dogs can pick up on. As far as understanding actual people words, it varies between not only breed but individual dogs. Like people, some are pure genius and some are dumb as dirt. But on average, a well cared-for adult dog will come to understand about as many actual words as the average two-year-old human person.
2006-10-25 01:23:15 · answer #1 · answered by Tabikat 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Id say they understand very little overall! lol They probably recognise certain key words like their name and "sit" etc but the rest is just babble to them. Tone of voice would convey far more than the words do generally.
I saw something somewhere that they will know around 20 words and that would be a bright dog! MIne know about 2, they are as dim as a 10 watt light bulb between the 3 of them hehehe
2006-10-25 00:55:23 · answer #2 · answered by huggz 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think sometimes they do. They can have a vocabulary of about 100 or so words I heard. They can tell what mood your in by the tone of your voice. I talk to my dogs and cats as if they understand everything. It can't hurt (as long as no one witnesses you conversing with Fido and Fluffy).
2006-10-25 01:01:36 · answer #3 · answered by SHELTIELUVER 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think the dogs can understand what we said .at last they can understand if we love them.
2006-10-25 00:59:37 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know, sometimes I think they do, but I think they mostly sense our moods and emotions. Now the usual commands, such as sit, stay, I think yes they hear what we say and from us repeating it so often from the time they are pups they know what we expect of them when we say those words. honestly it's hard to say whether or not dogs understand. In my opinion they only understand the things (words/commands) we teach them!
2006-10-25 00:58:53 · answer #5 · answered by sparkles 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They don't understand the words, but they do understand the tone of the message. They can sense anger and hostility just as they can sense affection. Its not so much what is being said, but HOW it is being said that they understand.
2006-10-25 01:01:29 · answer #6 · answered by Paul H 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They understand good and bad tones in your voice and associate them with the words you use in conjunction with the tones they are hearing.
2006-10-25 01:08:00 · answer #7 · answered by machaylaj 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They understand a whole lot more than we give them credit for.
2006-10-25 01:00:00 · answer #8 · answered by bookfreak2day 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mine understands me quite well. Except when I say get off the couch.
2006-10-25 00:52:56 · answer #9 · answered by Concerned Citizen 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes,
My greyhound knows 77 vocabulary words, and knows the difference.
If I tell him to get his duck, he knows which animals to pick.
the same for potty, if he doesn't have to go, he looks at me stupid.
He knows the word bedtime, quiet, "find it", etc.
Dogs are smart, they also read your body language along with words.
2006-10-25 03:28:38 · answer #10 · answered by che_mar_cody 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋