Does your dog know what you're talking about?

Jasper, pretending to be clueless

Dogs are smart enough to know how to play dumb.

Isn't it amazing how the word "no" doesn't quite register like the words "cookie" or "want to go outside?"

Many of us, every day, have long-winded conversations with our dogs, while they sniff grass, chase birds, and generally appear to clueless as we talk to them.

But are they?

By many indicators, dogs understand us quite well.

In a 2004, researchers determined that a Border Collie from Germany had a 200-word vocabulary.  The dog also demonstrated an ability to figure out that a sound he had never heard before was from a toy he had never seen.

Dogs can be trained to sniff out certain kinds of cancer, just as they can sniff out drugs or bombs.  Guide dogs help people who are vision-impaired.

These levels of communication can't be gained by words alone.
Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, uses quiet authority and an understanding of dog pack behavior to establish himself as the leader.

Shouting at your dog just makes him think you're crazy and not worthy of being the pack leader, some trainers say.

My only advice is be careful who's in earshot.  I learned this one day when didn't see a neighbor who was standing nearby as I scolded my Jack Russell Terrier, Jasper.

"That's a battle you'll never win," I told  him after he barked crazily at a stray cat.

"Excuse me?" the neighbor said.

"Sorry, I was  talking to my dog."

To this day, I don't think she believes me.

On many outdoor outings, I've  told Jasper the list of things I have to do.

If he could talk, Jasper's response might have been, "Look...there goes a squirrel."

Passersby knew I wasn't completely crazy, because a dog was standing right there, right? It many not be as crazy as it is ineffective.

Animal trainers say the biggest mistake we make is by talking to (and treating) dogs like they're people. In addition to understanding words and commands, dogs respond to body language and the tone  in our voices. Depending on the tone we use, a dog's response will probably be the same for both "Let's go for a walk" and "The world will end in five seconds."

Jasper invents communication signals that I never taught him.

Do you know of any dog that asks to go outside by sitting on his hind legs in the begging position? Where on earth did this connection come from?

A friend who also owns a Jack Russell has perfectly summed up their thought processes.

It goes something like this:
*Tennis balls
*Tennis balls and squeaky toys
*Squirrels
*Tennis balls
*Where's my food?
*Tennis balls.

I  really don't think it's that simple, but it's certainly to their advantage to have us think that it is.