“There is no rule in the rule book that says that dogs cannot understand humans.”
(That’s somewhat the correct line, right? No? Oh, well, close enough.)
I have always wondered if dogs could understand what humans say to them. I mean, you say, “Who’s a good boy?” and their tail starts wagging like a plane trying to take flight. Because they are, in fact, a good boy. So can they really understand what is being said to them? Or are they just able to tell what is what based on what we say and how we say it?
According to a study done by Animal Planet, the average dog can understand up to about 165 words, such as “sit” and “stay.” Training dogs can even help further their understanding of what humans are saying.
The key way to tell if your dog can understand what you are saying to them is the way they turn their head. To the right means they understand you, and to the left means that they haven’t got a clue; of course, there is science behind this. According to The Telegraph, “It’s all to do with the part of the brain that they use to process the sound: familiar sounds are processed on the left (causing a right-head tilt) while the right side of the brain deals with unfamiliar sounds (resulting in a left-head tilt).”
Not only can they understand what we are saying, but they can understand what we are feeling; or at least they try to. According to a study done at the University of Essex, dogs pay attention to how humans around them behave, so they may be able to pick up on different emotions that humans may be feeling, whether it be happiness or sadness or anywhere in between those two. So when your dog runs around when you are cheering after your favorite team wins, or when it chooses to cuddle next to you when you are sad or tired, know that your dog is just trying to reciprocate your emotions. After all, dog is man’s best friend.
I always talk to my dog and find it wonderful that dogs can understand what we are saying. They are already family but now they seem even more like family.
This is pretty cool that we can know this. I feel like this could be easily home-tested by having the owner train the dog himself, teaching it basic commands and its own name of course. Then, when the dog is trained, have the owners’ friends try and give the dogs the same commands. We all know this works and I think it is pretty safe to say that dogs definitely know what we are saying rather than recognizing facial expressions and pitches which are far too exact.
I love all of the posts about dogs! I truly believe that dogs are incredibly smart, and really know what us humans are talking about, but I never expected 165 words! I loved reading this article, mainly because I love dogs, but it also offered great information.
Dogs are amazing! I have a chocolate lab and a black lab and the newest addition is a mini Australian Labradoode who we just got about three months ago. I love when dogs tilt their head because it is so adorable but I had no clue that they tilt their head one way when they understand and another way when they do not understand. When we got my new puppy I would always whistle because he would tilt his head back and forth and it was so cute. But after a few days he stopped because now I realize he learned to understand what it was and where it was coming from. Another time my black lab kept tilting his head back and forth when he heard the crunching from me chewing. I’m so interested in dogs and how their minds work and it was great to learn a little from this post!
Dogs are amazing! I have a chocolate lab and a black lab and the newest addition is a mini Australian Labradoode who we just got about three months ago. I love when dogs tilt their head because it is so adorable but I had no clue that they tilt their head one way when they understand and another way when they do not understand. When we got my new puppy I would always whistle because he would tilt his head back and forth and it was so cute. But after a few days he stopped because now I realize he learned to understand what it was and where it was coming from. Another time my black lab kept tilting his head back and forth when he heard the crunching from me chewing. I’m so interested in dogs and how their minds work and it was great to learn a little from this post!
I really didn’t realize how smart dogs are. I just like other people knew they were smart animals but that is truly extraordinary. The fact they know what we’re saying react to that as well as what we feel is amazing. We cannot do that for them in many cases so who’s the smarter one? I don’t think they know as much of the words though, they more understand the tone in which you’re saying it.
Its nice to hear that dogs can understand us. I talk to my dog all the time, and I never really knew if he understood me! I love that they can, because it makes them seem so much more like family. At least in my mind that is! Thanks for the post, it was great 🙂
I was surprised about the amount of words that dogs can understand as well. I think that 30 words would have been a safe bet. I’m also sorry that you’re missing out on a yellow lab puppy- you should get to name him because you’re not there, I feel like that’s only fair.
I really would have underestimated the amount of words that a dog can understand. If I had a guess I would have said about 30. Which is not even close to 165. I read through this article partially because that number surprised me and because my family is getting a yellow lab puppy tomorrow. Without me