Research Shows Dogs Can Comprehend Words

[CShine]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- As many a dog owner will attest, our furry friends are listening. Now, for the doubters, there is scientific proof they understand much of what they hear. German researchers have found a border collie named Rico who understands more than 200 words and can learn new ones as quickly as many children.

Patti Strand, an American Kennel Club board member, called the report "good news for those of us who talk to our dogs."

"Like parents of toddlers, we learned long ago the importance of spelling key words like bath, pill or vet when speaking in front of our dogs," Strand said. "Thanks to the researchers who've proven that people who talk to their dogs are cutting-edge communicators, not just a bunch of eccentrics."

The researchers found that Rico knows the names of dozens of play toys and can find the one called for by his owner. That is a vocabulary size about the same as apes, dolphins and parrots trained to understand words, the researchers say. Rico can even take the next step, figuring out what a new word means.

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DOG_LANGUAGE?SITE=APWEB&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[molly]

1. My dog and all of my cats

know exactly what I say to them.

[keithyboy]

77. They needed "research" to do that? I've known that since i had my dog.

:shrug:

[DrBB]

2. We tried spelling-out words with my dog

...as a way of being able to say, for instance, the word "WALK" without encountering a major dog-caniption (sp?). Didn't work. She learned how to spell. "W-A-L-K" got the same reaction, shortly after it was instituted....

[FleshCartoon]

5. I had the same experience with my older dog...

...who is, sadly, no longer with us. She not only learned the vocabulary, but she learned to spell many of the words + learned tunes to songs we made up about certain activities she was to be involved in (don't ask!)--we could just hum the tune to a particular song without singing the words we'd made up to go with the tune and she'd know exactly what we meant.

My other dog, however, is quite different--it's as if she and I don't speak the same language sometimes. Her vocabularly, perception, and intelligence don't seem to be nearly as developed as my other dog's was. Perhaps she has another native language other than English. Heh.

[Voltaire99]

13. They're word-association freaks.

Charming, isn't i?

If you spell out any word in advance of your walk (especially in advance of getting the leash, etc.), sooner or later that little needs-based association machine in your friend's head will catch on.

Since we work at home, ours gets lots of practice. You can see him parsing our conversations, looking for the activator words. :-)

[Tansy_Gold]

19. that makes sense, but. . . . .

. . . sometimes dogs -- and other pets, too, I'm sure -- just do weird things.

Our dog, a now 13-year-old Queensland heeler, has always been quick to learn new words, and even pick up on spelling: sock, food, walkie-walkie, etc. One evening, however, he really surprised me.

My daughter, who is very cynical about this dog's level of intelligence, was spending the night. We had sat up talking until quite late, past my usual bedtime. Normally I never said anything to the dog about going to bed -- we just did it. But to prove to my daughter that the dog was smarter than she would admit, I said to him, in no particular tone of voice "C'mon, it's time to go night-night." (Yes, I tend to talk in childish phrases to him; he likes being babied! ;-) ) He was lying on the floor beside my chair. I made no move to get up from the chair and head toward the bedroom.

Daughter says, "Yeah, right, what's he gonna do, go in the bedroom and get up on the bed, like he knows it's time to go to sleep?"

I shrugged and said, "I have no idea what he's going to do. I've never said anything like that to him before."

He looked at her, looked at me, then trotted into the bedroom and jumped on the bed. He had never done that before, always waited until I actually went to bed.

No doubt he has some kind of time-mechanism that told him it was the usual time to go to bed, but it still surprised both of us. And if I mention going to bed or going "night-night" to him now, regardless of the time of day, he still heads for the bedroom. Although I do have to say it a little bit louder now; he's getting a bit hearing-impaired!

My son's dog, a boxer, barely knows her own name.

[RebelOne]

34. Yes, I had a Rottie who learned very quickly how to spell.

[progressivebydesign]

52. My aussie/border collie could spell, also. I resorted to whispering. N/T

[Sterling]

63. With one of mine it's B-A-L-L

Dogs are damn smart. Mine unfortunatley have learned how to open the fridge.

[DrBB]

79. My dog generalized the concept "door"

She was crate-trained. Loved her box--always went in there for comfort, naps, etc. We rarely closed it, but when we did it was fine--it was her spot.

Anyway, when she wanted to go out, she'd often do the usual thing--go tap on the sliding door with a forepaw. But if she really thought we weren't getting the message, she'd go over to her crate door and use her forepaw to push the door open, then look at us expectantly.

My theory on dog language? There's a recent theory that looks at all human language as being rooted in metaphors derived from physiology--even our most abstract or philosophical concepts come down ultimately to body-based concepts. Emotion plays a strong part even in rational analysis, too--there's a theory that there's no thought without emotion. So I look at it like this: they're mammals, and we're mammals, and we have lots in common physiologically and emotionally. We have a bunch of cerebral-cortex stuff they can't do, but a lot of where we live, consciousness-wise, isn't in our cerbral cortex either. If they had vocal chords, I think we'd find they "get" a lot more of us than we give them credit for, on quite a specific and conceptual level. Not politics and music theory perhaps, but a lot of essentials about living and being.

[amber dog democrat]

3. I bet this applies to certain chimps too,

but not THE chimp.

[Voltaire99]

14. LOL! Nice one. (n/t)

[goclark]

4. So interesting!

I believe it.
Someone told me when I first got my dog to have a hello and see you later greeting for my adorable puppy.

When I leave him I will say, " Now you take care of the house and be a good doggie. I will be back to see you around 4 o' clock." As soon as I start talking, you can tell that he is disappointed but he will go to the door with me and he realizes what is going to happen.

I sometimes call him during the day and he can hear the answering machine. I tell him that I will see him in a little while or I'm still visiting in San Francisco or what ever I want to tell him.In other words, I talk to him like a person and I believe that he understands a lot.

He is my best friend so I treat him that way. I share all my good times and my bad times with him.

[RoundRockD]

7. I know for a fact that dogs understand words.

My dog is a genious. He knows every family member by our name, including the cats. He knows when it's time for daddy to come home, so he sits on the couch looking at the door.

[Mandate My Ass]

15. My dog does that too!

She knows who comes home and when and she waits by the door
until they walk in the door.

She has three toys, a ball, a teddy bear and a bone and if you
tell her to get one, she gets the right one every time.

She also knows where stuff is in the fridge. It's spooky.

[FleshCartoon]

16. My really smart dog...

...used to know when it was payday. She always got some ice cream and a bag of rawhide chew bones on payday. She'd wake up on that weekday morning exhibiting excited, anticipatory behavior.

A friend of mine thought I was crazy until she got a dog and found that it also knew when her payday was. Also, this friend used to think I was crazy when I told her that my dog was "angry" with me--she'd laugh at me--but then she got a dog and found out that they do get pissed off sometimes.

[Mandate My Ass]

22. My dog is always happy on Sundays

She knows everybody is home even if they're not all awake
yet, and she knows she's going to get table scraps from the
big breakfast I make every Sunday. She waits (somewhat)
patiently while we eat.

She loves car rides and jumps in the car whenever I open the
door but she goes from happy to terrified if I go anywhere near
the street where the vet's office is.

Your smart dog is gone I assume from your use of the past tense.
So sorry. My dog turns 14 this week. She is very much a member
of the family moreso than a pet.

[FleshCartoon]

24. Yeah, she had a stroke in April of 2003...

...and I eventually had to put her down. It was heartbreaking. But I still have my other dog-baby who is, as I previously posted, not quite as bright as her sister was--but she's a much less demanding and sweeter-natured dog than was the other.

[TankLV]

35. All my dogs, past and present, absolutely LOVE going to the vet.

Because each of them, in turn, has at some point or other, needed an "emergency" visit - and they all associate the vet with feeling better.

Even the ones who haven't had any emergencies, are real good, even with shots.

Of course, they're all Golden Retrievers.

God's perfect dog.

Enought said.

[Voltaire99]

17. I can relate.

I'll tell our dog, "Watch our house for us." His ears droop. He scuttles to the sofa. Lowers his head. Goes into a lonely repose: the worst news he can receive. We speak a few comforting words, but there's no consoling him.

I'm sure he understands the whole sequence; but I also believe, keen observer that he is, that he's pieced together our imminent departure from things like putting on coats, keys jingling, tone of voice, etc.

They're wonderful friends. A psychologist friend told us, once, before our trip to find a dog at the Humane Society, to let the dog choose us. Best advice ever. When we saw this mixed lab, skinny and undernourished, he pressed against the cage, nuzzling and yearning for contact. It has been bliss ever since. :-)

[Ms. Clio]

6. I love this story, but I'm a little puzzled by it

Anyone who has ever done obedience training with their dogs knows they understand words?

[Soloflecks]

8. Well, you know how it is.....

It's not official unless a "scientist" says it's so. :eyes:

[Ms. Clio]

12. Yeah, next they'll be proving that chocolate tastes good n/t

[kayell]

20. I'd volunteer for that research project! nt

[LifeDuringWartime]

70. i think they already have

due to the numerous psychoactive chemicals in chocolate (caffeine, and others)

[Ms. Clio]

74. Actually, it' s not just good, but good for you!

I heard that the flavinoids in chocoloate--the dark, bittersweet kind--are very healthy; I believe they do something to clean up free radicals.

[mhr]

81. ROTHFLMAO - Going Through The Thread This Was A Good One!

chuckles

[Ms. Clio]

86. Hey thanks, glad to hear it :) n/t

[NashVegas]

21. But Before There Was Never Scientific Proof

So in the minds of science strategists, it didn't count.

It only took one vacation for my cat to figure out what was going on the next time I pulled out my suitcase.

[Ms. Clio]

75. Oh, yes, I know

It just seems rather redundant.

My cats did, too! Now when the suitcase comes out of the closet they like to climb inside, walk all over, and lie on top of it until it's filled.

[Tracer]

9. My cats understand words that are "interesting" to them.

Fr'instance, one of my cats adores American cheese. Even if she's half asleep, if I say "Do you want some cheese?", she'll get right up and go to her "cheese place" - the top of the table in the kitchen.

[FightinNewDem]

71. Same here!

One my "girls" loves cheese of any sort, but has a particular fondness for feta cheese. Somehow, this seems appropriate, seeing as she was rescued from the streets of Manchester, the city with America's largest percentage of Greek-Americans! B-)

[Lorien]

84. Mine are clicker trained

they obey a handful of commands about 75% of the time, which is about as well as my collie did (I wish I had known about clicker training back then; my dog would have done amazing things with that method!) It's always fun to have visitors over who don't like cats because "they don't do anything". I tell my Maine Coon to come, jump onto a chair, and give the visitor a "high five". He does so and they are left speechless, lol!

[CWebster]

10. once again

science states the obvious.

[bain_sidhe]

11. Well, duh.

My dogs understand most of the basic commands, of course, but they also understand "Go see dad" and "mine, go away" (used when we're snacking and they want some), "where's your bear?" as differentiated from "give me that bear!" (stuffed bear toy), "you be good and I'll be back" (when leaving), "go wait on the couch" when I return. (Arafel in particular always wants a pet when I come home, so when I say "go wait on the couch" she runs to the couch, and sits there all aquiver waiting for her pet while I put things down. Makes for a much easier entry when my hands are full.)

The only word they don't seem to understand is "quiet!" :P Steve thinks it's because we yell it and they think we're answering them, which makes them bark more - like the neighbor dog... when they go outside and the neighbor's dog is out, they'll run over to the fence and bark at him, he comes over to the fence and barks back, they bark back, and this goes on for a few seconds, then, courtesies exchanged, they go on about their business.

[Pathwalker]

25. Oh, it's official NOW!

Well, duh is right. Even my cats understand words. My cat Lightning could even say; "I want out!" well enough for strangers to gasp. Everyone else just let him out. I saw an America's Funniest Home Videos segment that had dogs TALKING - all of them were saying "I love you." That was all the proof I needed to realize they not only understand words, but can actually speak better than toddlers!

[FlaGranny]

46. That's why I whisper the word "quiet"

to my dog.

[kevinhnc]

18. Pavlov did this a long time ago...

Dogs understanding our words is probably just more proof of Pavlovian theories than a truly exciting demonstration of their high intelligence.

While dogs may be able to understand words, they cannot understand GRAMMAR.

For instance, you could say to your dog "I'm not taking you for a WALK today". As long as you say "walk" in the normal fashion, I guarantee that your dog will get just as excited as if you said "Let's go for a walk now!"

Understanding words is simple stimulus-reward behavior it seems to me. Show me a dog that can truly understand a grammatical construct, then I will be impressed.

[tridim]

88. I think they understand simple grammar

"Find your green ball" and "find your white ball" have two different meanings to my dog, she'll fetch the correct ball. If she wants to get in the car I can say "no car" and she'll walk away disappointed. "No walk" definitely doesn't mean "walk".. She also understands "We'll walk later". Her reaction to, "Did you have fun playing with Jazz?" is vastly different than, "Do you want to play with Jazz?" Maybe she's keying off my intonation or the entire phrase, but it sure seems like she understands qualifiers.

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

23. "go get a drink"

I was totally amazed when I said this to my Yello Lab (female about 2 years old at the time).

She'd been taught a lot of different things, could recognize her toy names, instructions to go to bed, potty (my favorite!), get out of the kitchen (which really meant 'leave the room' to her).... but she had NEVER heard the phrase 'drink' before, at least not directly spoken to her.

We'd been out exercising and she'd been resting on the cool tile floor and I said 'Go get a drink'. Okay, so I did POINT to the general direction of her water (but was two rooms away) and VIOLA she gets up, goes across the two rooms, and slurp slurp, takes a drink! I was amazed.

Just a coincidence?

Maybe, but after that... I could say 'go get a drink' without pointing or even when she hadn't been playing and off she'd go.

[TahitiNut]

65. Labradors have far larger vocabularies than most other dogs.

My lab Bo used to do what I asked, in a conversational voice. When he was young he started going to the cupboard where the milk bones were kept and look at me with the expression only Labs (and some goldens) can show. I said "OK, go ahead and open it yourself and get one, but only one." (Now, mind you, none of this had he ever done before.) He nosed the door open and stuck his nose in the box of milk bones, then looked at me as if to say "Are you sure it's OK?" So, I said "Sure, go ahead. But only one, Bo." So he stuck his nose back in grabbed and came up with two. So he dropped both and tried again. On the second try, he came up with one treat and looked at me. I said "That's a good boy." He wagged his tail and trotted over to his rug to munch merrily on his acquisiton. From that day on, he got his own treats ... but only after asking. True story.

Many people think the commercial about the Golden going to the kitchen for beers is imaginary. I don't.

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

69. I have been amazed by her thats for sure!

Now her adopted Chocolate Lab 'brother'....

He's pretty to look at, just not much between the ears! :shrug:

[gulfcoastliberal]

26. Wonder how many words cats comprehend?

probably none. :evilgrin:

[Eurobabe]

33. oh now be nice

I like ALL fur kids.

My cats definitely understand every thing I say to them.

[Love Bug]

39. Cats understand everything you say to them...

They just don't care! :evilgrin:

[sangh0]

47. They must and I can prove it

They ignore everything I say

[FightinNewDem]

72. The real question is...

Can you understand anything they say to you?

I have a part-Maine Coon (a notoriously gabby breed), so I get quite a bit of practice!

[Yavin4]

27. Do You Realize That Dogs Will Have A Bigger Vocabulary Than Bush

I think that is just sad.

[Carolina]

29. yeah, cause they have brains

Also, unlike Bush, they have hearts.

[Skittles]

28. lol, "spelling words" in front of dogs

yup, I remember my friends saying "B-A-T-H" lest their dog run and hide before they bathed him - but after a while he caught on to the spelling too. :D

[Lorien]

30. This headline is kind of like saying

"research shows that carrots are vegetables". :eyes:

When I was growing up, I taught my collie all the words for the items I couldn't find in the morning, like "find keys", "get book bag" "Find hat (gloves, mittens, scarf)". He would poke his nose under cushions, furniture, up on counters and tables...and he always found the lost items!

[Zynx]

40. You realize...

That the humans-uber-alles Creationist headcases love to insist that nothing other than humans has any sort of consciousness, thereby proving that we have souls and they (animals) do not.

I always like the following:

Action 1: Pet the nice magic-show trained tiger that lives in a house in Vegas. Awww, nice tiger.

Action 2: Pet a wild tiger that lives somewhere in India.

[Lorien]

49. Hey, that's a good one!

I think I'll use it next time I'm arguing with one of those insecure, brainwashed nutcases.:thumbsup:

I used to have a three legged cat that lived outdoors. Every night, huge raccoons would come to the back door and eat kitty's kibble. Sometimes I filled kitty's bowl while the big male coons were still out there. The males never growled at me, and my cat would calmly eat right beside them, despite the fact that the male coons were twice his size and could have very easily killed him. He competed for food-so why didn't they try to harm him? Maybe they have a sense of right and wrong-who knows?

[veganwitch]

31. duh!!!!

my dog understood W-A-L-K and T-R-E-A-T.

if she heard "W," she got excited and wouldnt calm down until you took her for atleast around the block.

[Tellurian]

32. Imagine poor Barney living with retardo...

ohhh, the influence!

Barney learning to be and act stupid.

There Otta be a Law against digressive behavior to animals.

[Cronus Protagonist]

36. We lost my dog and he took the bus home by himself

My Dad took the dog (border collie) in to the city, a big city and lost him. So we all looked for him and couldn't find him anywhere and had to go home.

Just as we arrived at the street we live in, we saw the dog hop off a bus at the stop down the road and he headed up towards the house. He had been on a lot of busses, and must have remembered which place to get on and which place to get off. I figure he would also be able to know by smell if he was headed in the right direction since he always liked to have his nose (or head) out the car window while we drove.

My mother was on vacation and my uncle had a border collie that had a litter of pups. She fell and broke her ankle at the beach when all the puppies were there and all the kids ran off to get help. All the puppies ran off with the kids but one puppy stayed behind of its own volition and whimpered in sympathy. My mother now has that puppy and she called her "Faith" for her faithful response to that incident.

I could go on, because our family has always had border collies, but I'll spare you more - it's sufficient to say that I know that border collies easily have the intellegence of a 3 year old human.

BLAME BUSH FIRST!

Click here for "BLAME BUSH FIRST", and other fair and balanced yet stunning buttons, magnets and stickers

[Gloria]

37. "Peeps!!" and my Slicker is ready for his midday walk

all mine know all the words associated with meals and treats...

and now, when I spell treat and eat...they know that too as soon as I start. Will have to talk to my mother in sign language, soon.

My first guy, Toro, knows "kitty cat"...because to this day, even if there's no cat in sight...if I say "kitty cat" he starts to growl!!
I think that's pretty incredible!! There is some association going on there...

Now, in the hot weather, when I take Slick out for walk...I carry water. At first I offered it...now, he slows down, looks up...and without a word, I know it's time for a drink......

They are so wonderful........!! I figure they are at about toddler level in terms of development....

[Carolina]

38. woof, woof

who'd thunk it!

... sarcasm meter off

Dog owners have known that forever :eyes:. Right Toby? Woof

[TexasMexican]

41. No shit sherlock

I doubt people talk to thier animals just for the hell of it.

I seriously hope they didnt waste too much money no this study.

[FormerOstrich]

42. My dogs know...

everything. They both are really smart. They are border collie/Akita and border collie/Australian cattle dog. Not only do they know words, but they can tell by the way I dress if I am 1) leaving home and 2) if they will get to go with me or stay home. Molly knows how to instigate everything and hang the crimes on Jo. They neither one miss a thing.

Jo was still a puppy (3 now and still a puppy in ways). With Jo it is usually easier to play with her, than it is to argue with her about it. I don't remember what my niece was telling her one day, but I told my niece that Jo didn't understand what she was saying. My niece replied. "She knows full well what I am saying. I know because she doesn't have her head cocked to the side" How true it is! She still does that when she doesn't understand something.

I don't know what I'd do without them. I get such a kick out of them. They are hundreds of times more entertaining than television.

[Piperay]

43. Hah...I knew that

all along. I talk to my dog all the time and I know he knows what I am talking about. :-)

[sweetladybug]

44. We have 2 little weinnie dogs and they definately know the word

"cookie" since cookies are their favorite treat.

[trackfan]

45. my dog can talk - he can say "wine", "burger" and "i want"

<img src="">

[TheCentepedeShoes]

48. My standard poodle

(and please, pretty please, no Tony Blair remarks) He (my dog, that is) is very smart with a finely tuned BS detector and has figured out that "Go for a W" means a walk. I'd like to modify that so that it means "growl at monkeybutt" whenever he (said monkeybutt) is on TV (GRRRR...:grr:) He also knows that "T the B" means we're going to the backyard to throw the ball.

[Lorien]

51. Not surprising

poodles and border collies are the smartest dog breeds. Afghan hounds are the dumbest (they look like Ann Coulter, after all).;-)

[JohnLocke]

85. I beg to differ.

Australian shepherds are clearly the most intelligent of the lot ;).

[Piperay]

58. Standard Poodles are super smart

I love them :loveya:. I had Standard Poodles for 30 years but my last one died a year ago :cry:. Right now I have a Sheltie mix that I took in while I still had my last Standard. People hear the 'Poodle' word and think of a little frou frou but they're tough smart dogs, especially the Standards. I miss my Standard and one day will get another. :thumbsup:

[progressivebydesign]

50. Not surprising it was a border collie!

I've had a few Australian Shepherds and Border Collies, pure and mixed. Those dogs are the smartest when it comes to word recognition. A dog that you can simply speak to in a regular tone of voice, that understands... that's those dogs. Plus, it was fun to say "get your ball", "no, not the red one, get the blue one", and the dog would comply. I have a mini Aussie now, and a black lab. They totally understand words.. the lab suprised us the other day, when I noticed this: I called to my husband to have our daughter "feed the dogs", the lab was standing there and starting jumping up and down and frantically searching for her food dish. Grabbed it and headed for the area where they're fed. I had NO idea the dog ever noticed that when we said, "feed the dogs", that a few minutes later, they were fed. Cats understand our words.. they just don't care. Although my cat sits on command.

[Suspicious]

53. Of course they can.

My German Shepherd's (Lestat) communication/comprehension skills are unbelievable. I even tried to speak monotone when I used certain words, because my husband swore it was the inflection he was responding to - nope, he still came flying into the room from anywhere in the house if I uttered one of his favorite words (walk, ride, bye-bye, etc.) Spelling words out didn't work after one or two times, either.

On the other hand, I also understand him. He has a different bark for every situation - a "someone I don't know is in our yard" bark, a "take me outside right now!" bark, a "that stupid cat is hanging out on our deck again" bark, etc.

He knows "give me a kiss", too! :)

[lil-petunia]

54. But do they know what nukular means?

my two dogs can tell which toy, rope or shoe I am talking about. nice big guys, but still wishing to be lap puppies, despite their 90 lbs. each.

[Ratty]

55. I know for a FACT my cat understands at least 10 words

When she's drowsing, certain words cause her tail to start twitching, most notably her name. I would talk in a soft monotone, a continuous stream of words, no particular emphasis or inflection on any word. Then I begin lacing it with words I suspect she knows. Certainly her tail starts up when I mention her name, 5 or 6 different words she knows for dinner time, a couple of words she knows means 'time to go outside'. Plus the usuals for 'attack,' 'go for the throat,' 'claw his eyes out, Kitty!' 'Kill!'

[AlecBGreen]

56. my border collie

Dublin is smarter than I am

57. Can dogs understand words better than Bush? <eom>

[union_maid]

59. They needed a study for that?

Most people who own dogs know that the smarter ones know all kinds of words and, of course, they make other associations that make them look even smarter.

When my daughter was a little girl her lab slept with her. She'd tell her, "Time for bed" and the dog would get up and head to the bedroom. If the dog started taking up too much room she'd tell her to move over.

We've had at least two dogs that loved Christmas morning as much as any little kid and they expected presents - wrapped.

[Sterling]

60. Dogs are awesome.

Just thought I would say that.

[Pastiche423]

66. This thread is awesome

What a pleasure it is to read wonderful, happy stories, instead of reading about death and destruction.

About a month ago, my building manager gave me a border Collie mix. We've been busy training each other and both are making high grades.

One question to other moms and dads of Border Collies - how do you keep them from barking at every other dog? Chubaka is tearing my shoulder and arm muscles apart, going after them, not to mention the damage it's doing to my w/c.

[Lorien]

87. Go to :

www.clickertraining.com it's an amazing training method that works wonders at removing unwanted behaviors in a "fun' way. My cats love it and can do about six tricks now. Dogs can be taught just about anything with the method; from delivering items to specific individuals to moonwalking (no kidding)!

[David Zephyr]

61. Of Course They Can.

Our late pup of 15 years clearly understood OVER 200 words. Further, a great many of those words were spoken in either English or Spanish.

He understood sentences, not just words.

This egocentric projection by humans of their own limited and prejudicial concepts about the animal kingdom (in order to provide psychic salve to our consciences for eating and wearing animals) is the biggest joke of all.

Even the very word we choose to use when we are "kind" to animals is pathetic: we say we are treating the animals "humanely"! What a farce that even our language betrays our craven need to feel superior morally to animals.

[Tellurian]

62. HEEEEERRRREEEES RICO... the pooch causing the stir...

surfed into the little scamp on yahoo!

[sadiesmom]

64. Love this positive thread.

We all love our dogs and our friends know it. The problem with that is when our dogs do something miraculous, no one bleieves us.
I was married for almost 25 years. I would come home from work and be glad to geta grunt from my husband. After I was divorced and got my dog, I would say hello to her when ever I entered the door. One day I came in tired and put down my stuff turned to the dog who said quite clearly 'Hello'. I was a little startled at the volume and clarity, but no one believed me, until one by one, she said it to them.
She taught herself to other words, God forbid I do any real training, I am obviuosly a bad owner, she says out when she want out and Home when I have kept her too long at some one else's house and she has not had her dinner.
Now as far as forgetting to feed her, she has an answer for that as well, she will grab me by the sleeve, drag me into the kitchen, look at her empty bowl, strike the bottom with her nose in a resounding boom, then look up and stare at me, until I feed her.

What kind of dog? A border collie of course.

[KittyWampus]

67. Parrots Are Also Capable Of Comprehension

as well as stringing together words to express themselves.

[PopSixSquish]

68. My Dog and I Have Conversations all the Time

I've had him for 14 years and he is the sweetest thing in the world.

[LifeDuringWartime]

73. ive always assumed that dogs were stupid

then again, ive never owned any.

[CrispyQ]

76. Consider getting to know a dog!

They are wonderful creatures! And in my opinion, smarter than lots of people I know.

[0007]

78. Pigs are pretty smart also.

[fortyfeetunder]

80. yawn, what else is new?

See, most humans think animals are stupid because they can't "talk" and they don't have the brain capacity. Us dog lovers know far too differently....I feel vindicated.

[crossroads]

82. My Boston Terrior understands me...

She listens to me more than my wife does.
:shrug:

[0rganism]

83. Dogs comprehend words, Cats use mind control

Chinchillas? Not sure.

[TheWatcher]

89. Too Bad our President Can't. :)

[John_H]

90. If chimp could learn to pronounce words he'd get 80 % of the dog vote

since the platitudes he spews are geared toward a three-year-old world view.