Dog Training: Do Dogs Understand Language? Reading your dog's mind

[cukulat]

My Jack Ruussell `Cukulat` understand English, but more understand the syntax i think. My voice, tone etc.

[pyramonitor]

my australian shepard Snow was more like a ten year old. but i talk to animals and read body language ^_^

[LilMissGiggles63]

@DngerousRadical You aren't supposed to yell at your dog. It will make him nervous and afraid of you. What works best is to speak to them in a firm voice.

[DngerousRadical]

MY dog understands when i tell him to get off the sofa, doesn't mean he wants to though. So when i tell him twice and yell, he understands i mean business and gets off as he pufs air out his snout.

[Jayne2520]

Once I learned my dog did actually understand English, things got much easier. Even if she didn't fully understand what I was saying, she understood enough.

[AThousandMoons]

My chihuahua understands spanish better that english. But he still understands both languages. :)

[TheMols14]

theres alot better pet you could get if you want a pet that listens to you and understands you!!!! :O!!!! A PIG!!!! it have been tested! pigs learn 5 times faster than a dog

[Mroutchea5150]

I know my dog knows simple sentances because i use many commands with him that start with "do you want" aka "do you want to go outside?" "Do you want a drink?" "do you want to eat?" and some other. He will come in the room and stare at me, i will say "What do you want" he will then spin in cirles kinda saying "yes i want something" I will then start going through the list. "Do you want to eat, do you want to go outside" untill he finally barks letting me know that he wants whatever i just said.

[paul9663]

yulia is hawt and shes over your apartment

[TheGrimm93]

I forgot i even looked at these videos lol but my dog is very smart, she reads my body movements and acts upon them as i have instructed her to do. had her for a year and we know each other very well

[danafrog3]

dogs think i am hungry,, got to poop ,,,, wait hmm i am hungry again, and can we go outside,,,,,, oh yeah did i mention my dog is still hungry lol

[htfNO1fan]

I have 2 chiuauas (i dont know who to spell chiauaua) DAMN!

[MarcellaNievesable]

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[MrBizzmarkie]

SPIDER MAN OF SHIT!

[phillyphan801]

I want a cheeseburger really bad.

[hymykalle]

dogs understand few words but mostly they under stand the way HOW you say it

[hockeydog2301]

Yes my dog is just as smart as yours! thanks zak

[TheGrimm93]

first 5 sec you look like Tobey Maguire lol just saying

[DiCaprioLWD]

@TheGrimm93 I agree, after that 5 sec he look like Rowan Atkinson

[DiCaprioLWD]

@TheGrimm93 I agree, after that 5 sec he look like Rowan Atkinson

[Fluffiluffigis]

@TheGrimm93 could you be any more annoying

[mrreaver5]

i like bob to

[dsmcpherson1]

My Pitties understood almost everything I said to them. They are brilliant ;-)

[PittChick27]

Whos Dog Was That Cause It Surely Couldnt Have Been Alpha...

[cakemix2]

I think dogs understand far more than we imagine, including reading our body language better than even we can. My dog easily learned to  understand short words I spelled. To canines, our speech is like learning a foreign language (but actually, of a completely different species) yet how easily they learn! So in that sense, they may be smarter than a five-year-old child.

[Alcatrone]

@cakemix2 they do not understand, they resemble

[carlostamezz]

MY German Sheperd understands spanish an a little bit of french.. hehe. I'm mexican thats why.

[pastel0711]

my german shepherd understands like everything i say and easedrops on conversations and us talk on the phone and he listens to see if we are going out any wheres

[DarkGuyver718]

lol thats how i feel about my cat...

[amirahas]

Zak, I agree with you 100% ... Always got the feeling my dogs understood much more than they let on. Incredible animals. :)

[Martaan66]

We taught our BC a pretty handy command...last one. When we play ball or frisbee....we tell him last one and he takes it to the house.

[fawnpugs4ever]

my aunties dog responds to "giz a kissie!" and then goes into a frenzy! And my crazy auntie for some reason uses the words "go peepies!" for go to sleep. :S lol

[tinaluvsbunny]

my dog isnt very smart

[666Hansen]

That aside....dogs and their ability to understand humans - verbal or bodylanguage - are amazeing

[666Hansen]

You obviusly know a lot about dogs...but when you compare the language understanding ability of a dog, with a 3-5 year old child, I would recommend that you took a brush up on humans ;-))

[coolking1100]

i think you should tell people that border collies are the smartest dogs there are and that is why it is so easy for you to teach your dogs for example my dog can understand sentences that i never tought to him i think the reason is is that he is a border collie

[sdcruizing]

Very interesting question. I talk to my dog in two languages, English and German, and she understands both, probably from the sound of my voice and the overall situation. I also talk to her in sentences a lot. Example: I never taught her the English 'heel', but the German equivalent 'Fuss'. Now whether I say Fuss or heel or say a whole sentence in either of the languages, she knows exactly what I want from her. I guess she reads my non-verbal commands more than what I actually say.

[CodeDevil109]

I have a shar pei mix.Her name is Jazzy. I got her to sit, laydown, role over, shake (basicly give me five to her), up, and play dead. She is a smart dog. She is helping me potty train my other puppy Ace. She has been doing a good job to. He has only gone potty once in the house but that's it. Jazzy is 2 1/2 years old now and she is a smart dog.

[Brue2]

I have a 3 year old Doblermon have had him since birth I belive they can comprehand alot taught my dog afew commands that are quite difficult took 4 months to train dog to "Sit Stay and attack if move " Also did a "if move come to me so like get a freind to stand some where get dog to look then if my freind moves slade will come to be (slade is my doubler)" been trying a couple different things for chain commands Also tryed a chain fetch so i ask him to retrive multiple items

[bordercollieluv]

absolutely! all animals communicate. It is up to us ( the supposedly 'most intelligent species) to learn how and what they are communicating. A person has to have a real desire to do this however, it is not something everyone even cares to know. You can bet most other animals can read our body language and our form of communication much better than the average human does with other animals.

Some people are naturals. My dad was, and I am too. Most who can communicate are very empathetic too.

[pakanaman]

same as 3-5 year old no, I can have a conversation with my 4 years old, but my BC wont say a word lol

[infedal]

i think f you work with your dog enough and really bond they would learn

[askybb]

i have 5 dogs... 2 are just puppies... one is easy to train.. the other one is... uhm.. very moody.. she's always angry... so she's really hard to train...

[8OW53R]

i have 3 dogs... aaand 2 are smart and the other one... is... stupid... but i think is because of its epileptical attacks :( (convulsions)

[PaulieDi]

My dog, Toby, who is a Papillon, is really smart. He knows when it's Friday cause my Mother sets the table for three and he knows I'm coming for dinner and then goes to the window to wiat for me. My Mother just has to say "she's coming" and off he goes to the window. He tells us when he wants something, because he looks directly at it. LOL. Yes indeed, they are smart and beautiful.

[turoturom]

Hello, thanks for these videos. I just discovered them and I have been taking nots to train the dog I want to have. Keep up the good work.

[kakashigirl3300]

Ill say Sasha, side theres a car coming When i started out showing her cars and saying car but you gotta do this on leash because some dogs may not know to avoid it yet, so when you see a car coming say, Side. Car! in a gentle but almost rushing voice so they know they should be serious and move to the side. Its a good exercise for your dog to pull you but remember, take turns and dont let them pull you long distances, and switch off pedaling and not. hehe good luck though guys, great tricks! :)

[kakashigirl3300]

Say slow, and if you are going to stop keep saying slow until you stop and when you do stop say it. To pick back up again say, cmon, or go. In a gentle voice not harsh like GO! because thats mean haha. For left turns just turn your bike left little by little, and keep saying left...leffffttttt until you go as left as you want, and then say good. and vice versa with right. What i also taught her this is for when i have her offleash as well is to get on the side of the road when theres a car.

[kakashigirl3300]

This is totally true and anyone who doesnt believe this is not a true animal lover and doesnt deserve the full love an animal has to show you. I taught my dog how to pull me on my bike, just for fun and she LOVES It. I taught her how to go Left, right, straight, stop, slow, faster, Side, ect. When i first started doing it i just attached the leash and started pedaling, go slowly so your dog learns to go ahead of you and keep saying go, faster. When you want to slow lightly hit the back break and

[gegx313]

yeah fuck you.

theyre fucking ANIMALS.

not HUMANS, youre retarded.

i hate the way you "train".

and i just hate you.. so go die.(:

[kiwwwwy]

my dog is very smart.

she learns relly quickly.

she is less than 9 months old and she knows more than 20 commands.

[cecicanetti]

mine understands portuguese hehe

( im from brasil

[MiniAliceCullen]

You give really good advice and stuff about dogs!!

[brokenangal]

I would agree, because i taught my dog, i think he probably has the intelligence of a 4 year old...hes not quite one yet though so he will continue to grow and develop. But i basically just talk to him all the time instead of giving him one world commands, and he defiantly understands what i am communicating to him and responds accordingly.

[iortas]

have you guys heard of Chuck Eisenmann and his dog London !!

i think dogs understand more than we wish to believe..

Zack you're great man!! congrats on the new show, it was about time you get your own show !! =)

[ainas90]

I have always talked to my dog like I talk to people. I don't like to use just short commands. She understands me well :) One time when she was playing with a sock I called for her, and she let go of the sock, and then I said to her; "You should take the sock with you!" and she turned around and retrieved it :) She is very smart when it comes to connecting the things I'm telling her to what she is doing at the moment. She knows a lot of words and sentences :)

[cobillclanleader]

I do believe dogs can learn a variety of human words when someone takes the time to teach them. I had a dog a few years ago that knew a lot of words. If I told him to fetch a certain toy, he would. If I told him to go to a certain room, he would. I taught him the same way someone would a child. For example, I showed him the ball and repeated the word "ball" several times. After a day or two, he understood that word and I would go on to the next one.

[Gidizz]

I know I'm not Zak but whatever.

First thing is if he masturbates on a certain toy get rid of the toy.

Second thing is it usually goes away after a while (usually puppies masturbate a lot and stop when grow older).

Third - give him some female dogs to have fun with?

And fourth you can castrate him at the appropriate age and that usually lowers their sex drive.

Hope this helps!

[wolfydan121]

well research has proven that they are quite capable of reading facial expressions. because of that, many people think that my dogs psychic! lol i'll have to send you a vid of him sometime!

[caseysuzi]

This man is absolutely correct... notice he has Border Collies..unless you are a moron, you can't go wrong with this breed.

Treat them with the love and respect they deserve and you can't go wrong.

[taitanic119]

and she understands..everything i say...i talk to her as if she was a human and she listens to me lol...and i do understand her ..( i raised her since she was born) :) i love her sooo much!!

[taitanic119]

and ya..once she did somthing bad..and ma mom yelled at her and she pretended she was sleeping LOL!! when ma mom got quiet she opend her eyes and ma mom started talking to her again she pretended she was sleeping LOL!!

[taitanic119]

My dog is funny..i had her since she was born i had her mother..after she passed away i kept her puppy and raised her...and i think shes very very very clever!! she learns soo fast..

and the funny part is when i eat she knows i hate when she looks at me and begs for food...so one day she was looking at me..and i looked at her she turned her face back as if shes not looking at me lol when i eat she lookes back at me when i look at her again she looks back (as if she wasnt looking)

[Abdulla1993]

awesome dude !!!!

[zwreckless1]

My dog says . let's go to the store and get food ...She says ..Feed me you pathetic weasel .!! You live so i can have food ..I allow you to pet me.ONLY if you have food ..You are my fully trained human ..NOW go get me food ..i don't know the differance between filet mignon and rocks covered in gravy .i don't know I never chewed a day in my life I.'m Hungry arby's macdonalds burgerking whatever .WILL WORK FOR FOOD. My ex girlfriend pissed me off ..I put her in my dogs bowl.BAM no more girlfriend

[obiez]

It's not about the sentence structure, it's about the frequency of the speech pattern. Dogs don't understand words, they understand the frequency of the sound. So if you really wanted to, you could replace sit with Floccinaucinihilipilification, it makes no difference to the dog. Their intelligence shines when they do things they are trained to do when the owner is not around (and many dogs do this very well, albeit it is usually things they are trained to do)

[panzertoo]

yes very true considering the majority of dogs on the world do not speak ''english'' considering the owners speak to them in a mryiad of languages and dogs are hardwired to read body language

[disrael470]

I have a Border Collie & speak to him in sentences & he understands what I say. When I have to iron, I tell him & he runs to the ironing board & looks up at it & waits for me. When he can not reach his toy he will bark & I tell him to show me what he wants & he will show me with his eyes. When ever I am going to do something I always tell him in a sentence & he does understand. I'll ask him if he wants to take a nap with me and he jumps on the bed and lays down. I could go on and on.

[animalfanatic19]

Good to know. Someone that I know from our local dog park, who owns an aggressive shepherd (yet thinks she's so well behaved), told me that you only teach one word commands because dogs can only learn about 50 commands that they remember...Obviously he doesn't know what he's talking about. I might consider having him watch these videos.

[ogplatinumkush]

☻/

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[GlowingBentley]

My Cattle Dog understands "Say thank you!"

I started with the standard "Speak" and held my body a certain way. After awhile he didn't even need the command. Then I worked up to "Say thank you."

Now when somebody compliments him on being a handsome boy he can show good manners by saying "thank you." :-)

He's a smart boy, too!

[smorrill2]

I think my dog is very smart in fact I sort of taught him "tell me what you want" when he comes up and begs and when I stand up he'll either run to his food dish (food) run to the sink (water) run to the door (out) get a toy (play) or roll over (pet). I'm sure I'm not the only one who has wondered if their dog can understand everything they say.

[DoggRazor]

hmm..

[riceburn405]

Not all dogs are smart...just like not all human beings are smart. I don't think dogs actually listen to words, but rather hear either the beginning or ending sound of them. When I tell my dog to stretch, I think she focuses on the etch part and ignores the str. Then again, I'm not a dog and I certainly can't pretend to understand a dogs brain when we barely have a clue how ours work.

[CanadianAnimalLuver]

I had so much trouble getting my Aussie Cowboy to take his medicine, hiding it in food, shoving it down his throat etc. One day I was fed up of seeing him spit it out. So I looked him in the eye and I told him in a stern voice "YOU EAT YOUR MEDICINE!" and he looked at me, then picked up the pill and swallowed it. I always ask my dog something in sentences and add in please and thank you. I don't have to say anything, sometimes I say "do it" and he knows exactly which trick I want him to do.

[CinnamonCannelle]

My dog understands sentences :)

he's a bilingual

English, Chinese (cantonese, mandarin, shanghainese)

[blondehootie]

My dogs can understand loads of words, from simple comands like 'sit & stay, to more complex comands like 'open the door' or 'push the button'. But you don't always need words.

Alot of comunication between me and my dogs is done with body language and positive energy. I could talk to my dogs in total nonsense-jibberish, but with the right body language and energy they would still get the message of what I want from them. Dogs are the real mind readers, not us humans.

[JohnnyDeppsGirl4life]

I think dogs can understand lots of things, one time I told me dog after I let him back inside that its bed gets some water if u want so and he looked at me and then walked over and drank some water, and i was just like wow did he really understand what i was saying...so im not sure about that one but hes done other stuff like that before, he acts like a kid though teasing me and arguing with me haha xD

[cat22203]

They understand English at the beginners level, but the E.U. dogs understand English, French, German and Greek fluently! If only NATO was made of dogs with a cat as general secretary.....preferably moi....

Dogs are dumb -I am a cat...je sais, croyez-moi!

[thenudo]

I think I can read my Collie pretty good!! I think, depending on the breed, dogs are smarter than they get credit for!!

[flyinghobo12]

my bulldog is a fucking genius compared to obama

[AjaPuppy1]

hmm, maybe you're dog should be president

[angeltroea]

im guessing the pitch of your voice does a lot

[frangipani1974]

I'll check it out.

[vetterman008]

I know my dogs are a lot smarter than anyone in the Washington political clan.

[LisouD33]

I definitely think my dog can understand me and I can also understand him very well. I guess you just learn to communicate and understand each other like that when you have a good relationship and spend a lot of time together. As for the language, I know he can understand a lot of the words I say, but I think he mostly gets the meaning from the way I say it and the tone I use. He can read my body language the same way I can read his.

Great video by the way :)

[Xanxer]

Dogs are very smart and have a great willingness to learn and please their masters, unlike cats who just don't care at all!

I have two chihuahuas, which are not as smart as bigger dogs but they are definetly sneaky and suprise me all the time. :)

[HaleyMary]

I only had my dog until he was seven, but never got around to teaching him more commands than just the standard sit, stay, etc. But, I do think that dogs can have different levels of intelligence just like people. Cats too. :)

[sorcery1979]

I think my dog is very inteligent he is alway one step ahead of me, some times seems to understand everything I say to him. And just like you said, by looking his body lenguage he tell me what he want

[baumgbr]

quality.

[Cruithear]

My Intro to Language textbook claimed that humans differ from animals due to language acquisition. Koko the gorilla and Alex the parrot proved that wrong, but the problem is their inferior cognitive development. Dogs and birds only have the mental capacity of 3-5 year olds. I'm writing a thesis of sorts about a breeding program to accelerate the natural development of cognitive development and language acquisition in animals. Maybe it will contribute to inter-species communication someday.

[Cruithear]

^natural evolution of cognitive development... typo.

[dagrlritethurr]

that'll be kinda scary. sounds cool though :)

[noahsark1962]

My dog knows several commands,but she also knows the words squirrel,bunny,and birds and wants to go outside when I say them.She has a tendency to chase them if they are in our yard.:)

[airalibi]

Continued... I have a new Border Puppy. Have been training him using shaping technics and B.F. Skinners theory. He is heads above where all my other dogs were at this age who were trained using luring technics. I think we are all capable of creating super dogs with incredble capacity for learning. It just takes time and practice. My new pup gets a new behavior in under 5 minutes and loves all our training sessions. He learns quickly because I started young and trained him using his language.

[airalibi]

Been training dogs for over 18 years and competing in agility for over 16. I have trained 5 competitive Border Collies over those 15 years and I have to say that the more complex the courses get and the higher we go through levels the more my dogs understand and respond. To verbal commands and body language. There are times where I am wrong on course, because my dogs have learned to respond to me they can make a quick judgement call and save the run. That is understanding on a high level.

[Agumon20]

i think dogs are very capable of lerning english, ill give you my personal experince : i have a 4 year old she poo, and since the begning when i knew he had to go do his buisness outside , i would simply ask him "do you have to go out?" and undera month he learned the word out , now he can actually say out with his barks,, dogs learn just like humans, through repititon, if you dont get somthing at first you keep on trying, same with dogs, they have to keep on trying to get somthing, even english

[panzertoo]

dogs like people have different levels of intelligence and different levels of motivation,a dog that lacks desire to understand what you want is not going to be as receptive, I think dogs that are selectivly bred for tractability are the most in tune with humans

[Durgles]

I agree totally, our Black Lab is incredibly intelligent, and we talk to her like a 4 year old, and she very clearly understands what we're saying. It's kind of creepy, actually!

[pennygoo]

0:44 is really creepy!!! X]

wow! i've never exactly had a dog but i agree with you, i think that dogs can understand what we are saying to an extent. it's cool!

[SweetBecka]

I'm quite sure my dog could understand a lot more than what I've taught him. I ask him questions like Do you want to go see the chickens? He knows.

Also, the dog we had before this one (R.I.P :( ) would either look out the front or the back when I asked him where are the goats, he'd look out back or where are the chickens he'd look to the front. He was a good dog...so cute.

It's so fun when they understand. There is more of a connection then.

[GaeaAntheia]

I belive that my dogs understand everything I say, if not I show them and then later they understand.

Me and my mom talk to them like they were kids..my dad thinks it's silly but we do.

And that's why I belive they understand us..well not english..Icelandic..and little Polish..for some reason my Border collie understands my sister in law..not the other3 ..just the Border collie.. I think it's cool :-D

[Soulsistahss]

my 10 month old pit/lab understands go get some water ( and he goes to the fridge and pushes the water dispencer, which is hilarious and smart and cute)

he knows go get the ball,get the rag,go sit down, come here, sit , high five, paw, give me dap, stay, speak, jump

[killerb144]

You always have good advice, mate. I always enjoy what you have to say.

[BrotherBearAZ]

You have to spend 24hrs a day (besides sleep) to teach a human child 3-5 yrs of age to understand your language, what ever it may be. Now I am supposed to believe that spending a few hours a day can teach a dog how to understand sentences? They maybe able to associate actions with phonetic prompts, but actually comprehend Language? C'mon dude.

[doggeek15]

I don't know about anyone else, but I spend more than "a few hours a day" with my dogs. They live with me, just like a child would, and they are around language all the time. I talk to them like I would to a kid. I'm not saying a dog will ever grasp language the way people do, but, for my dogs at least, they are exposed to it as much as most children are.

[doggeek15]

My border collie/aussie mix, Kaleb, is only 8 months old and he understand a lot of what I say. I think he gets simple sentences and can at least pick out words from more complicated ones. "Frisbee" is a popular word around here.

I think it's all about how you talk to your dog. If all you say is the simple commands like "stay", that's all they will understand, but if you talk to them like a little kid, they will learn what other words mean, too, like "don't move," "wait," "hang on," etc.

[loste585]

WOW.

if dogs understands english like a kid that is 3 to 5 years

my son at 1.5 year understands almost everything i tell him.

hehe. hadd to add that.

you rock Zak. cant wait to see your show. when is it airing in Europe? Norway that is?????

[authorgirlpetparent]

Yeah! I wrote an entire book regarding this subject! "The Healing Art of Pet Parenthood"

[dogtraining101today]

I think dogs are very intellignet, its all down to the owner to spend time with thier dogs. Millie understands a lot, if you mention the word bath, she hides, the words walk or lead she gets ready to go.. then you have all the taught commands, anyone who spends time with thier dog and makes sure they provide affection will notice how intellignet their dog really is.

[Shihtzulover1217]

My dog is great with figuring out sentences. He can understand a lot like "Where's the kitty" "where's the doggy" "whos that" and "Go get insert name you want your dog to get here" LOL

[YoYoPoodle]

I agree with EmilySnider :)

I'm teaching my Poodle, Charlie, to read simple commands that have been printed on cue cards. He understands the words even when other people hold them (including little kids and 'dis-believers'), so he is not relying on unintentional cues.

My hope is that he'll eventually be able to 'talk back' through the use of written language.

-Jillian

[yirahrafa825]

i am gay

[Travisdjtg]

its ok to be gay, gay boy..

[EmilySnider]

My Josefin is definitely at least intelligent enough to comprehend as much as a 5yo. Even moreso I think becuase she has immaculate social skills to boot.

She understands all sorts of sentences the first time I say them to her...if she doesn't, she sits down, stares at me, and tries REAL hard to get it the second time! I talk to her, and my other dogs, all the time. Dogs are definitely way more intelligent than most people give them credit for.

[TwinsKid001]

thats cool