Before giving you exact stuff about how many languages do dogs really understand, I would like to ask you that how many languages do you understand? Maybe your mother language along with 2-3 other languages, right? It’s quite difficult to understand every language. But you can learn many languages by reading books and understand by translating them into your language. Do dogs talk? Well! Every living organism can talk, only being the difference that their language is different.
Does A Dog Understand What We Say?
You will be amazed to know that your dogs can understand what you say. You might be worried if you have made any confidential conversation in front of them. Don’t worry, they can’t hear and understand your private talks. As you cannot understand every language. Similarly, it’s hard for the dogs to learn the languages the same way you might understand. This means that they are not aware of the phonetic details, for instance, they don’t know the difference between ‘sit’ and ‘sid’ they just know that they have to plop down their haunches on the ground.
They are just like babies up to the age of 14 months who don’t have any kind of phonetic details. Now, you might be thinking that it does not matter what I say to my dog because they do not understand phonetic details. It is not true as it is just that their attention is not on phonetic details. For your kind information, if dogs are given training, they can differentiate between similar sounding words. They understand the language even if they do not know anything about phonetics with their observation.
Do Dogs Understand English?
Well, you will be amazed to know that dogs can understand the commands in two, four, six, ten different languages if given proper training. Their way of understanding language is quite different as they understand language through word association. They are not like understanding the language with proper syntax and grammar. They know their respective names, or the word ‘sit’ or ‘good boy’ or ‘chicken’.
They know that they have to behave properly and listen to their master when said ‘good boy’, or they also know that their master is going to give them a treat or chicken if they say the word ‘chicken.’ This simply means that you could introduce any word to your pet, or even they will automatically add the words in their list of associations, pronounced more and often. You can teach your dog any language you want, be it be French or English or German and so on.
Scientists have discovered a dog named Chaser, who was recorded to have learned about 1000 words. She could give a little nudge to others and differentiate between verbs and nouns. Yes, she is a dog who can understand language with proper grammar. You can also make your dog incredible like Chaser if you want by giving him proper training. Researchers have estimated that even dogs with average intelligence can learn up to 165 words, so you can think about smart ones. Smart ones can go above this benchmark and can cross the benchmark set by Chaser. Maybe, your dog is the one.
Can You Teach Your Dog Different Languages?
If given proper training, your dog can become multilingual. Then, you can communicate in any language you want, they will respond. But you have to keep in mind that it is not truly possible for a dog to learn multiple languages. It is just they learn to associate a word with an outcome. It’s recommended to focus on teaching them different commands because that is the way your dog can have a clear connection between a word and an action.
If you really want to teach your dog commands and want your dog to give a response on every command, then make sure that once you pick any command, just stick to it. For instance, If you want him to learn the command ‘shake hand’, then you have to use this command regularly in order to make your dog learn to shake a hand, no matter how busy you are or where you are, at home, on-road or in the park. If you think that you have a lot more to do than this nonsense, then you can leave your dog in the care of a well-trained Pet Sitter, but you will have to let them know what words your dogs know and what words you want him to know.
Well, it would be best if you yourself teach your dog the command as in this way you come across a lot of small things that help you to understand your dog even better. It’s all your choice, and all these things depend on the bond that you share with your pet. See, these little things show the kind of person you are. If you care about your pet, it shows that you care about everyone, no matter animals or humans.
If you really want to teach your dog commands, then this trick will help you a lot. If you have really got a smart pet, then use the trick of nonverbal commands. Hand gestures and facial expressions can give your dog more clear vision of what you want them to do. For instance, if you want him to shake your hand, then say ‘shake hand’ and take out your hand for shaking hand. While seeing your hand for shaking hand, he will quickly raise his paw for a handshake. From there, your dog will know that this means ‘shake hand’. Also, you can introduce the word in any language you want, and your dog should still know what you are asking for because of the gestures. In this way, you can develop a smart and intelligent dog in him.
Conclusion
Does your dog understand what you say? Maybe yes or no. Have you ever noticed this thing? No, right? Well, you will be amazed to know that he can understand what you say. Yes, I am not joking. But here’s a change in what I said earlier. It’s hard for the dogs to learn the languages the same way you might understand. Now, you might be thinking that it does not matter what I say to my dog because they do not understand phonetic details. It is not true as it is just that their attention is not on phonetic details. For your kind information, if dogs are given training, they can differentiate between similar sounding words. You can teach your dog any language you want, be it be French or English or German and so on. If given proper training, your dog can also become multilingual. Then, you can communicate in any language you want, they will respond. But you have to keep in mind that it is not truly possible for a dog to learn multiple languages.
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