[GSDchoice]

I was standing in the kitchen eating from a bag of pretzels. My daughter and husband were eating pita chips. Everybody was having a "snack attack."
With my hand in the pretzel bag, I said (in a conversational tone to my husband) ,"Let's give Rumo a chewy, since we're all snacking."

Suddenly an excited furry body appeared in front of me!
He followed me to the pantry door and waited expectantly for me to take out a chewy and give it to him.

I said to Rumo, "Now I know you understand what's going on, buddy! No more excuses for you in training!"
I realize that he is probably capable of so much...he really understands a lot!
(I should spend more time & energy on training him, sigh...once he got house manners and basic commands, it was easy to just let things go...)

 

[dogma13]

I know what you mean!They are so observant and in tune with us.My dogs seem to know what I'm going to do next even when they are napping in another room.Must be my breathing changes or something?It's pretty cool.

 

[wolfy dog]

I was standing in the kitchen eating from a bag of pretzels. My daughter and husband were eating pita chips. Everybody was having a "snack attack."
With my hand in the pretzel bag, I said (in a conversational tone to my husband) ,"Let's give Rumo a chewy, since we're all snacking."

Suddenly an excited furry body appeared in front of me!
He followed me to the pantry door and waited expectantly for me to take out a chewy and give it to him.

I said to Rumo, "Now I know you understand what's going on, buddy! No more excuses for you in training!"
I realize that he is probably capable of so much...he really understands a lot!
(I should spend more time & energy on training him, sigh...once he got house manners and basic commands, it was easy to just let things go...)

That is so funny. They are always ease-dropping to hear words that are beneficial for them. The word "stay" seems much harder to learn than "Okay!" They never really sleep. As soon as I move one foot over the other, eyes open. Getting up from a chair? They always get up. Opening up a drawer? The noses are in it.
Gardening with a GSD is another issue: wherever my shovel is, there is a ball conveniently placed right in front of it. I only have to pick it up, throw it away and tell them, "This is the last time, don't come back!" :grin2:

 

[Quinnsmom]

Shoot, mine would have been there when the bags first rattled, expecting the good stuff, not just an old chewy! How is it they can tell the difference between a chip bag opening and a dry pasta bag opening?? I think Quinn learned the word "treat" at 14 weeks, right after he learned his name.

 

[McGloomy]

Yeah they do... Whenever I change to some shorts or trousers he gets excited wagging his tail because he knows we'll be going out.

 

[GSDchoice]

Shoot, mine would have been there when the bags first rattled, expecting the good stuff, not just an old chewy! How is it they can tell the difference between a chip bag opening and a dry pasta bag opening?? I think Quinn learned the word "treat" at 14 weeks, right after he learned his name.

,

LOL! ;-D

You know, for me it was a very deliberate choice. I would go to a fellow mom’s house a lot ( our kids were doing Odyssey of the Mind together) and I could not eat a single bite or take a sip of coffee without her dog sitting right at my feet and staring at me the whole time with big saucer eyes! Sometimes she would even paw at my leg. Then I vowed that my dog would not do that...so we made a conscious decision to never feed him from the table, never feed him our snacks...

 

[Dunkirk]

Nitro, from time to time, will come over and sniff my breath, kind of like "Do I detect a hint of minty breath freshness?" He know that when I brush my teeth, there's a good chance we're both going out.

 

[Beau's Mom]

Understands more than your think!

I think Beau knows the difference between my tattered dog clothes and my work clothes. He gets very excited in the morning when I get the dog clothes out, can barely manage the wait while I get dressed for our walk. If he sees me getting my work clothes ready, he heaves a sigh and heads for his crate. Will do the latter no matter what I’m wearing if I say “Sorry, Beau, I gotta go.” But he acts like he’s been robbed if the dog clothes go out without him.

The other night he was looking for his ball and came to me clearly hoping I had some ideas. I told him “I think it’s in the kitchen”, and darned if he didn’t head straight for the kitchen as soon as I said it (and yes, it was there). I didn’t know he knew that word.

 

[car2ner]

I have some favorite podcasts that I'll listen to while taking long walks. For awhile the dogs would get happy hearing the theme music. But they go back to laying around if I'm listening while doing chores.

 

[Jenny720]

I remember a friends dog who was deaf. The minute you picked up a potatoe chip bag she would come barging though the doors ready for a snack.

 

[Aly]

I work from home most days and spend an ungodly amount of time in conference calls. My home office is off the family room where Rachel typically hangs out and from which she EAVESDROPS on every.single.phone.conversation.that.I.have. How do I know this? As soon as I say "Goodbye" and before I even hang up the phone, she's off her bed and approaching me for a potty break. If I say, "That's unfortunate" (Aly code for "You people have really messed up."), she lifts her head and groans. If I say, "I'm out of pocket for the next couple of hours," (Aly code for "Do NOT call me!"), she leaps off the sofa, grabs a toy and comes prancing up for playtime. If I mention the name of a neighbor that Rachel particularly likes, she lifts her head and starts whining.

How much they understand is scary when you stop to think about....

:surprise:

Aly

 

[Jenny720]

they truly do understAnd so much. So many stories - this is a bratt story. One time I was walking up the stairs with food on my plate. Max was at the top of the stairs just waiting for my plate to be level with his nose. His face looked like a fox in the hen house as I reached closer to the top of the stairs. It is easy for me to read his mind and put an end to his sneakiness and told to him to leave my food alone!


If I’m late with the dogs feeding time max will wait and stair at the fridge or closet where his food is stored. He will not abuse this clear message either he will only do if his meal is late.

They know the routine of heading out the door and follow me in each transition. When I get my pocket book and keys out - max and Luna are both lying right in front of the door looking at me with sad eyes.

 

[Kyrielle]

...Jack has learned the word "walk" when:

1. Spoken normally
2. Whispered
3. Spelled
4. Said in Spanish
5. Miming with fingers

I'm just waiting for him to figure out a single, significant glance between my husband and I.

That dog. Just impossible to hide anything from him.

 

[wolfy dog]

In a training group some dogs respond to the trainers directions. I try to avoid immediately following up so he will listen to me.

 

[Misha111]

When we got our girl at 5 months, she was a complete pain when you tried to iron anything. If she wasn't trying to jump up, she would be under the board trying to chew anything hanging over so we would put her in her crate. 2 years on, as soon as I start ironing, she puts herself in her crate and doesn't come out until I have finished.

A fun thing to do with your dog. And yes I know they have a 50:50 chance of getting it right, they are picking up on your body language etc etc. Also helps if your dog knows how to 'touch'. Get your dog to sit in front of you and put a common object in each hand and ask them 'wheres the.... ' Keys and a phone are good things to start with. They will touch the object. It is scary how they get this right! My girl knows a teaspoon from a glass. We are just talking about objects that you name consistently in front of your dog that doesn't directly involve them. It is just a FUN thing to do.

 

[wolfy dog]

The new rule as of a few days ago; no more rough housing in the house. Once in a while they need a reminder but they are doing pretty good in this. Just today they "forgot" the new rule and I told them "Go play outside!" They did!!! Never taught them this. Fluke? Maybe.

 

[GSDchoice]

When we got our girl at 5 months, she was a complete pain when you tried to iron anything. If she wasn't trying to jump up, she would be under the board trying to chew anything hanging over so we would put her in her crate. 2 years on, as soon as I start ironing, she puts herself in her crate and doesn't come out until I have finished.

z

LOL, how cute and funny.

Yes, I have been amazed at how much "ordinary language" my dog picks up. I think that we humans tend to say the same things every day, over and over, and dogs can make associations the same way as they do when we are training them. (And there is that famous bordie collie who learned hundreds of words, including "red ball" vs "blue ball").

 

[wolfy dog]

z

LOL, how cute and funny.

. I think that we humans tend to say the same things every day, over and over, and dogs can make associations the same way as they do when we are training them.

That's one of the reasons why I would never own a parrot