Re: 7 Words That Dogs Can Understand (And 4 That No Dog Can)

On Wed, 05 Mar 2025 07:00:36 +0200, Steve Hayes
<hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

On Tue, 04 Mar 2025 15:47:22 GMT, scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal)
wrote:
>

Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> writes:

>

I agree with what you said elsethread -- that some dogs understand far
more. Perhaps those words are based on dogs of average IQ, and dogs of
above average IQ understand more.

>
The dogs don't understand the words.  They associate the words
with particular actions or behavior.

>
Isn't that what understanding is?
>
If I say "gijima", do you associate it with any behaviour?
>
If you don't, you don't understand the word.
>
If I say "run", do you associate it with any behaviour?

Let me relate a short, but true, story that may help with this:

Once upon a time, back in the 60s, our family owned a small terrier
mix named "George". Every so often, of course, one of us would get
George's leash out of the closet and ask "Georgie wanna go for a
walk?" in the sort of voice one might use with a small child. George
would jump up and down with great enthusiasm.

After growing tired of hearing my brothers claim that he actually
/understood/ the words, I did the same thing, only I said "Georgie
wanna be cooked and eaten?". He responded the same way. IOW, if he
understood what we were saying he was as happy at being cooked and
eaten as he was at going for a walk. (Of course I then took him for
his walk, it would have been cruel not to.)

So, that's the difference. And, no, dogs don't understand the words.
George was responding to the sight of the leash and the tone of my
voice.
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"