Petspeak - Does He Really Understand You?

Petspeak - Does He Really Understand You?

You said "No!" three times with a rolled up newspaper and he still goes into the garbage for a late night snack. What about "no" doesn't he get? It's true that dogs can actually understand the human language-English, French, Portuguese, he knows what you are saying. But there's something called instinct that calls a little louder to him.

When dogs "hear" a message they discern its importance. They read the tone. If there's not a constant reminder, verbal or otherwise, you can be sure he'll think the trash was bad an hour ago but okay to go peek in now.

To further complicate a dog's mastery of the human language, is the role of emotions in their understanding. Dogs are highly social, their firmest bonds with those they consider one of their pack. They share your emotions and experience the same range of emotions as you do: jealousy, joy contentment, anxiety, sorrow and boredom. Did you laugh when you were disciplining him because he looked so darn cute? Did you forget the newspaper and appear distracted? Was it a bad day and perhaps you were distraught? Anyone of these emotions could come into play when your furry friend is disregarding your empathic, "No!"

And note that dogs do sneak. But they don't do it out of maliciousness. Catching him or her in the act is not a failsafe for driving a lesson home. Consistency is key--at your home and in others. The message must stay the same-whether it's for staying out of the trash or staying out of the street. A simple: "No!"