How Much of What We Say Do Dogs Really Understand?

Do you ever overhear another pup parent at the dog park having a one-sided conversation with their dog? Maybe they say, we can stay a little longer, don't worry. Or Why are you asking for more treats? I don’t have any more! The dog’s not going to respond, but that seems lost on the human involved. 

This scenario might sound odd to the common observer, but pet parents love to chat, even “argue” with their dogs — all in good fun, of course. Besides, it’s fun to talk to dogs like they’re in on the conversation. Here’s the real question, though: How much do they really understand? 

“Dogs come into this world not having any idea what we’re saying, what we want. But they very quickly — I’m talking in a matter of weeks — begin to understand human language,” says Julie Bond, a certified animal behaviorist and dog trainer. 

Once puppies are born and open their eyes, they begin to absorb and learn about the sounds humans are making, but it is best to think about a dog’s language comprehension as similar to a baby or a toddler. 

“I think a lot of dog guardians think that their dogs know more than they actually do. It’s very much like a baby,” says Debbie Tengen, a dog trainer, behavior consultant, and owner of Pawsitively Polite Dog Obedience Training. 

Dogs try to decipher what their humans are saying because they are trying to get what they want, Bond says. “Their ability to see themselves and the world and how they relate to it is about the way a toddler does. And of course toddlers are all about ‘What’s in it for me?’ Dogs are very much like that, too. And that’s not a bad thing. Toddlers are bright and engaging, and so are dogs,” she says.  

Body language and tone are more important than vocabulary.

Pups communicate with each other through their bodies and the tone of the noises they make, so these are the main signals they’re reading from humans, too. “If they do bark or growl or make some sound, it’s about the intonation behind it, which is why a play bark is very different from a territorial bark,” Bond says. 

She adds that it’s why you can say, “You little jackass” in a tone that sounds like praise and your dog will wag their tail. (Not to suggest that you should call your pup anything than “perfect angel” at all times.)

If your dog does something you don’t like and you get angry and yell, the dog’s change in demeanor isn’t because they understand that the behavior was wrong, Tengen says. “They might look guilty, but they’re not responding to what they did,” she confirms.

Dogs can tell from your body language and tone that they have done something you’re unhappy with.

“If your lips are a thin line and your eyes are kind of slitted and your face is pinched and you’re leaning forward aggressively and you’re clipping your words… they know you are not happy,” Bond says. “They put all of it together to understand what we’re saying.” 

But the expressions you might perceive as guilt don’t actually indicate that your dog has connected the dots between tearing up the pillows and your anger. 

“Dogs aren’t much for cause and effect,” Bond says. Your dog might give you the same “guilty” face in response to your upset body language when you come home after having a bad day, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they feel that way.

Dogs do understand some words.

The average dog is able to understand about 100 to 200 words, Bond says. Dog breeds play a role in this capacity. A Border Collie named Chaser famously learned more than 1,000 words, but that might not be possible for every type of dog.  

For most dogs, they learn important words because those cues are linked to tasty treats or other activities that their brains perceive as rewards. Dogs learn most quickly when they are paid in food, but they often also know words like “walk” or “outside” because they are connected to an outcome they really enjoy, Bond says. 

Telling a dog to sit repeatedly without any training is futile. Dogs have to learn that sitting earns them food and then that sitting when they hear “sit” will result in a treat in order to build that association with the word. 

“It’s the repetition of doing it over and over again. You can’t just do it three or four times… it takes doing it in several places around the house and outside. That’s called generalization,” Tengen says. Dogs don’t generalize well, she says. That’s why it’s important to practice a new cue in different settings so that they understand they need to sit whenever they hear “sit,” not just in a certain location. 

How should you speak to your dog?

“Whenever you’re talking with your dog, always try to stay calm and neutral because your dog’s going to respond to that better than a really loud voice or a really angry voice. If you can stay calm and neutral, so will your dog,” Tengen says.

That doesn’t mean you need to be robotic when speaking with your dog, but keeping heightened emotions to a minimum can help them to be more relaxed and receptive to what you’re trying to communicate, she says. 

Learn more about the language of dogs.

Dogs work hard to understand us, but “we are not as reciprocal in our understanding of the way dogs communicate,” Bond says.  

Many humans think all barks are the same, but they’re just as nuanced as our conversations, she says. Getting a little bit better at speaking dog can go a long way to improving your relationship, whether you’re a new pet parent or a longtime companion. Bond recommends Doggie Language by Lili Chin, a book with illustrations to show what dogs are actually saying with their body language. 

“It’s a great investment to help you understand what your dog is saying so you can better communicate with them,” she says.