Question:
Someone once told me that the average dog only knows about 30-35 words at the end of its life. Does this sound about right to you?
Would I be right in assuming that the dogs that have a larger word-base are those that have "consistent" or "extensive/prolonged" training? Or does formal training beginning with obedience classes and moving forward from there have little to do with it?
How many words/phrases does your pup/dog know? Why do they know so many words - did you train for competetion purposes or just for the fun of it?

(I know that body language is of far more importance for dogs and I'm not trying to judge any dog's intelligence by their word-base - I'm just curious!)

Thanks!

Answer:
My Chloe understands a couple of phrases.

"Coming RIGHT back" she knows that means I"m going out and she's staying home (sad face)

"Going in the car" (happy face/wag tail)

"Go to bed"

"Dinner for dogs" (VERY happy face)

"Going visiting" (exteme joy)

"Someone's coming to see Chloe" (Hysterical joy)

Words:

Cookie
Walk
Cookie
Rabbit
Pussycat
Cookie
Ball
Bone
Cookie
Horses
Cheese

and many more, plus of course all the obedience commands except "come". Something in the sound waves of that word that do not reach her eardrums.

I personally think dogs can learn a huge number of words and phrases.

Answer:
Aye aye yaye. Here's my list. I've always wanted to make one...
Dog park?
Do we go to Grampa's house?
Grampa
Uncle Jon
Daddy, Daddy's home, where's daddy, go see daddy for a cookie, daddy will give you a bone (I say that and they go bug him for one)
Mummy, go see mummy for a cookie, mummy will give you a bone
in the tub
quick piss/ piss-piss
number two
hurry up
fast
run
drink-drink
come, come here
no digging
dig-dig
no barking
whisper (boo)
no licking your paws (jemma)
cut it out
stop it
lie down, lie down right here
sit, sit your a**!!
stay
walk properly (heel, stop pulling), sit properly (in the car, there's one particular way for Boo to sit so that he fits)
heel
in the back (in the car)
back up
up the stairs
down the stairs
go in the house
let's go home
go to sleep
get your leash
it's ok
out of the kitchen (this one is great and works wherever we are)
easy (for cookies and for playing)
play-play
do you play or do we go home? Do we go home or do you play? (I say it both ways because people say dogs will always do the last one- I don't believe that and people at my park have seen my dogs understand it)
where's the boo bowl? (Boo plays with his food dish and we can never find it-- he finds it and puts his foot in it)
Bring the Boo bowl. (he brings it to us)
If you bring me the Boo bowl, I'll feed you. (this one he understood when I was hoping he wouldn't. He shocked me... He knew all the key words but I said it fast and mumbly...)
Out of there
Drop it
Open (to open their mouthes- they basically relax their jaw)
let me see (so many uses-- to see what they're chewing on, or something sore)
Show me (to look at a part of Jemma without her growling)
Stay still/don't move (like stay, but their whole bodies)
sit pretty
roll
wave
stay here and be good (when I leave home)
Stay out (so they don't try to force themselves through a doorway as you're coming/going)
Stay in the car and be good, I just have to shop a bit (they know they'll stay in the car if I pop in somewhere, so they get less excited in the car (my ultimate goal) when they know they'll have to wait for me.)
no eating
get away from there
up-up (to get up on stuff)
floor (to get down off stuff)
in the car
I'm fed up (for Boo... he's so sloowwww)
S...P....C...A... (this one is a joke, we only say it sarcastically with a smile.... when Jemma chews her feet, or Boo... well... does anything Booey.)
Hug, I need a hug, Group hug
Kiss on the beak
Head down
That doggy hurts (for old arthritic dogs because my doggies sometimes don't understand why they're so crabby)
You hurt mummy/daddy (usually when they step on our feet and twist)
Careful (also used in the car, when I brake hard or turn sharply)
Get the - stick, air dog, kong, ball, squeaky, etc (they're specific)
numchucks-- when Boo has a rope, we say numchucks and he shakes his head around like numchucks...
dead (lie on your side)
go away.
leave me alone/don't bug mummy
don't bug him/leave him alone (for Boo around not castrated doggies...)
watch your tail (for Boo, to save us some glasses-- he stops wagging when we say it)
watch out
move/excuse me
I'm going to kick your a**/ Don't make me come get you (for Boo...)
sorry
poor doggy (this one makes them pouty)
are you crabby? (this one makes Jemma growly)
Don't be viscious (makes Jemma stay away from puppies and dogs she is growling at)
Catch it
Where is it? Find it! (when we lose a ball or toy in the snow or in the woods- they don't stop till they find it.)
Not yet, soon.. (This one took a while for them to learn, but I swear they know it now.)
Tomorrow- this one only Jemma knows. I would say Daddy's coming home tomorrow and after about 6 months of him travelling off and on, she fully understood it.
Are you hungry? Do you want to eat? Do you want a cookie/dentastick/dentabone/pill?
It's not for you, it's not yours, it's not your toy
It's not your game (when Jemma or Boo are playing with another dog and the other tries to interrupt)
Where's the squirrel/kitty/birdie?

I think that's it. They really understand all of these-- definitely not 20 or 30.... It's awesome. When I got them, I decided to treat them like people treat a 2 year old who is ready to learn. I tried to teach them constantly. I use the same words for different things, hoping they will understand what it means completely, not just in one context. I've slowed down a bit, but they still know all the old words.

Sorry if this was terribly long, I wanted to make a list for myself too.

Answer:
Where's your kong?
Bring to mommy (grandma, grandpa)
Where's rick?
Gentle
Come
Leave it
Sit your butt
Slowly (lmao, this one is great, she cuts her steps in half)
Rice Krispies

She knows all the other animals names, unfortunately, it gets really confused when my bestfriend is here, she is pregnant with a girl, naming her Hailey. And my cat's name is Haylee, so when we tell her 'get off hailey' when she steps on the preggo tummy, she looks around confused.
Stand
Stand Proud (proper breed stance, 'stacked')
Get Casey! (to retrieve the neighbours dog)
Slide
Tires
Swing
Sneak (crawls without her belly leaving the floor)

Bath time
Bed Time
Get downstairs
Down yourself (getting annoyed with her for something, she gets told to 'down yourself' and she lays. weird command, just happened)

Put your toys away

Best one she knows is that if the phone rings and then we get up, she needs to go into crate, as we are leaving. Its not a word, but she understands what happens.

Answer:
I have heard that the average dog can know / learn approx 165 words including symbols (i.e. down and hand signal for down count as 2) while the 'super dogs', classified as those in the top 20 for book smart intelligence can learn approx 250+.

Answer:
Originally Posted by Dogastrophe
I have heard that the average dog can know / learn approx 165 words including symbols (i.e. down and hand signal for down count as 2) while the 'super dogs', classified as those in the top 20 for book smart intelligence can learn approx 250+.

Well, that's more then what my trainer told me so that's good news! I think that limiting the average dog to 30-35 words does not give the dog enough credit! It makes them seem "stupid" which we all know is completely untrue! I doubt that Dodger will ever know 250+, but he will probably get to the 165 mark with further training.

Right now, Dodger knows approximately 64 words but if hand signals count separately then he knows about 81. I just realized that I don't really use phrases with him!! I "talk" to him a lot but I think he blocks my nattering out!

We all seem to have surpassed the 30-35 words that the average dogs knows - GREAT! We have some smarty-pants, attentive dog's!

Prin - your list is exhaustive - I think you have a pair of Superdogs on your hands!!

Answer:
Oh well,not to be outdone by doggies,my cats know..
Treat!!
Get the bug!!
Find the mouse!
gimme paw!
Din-Din!
Kiss-Kiss(Chico!)
Wanna go out!
Time to go inside!!
Water-bottle!!
Mommy loves you!
+Hubbies baby-language to them..a secret language and of course NO!

Answer:
Prin - your list is exhaustive - I think you have a pair of Superdogs on your hands!!
I've been hoping that I could have conversations with them when they get older. Really, one of my goals was to be able to keep them up to date about what is happening in their lives. They're both pretty anxious and have been abandoned several times, so telling them where we're going in the car or what we're doing today, in my opinion, helps them relax.

Before we moved here, I drove by a couple of times and told them, "This is Boo's house and Jemma's house and Mummy's house and Daddy's house." I think they understood me because they reacted to it. I think in that case, it was much better that they knew ahead and I could explain it as best I could so it wasn't all out of the blue. It's great.

I still think they understand way more than we give them credit for.

Answer:
Hazel already knows

Want a Treat? (most definitely knows this one!)
Where's the ball?
Bring it here
Good Girl (she knows that normal results in Want a treat?)
Sit
Shake
other paw (so she'll shake with the other paw)
Down
Off
No biting
Gimme a kiss
Yucky (means spit it out - although she doesn't always mind it)
No
Where's Parker?
Come here
Quit that

I think that's about it - but she's still learning. One of the GSD's we had when I was young was so smart that even if you spelled it instead of saying it, she still knew what you were saying.

Answer:
Molly knows quite a few words and phrases:

sit
lay
shake
over
up

All of those are associated with hand signals, so she responds to them sometimes without the hand signals.

NO
no bite
kisses
go outside?
go potty
Mommy
Daddy
get your ball, piggy, bone

That's all I can think of at the moment. I'm sure there are some more.

Answer:
Chrlie knows many of the normal conversational words, you know the ones you have with your dog, like 'ill be back in a minute'...but she also spells, if you ask her if she is H -U -N- G- R- Y she goes off her head. this morning i was lying in bed with her, asking are you HUNGRY , she bounced aruond every time, after three goes she turned and had a good talk to me in that shepherd way and i think it was 'shut up and getit stupid woman and stop asking me'.

she also knwos everyones names, and she knows names she has not seen in years. i will ask her where a person is, if their in the house she runs off to getthem, but if their not i still ask 'charlie wheres crystal or the kids (her doggy aunty)??' and she runs around looking and whining, needless to say i dont do it often. if i mention an old doggy friend she also reacts, we never ever ask her about her friend shadow, she really misses him...

and she will go and get various toys, if i ask for a ball she will get a ball, but you can tell her to go and get a dolly or teddy and she will bring back the one i mention, many teddies she has had all ehr life so she knows the well. she will distinguish the copper from the teddy and dolly.....

and i think she is jsut an average dog, i have met dogs lots smarter than she will ever be...dogs are smarter than half the world thinks....

Answer:
Well my girls know..
Wanna go pee
ride time
daddy's home
dinner is served
treat
get your sock
where's the pig
bath time..this gives me the excercise I need LOL
let me see your ears--they get crud like you wouldn't believe in there
bed time
and Mommy loves you

Answer:
250+ is a whole lot!! Levi knows all the regular words, then...
no
go pee
let's go
the car
what's that?
uh-uh
kitty
puppy
go see
look
eat your breakfast
it's okay
let's go to bed
off
drop
leave it
spin
speak
back up

and many more...

Answer:
Sophie knows a few of the normal doggy commands but she's always surprising me with understanding things. This morning she was outside when we had breakfast and when I let her back in she was playing with the baby and I went into the kitchen to cook her an egg. She has never had an egg before so dh said, "You're cooking Sophie an egg?" Well, she dropped what she was doing and came running to me. So apparently she either understood cook or egg and combined with her name that could only mean something good She hides when dh asks me if I'm going to give Sophie a bath, lol.

Answer:
I dont know who studies animals, but I do know they're wrong about so much...
Shyla knows so much,
Stop it- she'll stop
NO- she looks at me and decides weather to listen or not
and a lot more...
she knows too much

Answer:
Originally Posted by Prin
A to Z

Prin your dog's seems to know more than i do..

okay i know these commands...Sit, Sleep, Work,Food,Taxes, roll over.. ohh wait this is about the pet's...

k umm Trixy's commands..
Trixy Come = come
Killer ..Kill! = kill (good for when we get yorkie visits)
Charge = Run
go, go, go = Run to kitchen
Shaking Temptations treat's = come

i dont say anything else to her, since she's always following me around..

Answer:
I talk to Copper way too much! I tell him everything we are doing or where we are going and when we are driving, I tell him what he's looking at. Here's what I can think of so far:

Basic commands:
come
sit
stay
down
out

All other words or phrases:
high five
shake a paw
up(on couch or bed)
wanna go outside
go pee
go poo or poop
speak
give (insert name here) kisses
look out the window
bunny!!!!
kitty
who's there or who's here?
let's go in the truck/car
go for a walk?
GRANDMA!! grandma's house!
let's go to the store
frisbee
get your toy
rope
ball
get a drink
hop in the pool or everybody on the pool!
spit it out
cookie, treat
let's have a bath
look at the horsy
look at the cows
squirrel

Zoe know's the words:
No, No, NO, NO
Off, off, OFF
sit
go pee
go poop
leave the kitty alone!!
come
COOKIE!!!
KONG!!
No!
leave the kitty alone!
go outside
stay out of my plants!!
OUT!
leave Copper alone!
let's go in the truck!
be nice
And she's learning more everyday!!

Answer:
Den-Den3 had over 300 latex squeeky toys and knew them all by name. He would get them on command. He had several duplicates and knew the difference between the old one and new one. If you asked for the new one, he brought the right one. When we forgot the name of a toy, he'd shake it at us in frustration, like "you dummies!"

Answer:
I'm SO not going to make a list. Raj honestly seems to understand most of what I say. I don't know whether she's recognizing key words or reading my mind LOL. I can say "Go tell Logan to wake up", and she'll go into my son's room and start barktalking to him, louder and louder, until he wakes up. It could be that she just knows the words "Tell" and "Logan", and does the math from there.

If she is grumbling at me, I will ask her "What's wrong?", and she finds some way to point out the problem. Like she'll get up and yell at the computer- then me- if I've been on it for too long, or she'll walk to her food dish to tell me she's hungry, or she'll go to the fridge to point out that she wants a piece of cheese.

She's the first dog I've trained vocally. But I'm sure she'd tell you that she is the one who trained me.

Chloe (and Kiva and Dacia, R.I.P) were all trained with hand signals.

Answer:
CF you posted word for word pretty much what I was gonna say..it really is wonderful and Sadie astonishes me sometimes. I honestly forget she's a dog as I have full conversations with her and I know she understands a great deal of them.

Sometimes when I"m talking about her she understands that too which can be a good/bad thing...creepy as we try not to mention her name but she still figures it out and turns and gives us the 'look'

Yes they sure do understand more then what we give them credit for. The more they are challenged the more they learn.

Answer:
So far, at the tender age of 8 months, Herbie knows the following:

Wanna go out?
Mommy
Daddy
John
Sarah
Grandma
Grandpa
Poppy (her furaunt, my mom's dog )
Want breakfast?
Want supper?
Want a treat?
Paw
Sit
Lie Down
Finish
Go to bed
I love you!


I think that's about all I can remember for now... btu with Herbie, an expression is worth a million words.. he can read my emotions much better than my language.

Answer:
I was just goingto say the same about how they know when you are talking about the,. You don't even have to say any key words and capone will give us the "uh huh" look.
My boder collie max (RIP) was soooooo smart. We told him not to bark once and that was it. Only barked when it was appropriate. He could hear the word walk from a mile away. It took him about 2 days to figure out we started spelling it.

As for Capone he knows
Sit
stay
laydown
come
treat
ball
daddys coming home soon
He knows you wanna go and walk seperately (either one on its own will perk his ears up but he knows that it has to be all together for it to be true)
Go home (crate)
Wanna go outside
Wanna have a smoke with mommy (he knows I go outside for smoke at this time and loves to come and lay by my feet)
up
down (used for the couches)
Jump
Be nice
good boy
move it
Lets go
Heel
Come lay with mommy / daddy
Knows daughters name
Go wake up Mariah (sit there and grumble and bark)


I can't think of any more but once I started writing I thought wow.... You never realize how much they do know... Little buggers probably have some play dumb conspiracy....

Answer:
well, tucker is only 3.5 mths now, so he doesn't know too many, but he does know:

sit
paw
lay down
i love you (this results in getting your face licked)
go pee
g'night tucker

he recognizes (but doesn't always comply):
OH MY GOD!
GET OFF THE CAT!
DON'T HUMP THAT!
OHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
DROP IT.
NO, DROP IT!
DROP ITTTTTTTT!
GET BACK HERE AND DROP IT!
DON'T YOU DARE...........

Answer: