Does your dog pick up on conversations?

[FiF]

Sometimes our Golden does stuff and it seems as if he's picked up and understood a conversation. Interested to hear other experiences.

Mostly we've thought he's just picked up on a 'command' word contained within a sentence and acted on that, which seems as if he's understood the sentence and the context.

For example one day he's trying to get his blankets which after washing had been folded and put in the corner on top of his crate. He's up on his hind legs trying to get them and can't, he knows he can't reach them but still tries. At the other end of the room I whisper that "I wonder why he's never tried to jump on top?" Wham, literally a second later the dog jumps on top of crate.

Our reasoning then he picked up on the word jump and acted accordingly.

However tonight it got us wondering further as we've started to avoid using 'command' words in situations like that. He has a marrow bone, gets it for a few hours every so often and then it's put to one side for a break. It's getting a bit manky now, half the knuckle end left. So as I've got ready to take him out for his late night walk have a nod and a wink, nudge nudge conversation with Mrs FiF for her to pick up said bone while we're out and dispose of it. We never mentioned the word bone, or gestured to it, or in any way signalled what we were discussing. Or so we thought.

Turned round to find the dog has followed me in from the kitchen, he gave me the dirtiest of looks, promptly went and picked up his bone, and took it on his walk.

WTF!

[bexVN]

We often explain dogs responses to us with how they read our body language subtle gestures, habits etc but have to admit they are impressive responses .

[rasto]

Ours does, especially if we use the word 'bath' - a very useful way to get her to go to her cage

[Big_Dog]

We have a 12 year old Golden Retriever. He has lived with us puppy and dog, he knows us so well I sometimes swear he's psychic.

[Jasandjules]

Ours know when we are discussing when to take them out for their stroll..... We try to work out new phrases etc but still they work it out.

[bexVN]

In the mornings when I say to my son to get his coat Bryn takes himself off to his crate. Obviously some learned response but also self taught aswell.

[TheLordJohn]

Dogs are absolutely expert at reading our body language and recognising routine/habits.
They know what we are going to do/say before we even do so, usually!

[Matt UK]

Yup, ours is the same.

We had been chatting most of the evening, she just lay there asleep in front of the fire.

Wife looked at the letter on the coffee table and said to me "you'll be in a rush tomorrow, why not wander up to the letter box now before it starts to rain".

Not one of these words is a command word for the dog, not even close!!

I nodded but made no movement, yet the dog gets up, has a stretch and a yawn and just stands there in front of me wagging her tail as if to say "C'mon, as the lady says, let's get going".

Seriously freaks me out at times that dog.

[The original Nick the Greek]

I regularly have in depth discussions with my spaniel on European politics....

[Catz]

My dog doesn't respond in the slightest to the word "walk" but goes mad if she hears the word "car".
True PH!