Dogs communicate through body language plus barks and growls. However, they are also smart enough to learn a number of human words and expressions.
Just because your dog can’t make human speech sounds doesn’t mean they can’t understand our language. In fact, some dogs have learned to use recordable buttons to ‘talk.’ What language do dogs understand best?
Dog’s can learn and understand any language because it’s not about the sounds but rather the intent. A dog can learn to respond to sign language or even gibberish as long as the meaning and use of the word or gesture is consistent. Dogs are frequently trained with German words because the commands often have a harsh commanding tone.
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What Language Do Dogs Understand The Most
Dogs don’t technically understand any one language better than others. A puppy will learn the language it is raised with, just like a human baby or cat.
The trick to language is that ultimately, it’s all made up the same way by assigning a meaning to a collection of sounds we’ve strung together.
For example, a dog can learn that ‘stop’ means don’t keep moving, but they can just as quickly learn that ‘alto’ means the same thing.
Intriguingly, you could teach your pup that ‘blort’ or ‘pfft’ or ‘Fred’ means to stop, as long as you always use the same word to have that meaning.
What Language Do Dogs Respond To Best
We are still learning how dogs’ brains work even though we’ve domesticated, bred, studied, lived alongside them for thousands of years.
Modern technology has finally evolved far enough to ‘see’ how their minds respond to our speech sounds. The answer is more bizarre than anyone expected.
A study done by researchers at Emory University sought to answer questions about how dog brains react to human language. The study participants were given fMRI scans while they listened to command words.
According to Insider Science, “… dogs had greater neural activations when they heard gibberish compared to actual human-language toy commands (like “piggy” or “monkey”), which is typically the opposite of what happens when humans hear words they don’t understand.”
This study indicates that dogs work very hard to make us happy. Their brains are firing as hard as they can when they try to grasp our meanings because dogs want to please humans.
They will learn any word or phrase they can in any language because we asked them to.
Do Dogs Understand Other Languages
Dogs do not inherently understand other languages. However, neither do humans. Language is a learned skill that can be passed down instead of an instinct that you’re born with.
Anyone, or any intelligent animal like dogs, cats, and birds, can learn new words in other languages.
All language is just made up of sounds that we have assigned a mutual meaning to pass information more efficiently and thoroughly.
Your dog can learn words in as many languages as you choose to speak. Canine vocabulary is limited to about the range of a three-year-old child because of their intellect. It is not defined by dialect.
Do Dogs Understand English
Dogs who are taught English commands understand English. Once the dog has learned to associate a word with its meaning through training, they respond like any native English learner.
The most significant difference is that your dog will not learn to think in English as a human native speaker would.
Do Dogs Understand German Better Than English
People frequently train dogs in German, but it’s not for the reason you think. Dogs don’t understand the German language better than English or any other language.
However, because German dog commands are short with hard vowel sounds, they are easier to learn than a longer command word.
Additionally, German often has a harsh sounding tone, making it sound naturally commanding to your pet. The tendency to train dogs in German is more a habit than a necessity.
Plus, in America, where English is the spoken language, it makes it easier to avoid confusing the dog, and other people are less likely to be able to tell your dog what to do effectively. This is especially helpful for police and guard dogs.
According to Rogue Pet Science, the following list are the best German word commands to teach your pet:
- Down: Platz (plah-tz)
- Fetch: Bring (pronounce like English word)
- Go: Lauf (low-f)
- Heel: Fuss (foos)
- Here/Come: Hier (hee-r)
- Jump: Hopp (hup)
- Let Go: Aus (ow-ss)
- No: Nein (Nine)
- Sit: Sitz (zitz)
- Speak: Gib Laut ( gib l-owt)
- Stand: Steh (Sh-tay)
- Stay: Bleib (blibe)
- Stop: Halt (pronounce like English word)
Pro Tip: Knowing these German dog commands may also help you. Since many canines learn German commands, even in America, having a basic idea of them might allow you to halt a stray dog, though hopefully, you’ll never need to try it. Moreover, you will know what other dog owners and trainers are telling their pets.
Do Spanish Dogs Understand English
A dog whose owner taught commands in Spanish does not understand English. However, the dog can learn the same or new commands in English later.
Notably, a dog raised in a bilingual home will likely pick up orders in both languages through exposure.
It’s important to point out that the dog’s breed has nothing to do with what language it responds to.
For example, pugs were originally bred in China as royal companions in the palace, but they can learn any language commands. They are not limited by their lineage or origins but rather by their trainer’s language.
Do Foreign Dogs Understand English
Unless the owner raises the foreign dog in an English-speaking household, it will not understand English. That said, if you adopted a foreign-raised dog, it would work to learn your language commands.
Additionally, a well-trained dog is likely to quickly pick up commands in a different language because they already have the skill.
For them, it is merely a matter of switching what sound they associate with which behavior.
Helpful Tips To Know About What Language Dogs Understand Best
Dogs understand seriously spoken, firm-voiced commands in any language. They will learn any sound or gesture you train them to associate with a given behavior.
Here are more tips to know about what language dogs understand best.
- It’s best to choose only one word, gesture, or sound to teach your dog for each behavior. If they sit when you say the word sit, adding ‘park it’ and ‘chill’ to mean the same thing won’t help the dog, and it wastes time.
- Dogs can do more than merely understand language. They can also count, though their math skills are limited.
- All dogs can learn to respond to human language. However, deaf dogs, like deaf humans, need to learn sign language. Although these unique pups may learn to react to body language and facial expressions, they are unfortunately not very good at picking up on lip reading.
Final Thoughts
It doesn’t matter what language you teach your dog. Canines will respond to whatever sound or sign you train them to associate with a specific behavior because they want to please you and do what you ask.
To your dog, you are the leader of the pack, and it is their job to listen and do what you ask as much as possible.
However, some dogs are more stubborn, distractible, or dominant than others. Regardless, the language dogs understand best are firm commands and good treats.
