Which 200 words do most dogs understand?

[KurtNYC]

A border collie recently confirmed that many dogs understand the meaning of 200+ words and phrases. This bit from 1943, shows this is not a new idea:

We present the following words as the ten best-known words to the dog: 1. hush; 2. eat; 3. siccem (or go get 'em); 4. no; 5. get away; 6. here (or come); 7. down; 8. stop; 9. that's the boy (or nice doggie, or good old boy); 10. stay there.

When leaving your dog at a boarding place or in other hands temporarily, it is well to write out a list of the common words or commands the dog has been taught. This is handy for the new keeper and lessens the homesickness of the dog.

http://www.oldandsold.com/articles02/dog_training4.shtml

I have heard of people who have taken to spelling words in front of their dogs to avoid provoking an unwanted reaction, only to have the dog pick up on the spelling (which btw, means dogs are smarter than most freepers).

What is the strangest word (or phrase) that your dog understands? and (optional) how do you know?

[Cuban_Liberal]

1. "Apple"

We have to spell it now, because they both love apples.

[fob]

2. Walk, Talk, Chalk, Balk, Caulk, Malk, Faulk....

[sportndandy]

3. 'hurry up" means go for a walk

I figured when I let him out late at night I would be telling him to "go hurry up". Now he knows it. He heard the football announcer say the team had begun employing the "hurry up" offense and he went nuts.

[KurtNYC]

14. LOL

so to him they were going to a pooping offense

[Butterflies]

4. We have to spell out "dinner" unless we're just about to get it

for them or they'll go nuts. Also "biscuit" must be spelled or it's bedlam at my house (3 dogs).

[ET Awful]

5. COOOKIEEEEEE :)

My dog as a kid would always react to this (it's what we called dog biscuits).

My mom's basset hound loves his cookies too. His name is Elvis :)

[Squatch]

6. "Bone""Cat""Squirrel""Walk""Ball"

At least that's what my dog knows...along with

"car"
"outside"
"food"
"water" (He heads straight for the shower where he likes flowing water instead of bowl water)
"collar" (He'll actually hunt for his collar in the house, take it off the doorknob, and bring it back)
"heel" (He's a hunting lab, this was his first command)
"leash"
"shake"
"no begging" (He'll actually leave the room if we feel him begging)
"quiet"
"no bite"

He actually has quite a lexicon. Choc Lab

[Squatch]

11. Oh, funny thing...

If you say "cat", he goes straight for a window. If you hold a cat in front of his nose and then say "cat", he'll go straight for a window, not realizing that he was looking right at a cat.

He once caught a squirrel only to find out he had no idea what to do with the thing, so he spit it out, and started chasing it again. You could see the look of puzzlement flash across his face.

[4morewars]

7. Squirrel ?

He goes apeshit ! I think all jack Russel Terriers go apeshit for that one ! Here are a few more that get Jack going:

Ball ?
Cookie ?
Toy ?
Out ?

Here's one that I know he understands, because he always obeys it, even if his arch nemisis (the mailman) is at the door:

"Go to your little bed !"

Gratuitous picture:

[KurtNYC]

15. adorable

[Gloria]

8. Eat, treat, cookie, dinner, walkie-talkie (walk)....

uppa-uppa (to get up on a lap),......my oldest knows "pussycat" and still growls when we say it....

"I'm going to get the can!"---a can filled with coins that I used with the one to keep him from begging....but now, at least two of the three know it, without having really been trained to the can....they skulked away if I say it loudly and strongly enough...like I mean it...

"shake and bake!" when they get covered with grass if they've been rolling around. We tell them to "shake and bake"...and the one always does it (the older one) and the others are catching on, I think.

[madison2000]

9. I had a border collie and now I have a mixed breed

The border collie knew tons of words, including some I didn't try to teach her. She was actively making associations all the time. My current dog is a little dim compared to her. He knows about 10 words; the border collie knew at least 50. But he is better behaved and easier to manage.

[KurtNYC]

18. In the study with the border collie, Rico, they

would send him to a room so his owner could not give any clues or feedback. Then asked him to pick up one of the 20 items in there. The dog was doing so well that they introduced some things that he did not know the name of:

Most impressive is Rico’s deftness in learning the names of new toys. When the researchers placed a new toy among his familiar toys and asked him to retrieve it using a word he’d never heard before, Rico usually retrieved the new toy. Later, after not seeing the new toy for a month, he successfully retrieved it half the time.

By process of elimination the dog figured out those requests as well!

http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/2004/06/10/smartdog.php

[Debbi801]

10. Shake...

When it is raining outside and he comes up on the porch to come back in, we can tell him to shake and he'll shake himself off before coming into the house. :-)

[Sanity Claws]

12. Car ride

I was talking to the dog and told him that I had to go grocery shopping so that meant he got a car ride. (I know -- dumb conversation but you don't discuss physics with a dog.) It was clear that he understood what "car ride" meant. He ran to the top of the stairs that leads down to the garage and expected me to follow him down there and get in the car.
Too bad he didn't understand the words, "not now, later."

[Not_Giving_Up]

13. Outside, Bye-Bye, Num-Nuims (food)

I know there are more

[scarlett1]

16. "Look", " do you want to"

If we say 'look' she runs to the window to look for a squirrel or rabbit
Do you want to is followed by " go for a Walk" of Course.
"Do you know what time it is" is the beginniing of a long phrase we tell her at bedtime toget up off the couch and go out side and well here is the most unual word she knows to go " Andale" (think Speedy Gonzales)
"Andale" is the cue word we taught her to, well, go out side and "GO"

[Merrick]

17. How about 'Bath' and 'Vet' - my old dog would jump out the window

[MuseRider]

19. "Ya wanna..."

in my house that is all you have to say to get them going. If you add "eat" they run to the kitchen, if you add "go to" they run to the door, if you add "goodie" they sit like they have been taught to do. A plain "Ya wanna" will get you wide eyes, wags, woofs, snorts and the occasional 90 pound Lab slam. We do spell out some words like swimming, walk and treat. They also know what door or window to go to depending on if you use the words squirrel, bunny or kitty and lord knows if you are not there first with an open door they will go headlong into the glass. "Baby" is another word that our Lab knows well. He has taken to large, stuffed toys that he mothers and if you ask where his baby is he will go get it.

Edit to add...my Lab also knows the word "trash" as in "Well now, do you want to eat some more trash?" He runs and gets under the coffee table and peeks out sheepishly.

[Solly Mack]

20. out? kennel! Is daddy being bad? Who did that? Get your lamb.

and Tell on mommy: he yodels my transgressions of the day..."he tells on me"


out?: he goes to the door
kennel!: he goes to his cave
Is daddy being bad?: he comes, sits by me, and turns his back on his daddy...but only if daddy has been bad
who did that?: he "fetches" the guilty cat
get your lamb: he gets his toy lamb

He can actually say No and Out. He can too!...so there

and he knows O-U-T when we spell it.

[DemGa]

21. My dog understands

go for a ride
go for a walk
eat your food
where's your toy
c'mere
stay there
wanna go out?

and so much more.

[RebelOne]

22. Go in the house, ride, yum-yums,

wee-wee, shut up, treat and lots more. And it is true that dogs can learn to spell. My last Rottweiler soon learned to spell "ride."