Do dogs understand us? Better than you think!

April 6, 2025

You might not realize it, but your dogs probably understand a lot more than you realize.

HOW DO WE KNOW IF OUR DOGS UNDERSTAND US?

Dogs understand us! I firmly believe this, at least in some cases. I know it to be true with my dogs. Have you ever had your dog respond to something you said to them? If so, maybe you know too.

If you are familiar with scientists and their theories, it takes a lot to prove that something is “true”. It wasn’t too long ago that they decided that dogs do, in fact, have emotions. We, dog lovers, have known that for quite some time.

As much as sometimes it might be important to prove something, like curing a disease or how medicine can help manage a condition, I think there are things that we can know to be true without the studies to back up our beliefs. 

If I think about it, I could come up with many examples as to why I believe dogs understand us. This is one example.

Does your dog seem to “just know” what you plan to do? Maybe they actually do know. Many dogs understand at least some of the language of their people, even though they can’t speak it.

DOGS UNDERSTAND US

Quinn is a 9-year-old Aussie. She has slowed down a bit now, but she used to be busy all the time. I think she is half border collie, so whirling dervish described her pretty well most days. Playing ball is her absolute favorite thing in the world to do. She could play it All. Day. Long. 

Since I work from home, she believes I should be at her disposal for playing ball whenever the time is right, which is pretty much all the time. Well, it’s hard to get anything much done when a dog is constantly nagging you to go play. Every day, I’d be working and she’d try to get my attention. Sometimes I’d tell her (often in a loud voice) to leave me alone for a bit. Or I’d tell her to wait until I was done with ____________.

For the longest time, I didn’t pay too much more attention to it than that. Sure we’d play ball but little did I know, there was more going on than I realized.

Eventually, I noticed if I said “Wait until I get up” or “Wait until I finish _________”, she would quietly lie down with her eyes on me and wait. If I did as I told her, all was good and she’d stop nagging. We’d go outside to play and she’d be fine for a while. But if I went ahead and ignored what I’d told her, she’d nag at me again.

IT’S TRUE, SHE DID UNDERSTAND!

After seeing this several times, I finally realized that, yes, Quinn did understand that I was asking her to wait and when I was saying I’d be available. Not only did she understand, but she held me accountable for my words. If I didn’t do as I said, she’d call me on it. Sort of humbling, when you think about it, but also kind of cool. Part of living with a really smart dog, I suppose.

Have you ever realized your dog was responding to what you said? Even more importantly, have you ever tested it? You might be surprised at the results if you took the time to investigate.

YOU’VE GOT TO WATCH WHAT YOU SAY

I talk to my dogs all the time. Just what I do as a dog parent, I guess. Like many dog parents, I’ve heard about, we spell the important words like B.A.L.L. or O.U.T.S.I.D.E., just to be safe. Those are the words that will instantly fire up the whole pack around our house.

But the more I see responses to what I say, the more I believe that they really do understand. Not everything, but many things. And there are those times when they’re not much different than kids; when they’re too distracted with something else or don’t want to hear me. Seems pretending not to understand can be beneficial, even though it’s sort of naughty.

I try to make sure I say what I mean and mean what I say. I also try not to talk about things in front of them that might bother them. 

When your dog acts like they understand you, it could be because they do!

FINDING MORE WAYS DOGS UNDERSTAND US

I think we’re just touching the surface of our relationships with our dogs. For example, a speech-language pathologist put together a word board for her dog, Stella. Stella knew 29 words at the writing of the article and used them by pushing the buttons on her board. I’d love to try that with my dogs, I think. Or, if you want the science, here is a post about scientific evidence from a few years ago.

On another note, maybe it’s a lot like animal communication. They say we can understand telepathy, and maybe they can understand it too. Read my post for more.

It would be an adjustment to have my dogs be able to ask me something or tell me how they feel. Just think of all the things that would be easier. Instead of wondering if they were hungry or just bored, if they hurt someplace or how they hurt themselves, I could ask and they could tell me. It would have its downside if your dog was throwing a temper tantrum or something, but it would ultimately make our relationships stronger.

Have you had a dog that understood and responded to what you were saying? I would love to hear your experiences with your dogs in the comments below. Tell me your thoughts.