Can my dog understand me? | James May Q&A (Ep 34) | Head Squeeze

[@EQuivalentTube2]

If you hunch over the phone and read your contact list in an angry voice, I'm certain, that anyone will become anxious and back away.

[@Windwalker95]

True.. I would do the same.

[@lewisirwin5363]

They'll probably think it's your kill-list.

[@alexjackson6150]

i dont have enough friends to do that

[@Windwalker95]

I have enough plumbers on my list :P (I have gum tree roots that grow into my pipes.. Thanks previous owner and neighbours :/)

[@Breadman-k6d]

Made my day xD

[@ChrisMarrou]

Not only could Rico understand 200 words, he could do it in German! Ausgezeichnet!

[@EinarEle]

My dog watched this video with combination of disdain and hurt.

[@Dave-yl8rf]

As soon as im finished with this video im gonna go and hug my dog

[@rain6493]

Did you know that dogs don't actually like you hugging them?

[@denvera1g1]

I have a standard poodle, named captain slow(he has bugged eyes because of a fight when he was a puppy), he also goes by Bentley, and i will often utter phrases to him, knowing that he doesnt understand a word i'm saying, but every once in a while he'll get it right, like just the other day, i "asked" him a question i never had before, directly, or in similar context "do you want to go downstairs" and he cocked his head and trotted over to the stairs and headed down, which, up the that point he rarely had the need or desire to use because there was nothing for him down there and the floors were all hard rough concrete, but now after setting up my "dog cave" with 4 monitors and a comfy easy chair just for him, is a hot spot frequented by both of us. I was so surprised by this coincidence that i probably cocked my head in much the same way he did.

[@mtonkinson6]

Jame's May is by far the best thing on Head Squeeze! Always come back here for the video and the extras. Love it!

[@ahmetcantasci]

when he says "under(stand)", i'm expecting him to say "understeer" :)

[@shananagans5]

I love these head squeeze videos. They are always good to learn something or at least get you thinking. It's also clear that James enjoys learning & sharing that with others.

[@chilcottjack29]

my dog (who has sadly passed away) pippin, she could open doors cupboards and even ring the door bell. i could speak to her and she would know what i was on about like, "pippin go and say hi to john ( the next door neighbor) and she would open the back door and bark at the fence until he come out then john would come over the fence and pippin would talk to him if you know what i mean in dog language, arggguuuaaagguuueee, you must know what i mean. she was something special. she was a lercher, i miss her

[@TheUKNutter]

Was she a yorkshire terrier?

[@chilcottjack29]

TheUKNutter lurcher (i get the joke funny man lol)

[@TheUKNutter]

Come Outside xD

[@Elec-DIY]

It helped to keep the engine valves clean and prevent them from wearing down, nowadays they're made of stronger materials so lead or additives aren't needed.

[@Skippy19812]

I've got both a german shepherd and a beagle/basset cross and the shepherd is as smart as they come. She's like a super computer in dog form. The beagle/basset cross... also has good qualities...

[@shananagans5]

When I was a psychology student I had a dog That I worked with frequently. She got to where she understood probably 50 basic words. Objects & basic commands she understood well. She understood get Snoopy (stuffed animal) quite well but she never could quite understand more than 1 command & 1 object at a time. She read body language & voice tone very well & despite knowing a fair number of words her primary interaction with me was based on nothing more than basic voice tone & body language

[@lilrara1291]

I was about to say,they can read your moods

[@TostiTostelli]

A dog has the ability to have more then one layer of ''thinking''. For example an aid dog(for disabled/blind people) can learn to react to something when their harnes is on, or not, if it is off, and vice versa. This suggests that a dog is able to add more then 1 specific function or meaning to a single object, being, or even a word. .

[@Nexus2Eden]

Well Chuck, that's fairly obvious actually. It is because your sinuses are 'rinsed' or 'washed' out by the water allowing you to perceive the odor of things much better. Sort of how things taste more intense after you brush your teeth - as opposed to not brushing your teeth. You are simply clearing the debris from your olfactory nerves.

[@TheAGCteam]

Conditioning makes an insane amount of things possible. We are conditioned when it comes down to speech as well. We decide that a certain sound means a certain thing (same sound can mean different things in different languages) and a dog links a certain sound to a certain thing as well. I don't really see the difference.

[@Moh1Z]

My dog understands abstracts! When I tell him to fetch his leash, he sometimes will bring me something different, that resembles a leash. Such as: bicycle inner tube, piece of rope, etc.

[@ganymede8257]

Although I love my dog, I have a feeling she doesn't really understand me yet still sees me as a friend. She can recognize her name, she also recognizes the name of my other dog but doesn't react to it, which makes me think she can tell their names apart. Though, as far as objects or actions are concerned- she doesn't seem to understand them too well. She sees me crouching as an invitation to come and get pets, she is completely terrified of water buckets or hoses because of how much she hates getting wet and she can tell the leash means she will be tied and thus, runs from it. It's kind of bittersweet to know she doesn't really comprehend things that I say or do around her, yet she still has so much love for me.

[@Owensey]

I saw this thing on TV that whenever you pet your dog, a special bonding chemical is released in your brain, the same one that is released between mothers and their newly born child. I also saw that some dogs can smell a certain smell given off by cancerous tumours. Dogs are awesome!

[@someusername121]

My cat sometimes looks at me like he's frustrated when he is talking and I don't understand what he wants. But I made sure to train him to recognize important words like hungry, thirsty, tired, bathroom, home, etc.

[@johnmurray4918]

Besides a limited understanding of words, they are also very good at sensing most human emotions.

[@Jonconji]

The dog only understanding his or hers name allows me to express myself without being judge and thus cuddling with him/her afterwords with nothing changing

[@mtnkalash860]

Hello Mr. May, I have 2 questions for your show: How does a differential work? and How does siping on treads work? Thank you, and I'd really appreciate a shirt.

[@TomMattin]

i got a german shepherd and she remembers items such as 'ball' and it's quite remarkable how you understand them! it's said they have 100 facial expressions that human can recognise anyway.

[@magnusbuinevits9535]

My aunt`s german shepherd found my granddad when I asked it tio.

[@BBCEarthScience]

Ha Ha! That one made us giggle

[@whmozart]

I think you are greatly underestimating dogs, James. They do understand a lot more than what you give them credit for. It seems you don't like them much. Question: How many words can we humans learn? Also, I speak 3 languages, does this mean my vocabulary for each language is diminished or do I get the same average maximum capacity for each language independently? How many languages can a person learn?

[@Ponlets]

there was a dog that had about 60 or so words in its vocabulary that it could say... I saw it on Ripley's believe it or not

[@Oinikis]

my grandparents have a dog and lives in a village(more like a single yard in fields). and the dogs wants to run in a forest so bad. before we release him, and go in a forest with him, my grandmother, says: We'll go to the forest! and then we go to the forest. and everytime we say we'll go to the forest, he gets super exited.

[@ms_med]

I know my dog doesn't understand full sentences but he does know that hugs & kisses mean love, comfort & security.

[@aaroo9554]

whats with the head on his shirt in the clamp that is clear and has a moving background in it ?! :O

[@NonsenseRandom]

A vocabulary of 200 words? That’s more than some of the youtubers seem to have.

[@realspacemodels]

James' narration of this Head Squeeze episode sounds like it belongs in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

[@joshualee3144]

last joke was the best joke

[@skimlines]

omg more James May! My life is complete!!

[@LacyJacy]

I'm pretty sure there's a thing with dogs and pointing. You point at the object ahead of you while they'll wonder about the tip of your finger, not seeing the "bigger picture."

[@SianaGearz]

She just sings along. A lot of what you hear in the videos isn't voiced by the dog, it's by the owner imitating how he expects the dog to sound, so she has an easier time repeating, and she still doesn't manage most of the time. On her own, she's able to say "I love you" "hello" and "no", which considering other complex tricks you can teach a dog, is unusual but not entirely surprising.

[@enrico5610]

James, why do different wall sockets exist, according to different countries?

[@KuntaKinteToby]

***** - He's shooting these videos in front of a green screen, the color on that part of his shirt is probably the same one as the screen, so it got blocked out.

[@agnelund]

I tried the phone list thing to my dog. He stared at me looking worried about my mental well being and feeling sorry for the mankind in general and went sitting in front of the door suggesting clean air might help my condition.

[@KlunkerRider]

My Chow Chow was very smart, he managed to escape from his enclosure so many times we stopped putting him in it, and just let him run around the yard. After that he stayed happily in the backyard. he just wanted to be with us.

[@KlunkerRider]

+hoshino Chow Chow's could be both very smart and very dumb at the same time ;-)

[@KlunkerRider]

+hoshino ours was great, very friendly and loved being around people. we miss him :'(

[@KlunkerRider]

+hoshino ..especially when you have them for 17 years, he died at 19 years old.

[@marwan2009]

To Mr. May i have a question and it is a serious one not a joke. Does human heart actually have the ability to think? I mean can we think from our hearts?

[@spiderbite7849]

Did you know that dogs have perfect pitch? They can differentiate between pitches less than a semitone apart and even play back melodies. Look it up on youtube :)

[@comrad1130]

here's a question: have emission control systems in modern automobiles increased pollution by making the internal combustion engine less efficient?

[@83drummerboy]

i love the last statement..literally lol'd

I haven't had all animals as pets in my life but I have had quite a few and I agree with those who say a man's true best friend is a dog

[@LancesArmorStriking]

Next question: does my cat love me???!

[@rbagel55]

LancesArmorStriking my cat loves me!

[@UpJourney]

Yes. Your cat definitely loves you after finishing loving ONEself.

[@Horny_Fruit_Flies]

+LancesArmorStriking It doesn't. It merely finds your presence convenient (food)

[@LancesArmorStriking]

Good news! In between the time I wrote that and your comment, I found out that dogs get abandonment anxiety when their owner leaves, even if they have food. www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/separation-anxiety So your pet (even some cats) can "love" you (just maybe not the same way we would).

[@LordDemosair]

My theory: The heat of the water energises more of the bacteria in the gas, making it smell stronger and/or the heat off the water clears our sinuses, allowing you to smell more clearly.

[@schmittelt]

Funny. You posted this video just as I was being tasked to puppysit a dog for the weekend. Now I want a dog.

[@Patanegn]

Hey James! I'd be glad if my question got featured in the next episode! It is: Why does air get cooler when we fan it?

[@Brionian101]

Excuse me, I have a related question: Is there a theory that suggests that dogs can "read" people's emotions based on their breathing patterns?

[@Guynormal1]

Is that a mirror on your shirt or something green and are you standing in front of a green screen

[@gaetanboiv]

Very entertaining as usual. Good work.

[@TheTommygee37]

Oh my god! I live near Durham Johnston!

[@Chartranos]

can we alter the rotation of the earth with wind generators???????

[@MrGlobbits]

Ah, so if you want to give your dog a bath, you shout "Walkies!" and he'll fall for it every time.

[@vincentxu8217]

No doubt some dogs can understand words. The barber shop owner in my childhood neighborhood has a crossbreed border colie. There was once when I was in the shop, the owner was sitting there and started talking to himself about going home, and the dog just jumped up and ran straight to the door. Note that the owner wasn't getting up or reaching for his coat, nor did he look at the dog when talking. He was sitting down all the time, so the dog must have understood the phrase "go home".

[@Apocalipaya]

Like you said, the dogs, and many other animals feel empathy for others. If you have told it that you had a nasty day, with a sad tone, the chances are, it will come to you and lick you for example. Animals are more human then humans sometimes.

[@jarvis1st]

i keep on coming back to this video because to see cute golden retriever with glasses

[@Elec-DIY]

I called my dog Stay so I could say "come here Stay". He's insane now.

[@hardman666]

why would anyone put a dislike on this video?

[@DannyHardLuckWoman]

Jimmy Page, is that you? :P (pretty awesome video, love the channel!!)

[@hhhfff7953]

Looks like mix between 1973 Jimmy Page and 2019 Jimmy Page.

[@mrapter7]

James may said my name. I can die happy

[@LokiKeanu]

random fact, afgan hounds were raced before greyhounds, but they had a bad habit of stopping mid race to groom themselves

[@whmozart]

Dogs are a hell of a lot smarter than we are. They don't kill each other for no reason, they don't need laws to avoid complete chaos and destruction, they don't deplete resources, they have a very epicurean way of life and most importantly they are not destroying the planet they live in. Actually I think any other species is smarter than us.

[@frazmabob]

Funny i watched this from Hannah Fry's favs playlist she said that she chose it causes she likes dogs and before it there was a catfood advert :D

[@Angry_Rancor]

Just because an Oxford study claims that, it doesn't make it true. However, this is not the venue for discussing it..

[@marwan2009]

Then why they say: "follow your heart" ?!! when i said "think" i didn't mean the clinical operation of the mind.

[@henrywallace3563]

can't unsee that the head on james' t-shirt is green

[@lasunbird86]

My catahoula leopard is surprisingly intelligent :D

[@hewro1237]

did anybody else notice the hole through his shirt? like, he has a head shaped hole through his body...seriously how is the comment section not filled with this?

[@JesperoTV]

+Hewro 123 I'm going to assume you know what a green screen is, and give you the benefit of the doubt...

[@shrimpflea]

I'll bet they let that go on purpose.

[@Breadman-k6d]

... Still looking for the hole

[@mortisCZ]

Mr. May did not mention one fact. Dogs are pack animals. They understand that they pack-leader(you) is happy, angry or ill. Because that when you are sad and you look and smell like il( because you are just not well) they will try to support you. ;-) They do not understand your problems with your boss but they know that you are not well.

[@Riverclanawesomeness]

Love this video!

[@TostiTostelli]

Emotions on the other hand, is something entirely diiferent. I have been able to fool my dog, into thinking that i'm sad, when I was actually happy. Which is quite human, because humans can be fooled as well. So that makes a dog ... human? You be the judge! Woof.

[@kidneymerchant9080]

My dog understands when I say "Dad!", and he runs to wherever I'm pointing.

[@shanu508]

how does a touch screen work?

[@oBCHANo]

They aren't self-aware, they aren't even really conscious, and it almost certainly won;t have an inner dialogue, so no, it doesn't know it's identity, it just relates the name to coming to you.

[@bradfilms8278]

What if I don't have any contact because I'm sad and lonely

[@ninjaboy744]

Another one.. do cats, dogs and other animals understand us when we try to imitate their "voice"?? 'like when we try to meow or bark'

[@AddyNv]

What is the effect of lead in car fuel?

[@MarcoVenustus]

Dogs can learn more than 160 words if you use gestures instead of sounds.

[@CromlechDolmen]

No what I meant was that EQ will give you a general knowledge of which animals are more intelligent, and for the most part will be correct. Which is the same as IQ.

[@tobywestmoreland7120]

Can you stop the earth from spinning and if you can how?

[@TheAngelBacon]

I actually tried making my dog anxiouse... she just wagged her tail and got a little confused, She's too sweet to understand I guess xD

[@abyssalreclass]

It is my personal experience that, compared to other breeds of dog, golden retrievers are dumb as rocks.

[@shrimpflea]

Had a Golden Retriever...he was pretty dumb....but also had an Irish Setter...he made the Golden look like Einstein.

[@thoeezheeah]

Lol no. Maybe you don't know how to train these types of dogs. Retrievers were bred for rural work, like you know, retrieving birds and game you shot for dinner. There's a reason they're called "retrievers" Not "suburban companion for an IT guy who brought it as a family pet because they read somewhere that goldens are 'good with children'", which indeed they are. You have to train them 40 hours a week, not come home from a dead end job and get upset when they don't obey your commands. Choosing a brred you can't handle is irresponsible, uninformed, ignorant dog ownership.

[@thoeezheeah]

Not just retrievers. Several goldens, belgian malinois , german sheperds in a 50 acre farm. I'm just trying to be fair here. A dog's job is to obey the dominant one, the human, ideally. If you train them well, it's like someone clocking in to work on double pay. How would you feel if you had a job and your superior, who trained you wrong or didn't train you at all, suddenly call you stupid? That's not your fault, isn't it?

[@CrayonsYummyYummy]

True, i know they're meant to be smart but my cousin has 3 Goldens and they're all dumb as hell haha

[@Skippy19812]

I had a retriever when I was a kid and she was as sharp as a tac. You just have to know how to engage them. In my experience they learn best though play.

[@tenedria]

however, fido can probably tell you had a bad day just from your pheromones. After all humans emit different smells according to some of our emotions.

[@aaroo9554]

can i ask how you weigh words?

[@letstalktv5265]

I noticed the small head on his shirt is transparent.

[@AmbiCahira]

When you are sad you stink feremones which the dog can sniff out, which is why the dog tries to comfort people so that other predators wont find your sobbing scent. More or less. Also, yes, dogs can be taught the meaning of words which is why you can teach them to connect a behavior with a cue. As for being smart, the afghan hound is actually super smart and has been known to figure out how to open a childproof fridge. It just is too smart to work for a low salary. We have four dogs and I do notice difference in their intelligence, meaning how fast they solve problems and how fast they connect the dots. One couldnt solve a problem even if his dinner depended on it, while another one does it just simply cause he loves a challange.

[@irmagedden]

imo, the retriever breeds (poodle, lab etc) tend to be the smartest because they were bred to be partners to their humans. They actually lived indoors worth their people and became quite human like as a result (poodles have very high EQs). Shepherd breeds also tend to be intelligent because they were bred to think on their feet and sometimes work alone. The hounds tend to be at the bottom of the scale because they were meant for hunting and tracking, and didn't usually spend much domestic time with their humans (they'd live out in a kennel or barn for example) But all dogs are smart in their own way and, unlike many, many other animals, come out of the womb able to understand "informative gestures" like pointing. Dogs are awesome

[@susankeener1701]

I'm pointing my finger up at you..understand?

[@krisfur1]

Great video as always. Are Queen's beloved Corgis considered relatively inteligent or are they among the stupid ones?

[@LolFishFail]

When I say "Say please!" to my dog, He'll bark. It's pretty awesome.

[@rohinmukherjee5280]

You are way better then Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond! You're amazing, Captain Slow!

[@MrLiamAndo81]

Look at Skidboot the dog, that dog is very clever,even understands numbers

[@RevengeofGothzilla]

Its because men can actually produce breast milk with enough stimulation to the nipples, ie the mouth of a hungry infant. Basically so if the mother dies, the father can care for a child that isn't yet weaned. Yes that really is the reason.

[@samielhellhound]

Vsauce has a video on this matter, I think it's the one on "deja vu". But I agree I would like to see this subject done by James May.

[@StonesDunedin]

The foetus begins as female. .. In the early stages both types (whether destined to be female or male) have small nipples. The later stages is when sexual development takes place. So if the foetus is destined to be female, the breasts will develop, & of course they won't in the male. The male is left with the *undeveloped breast form. The pituitary gland regulates the hormone testosterone for the male characteristics. .. Also, the later stages are when the sexual organs are developed.

[@HeadshotScout]

"Just because an Oxford study claims that, it doesn't make it true." Yes, and just because I've eaten a cake doesn't mean I've eaten a cake. /sarcasm

[@bytecastdave9901]

Seen loads of these videos and never noticed it! haha well spotted!

[@fandore12]

wrong, there is a dog who can look at a picture and fetch it just by looking at a picture of it, forget exactly the place i found this but know there is a dog that can do it... i do believe dogs are special, not in the fact that they are sooo smart they are like us but in the fact that they want to understand us, that is what drives them. i dont doubt they have gained some sort of intelligence over the several thousand years making some breeds incredibly smart. collies seem to have this trait at a higher level along with terrier breeds. if someone finds this video, please link it at the lack of me searching the internet to dig it back up.

[@devilhunterred]

Wrong. If you can't find the source yourself, how can you expect others to find it for you and believe in what you said?

[@fandore12]

i'll take some time this week if you are so inclined to see it... i believe its a collie that can. it knows over a thousand words and can pick up any toy by word, they did a test to see if it can understand the idea of getting the toy by just a picture, the dog went and got the toy shown every time...

[@devilhunterred]

fandore12 One dog can be an extreme outlier, it doesn't mean most dogs can.

[@fandore12]

i did say A DOG not all dogs!

[@devilhunterred]

fandore12 Then what's the point if only one dog can do it? This video is about the consensus of dogs, not one unique amazing dog.

[@TuhinBagh]

How does dog understand himself. when you call him by his name..? Does this means they are self aware for their identity..?? Like we understand yourself as unique?