Dogs actually understand what you're saying, study shows

People will tell you it's not what you say to a dog that counts, it's how you say it. But now researchers say dogs respond to much more than your tone of voice. They say brain scans confirm that canines can understand exactly what you're saying. Michelle Miller reports.

[@fidorover]

My dog agrees: that dude's v-neck was way too low cut.

[@chadheinrich3117]

My dog was down with it, but he's way metrosexual.

[@bazookaaxel]

It's more a U-neck

[@temikabutts79]

😂😂😂

[@winterclown6359]

I think he's gay.

[@memestopicxd7649]

I girono giavanna have a dream

[@BryonLetterman]

Anyone who has a dog and is close to their dog already knows this on a personal level

[@josephinetracy1485]

Why would any civilized human even care if a crap eating and pee drinking health hazard "understood" them...

[@Leoprincess3038]

Yup ❤

[@lisettes.9598]

I always knew this. My dog and I have had entire conversation in which she responds with huffs and understands abstract concepts such as waiting for her food to cook.

[@justinshoats848]

Thats awesome!!

[@atanki5682]

@@sunghoonyi2265 huskies tend to do that so yeah i think he is a husky

[@areyoutheregoditsmedave]

@@atanki5682 huskies are crazy smart and perceptive

[@fellowpassenger_54-67]

@@areyoutheregoditsmedave yeah, I’d love to get a husky but I heard that they ain’t the ideal option for first time owners so I think maybe owning a labrador retriever for like 4 months before getting a husky might be a decent plan, what do you think?

[@dangerdan2592]

@@fellowpassenger_54-67 I hear they need tons of exercise/activity, so if you can't give them that then I'd say don't get one. I've also heard a big yard is ideal but they're also good at escaping so make sure your yard is Husky-proof.

[@frostedfelony]

When I talk to my dog like he's a person he sits there calmly and I notice he starts to listen attentively, almost like someone who nods at things you say, as if they're really listening to you

[@InfiniteDetailing101]

Yeah. No. Yall literally think they understand full blown sentences and conversations? No. It’s gibberish to them. They understand tone. Voice pitches. And certain small short phrases. Like on a super small scale they can understand certain things. So basically, the dogs are smarter than all of you in this comment section being dumb af.

[@reillybeus4588]

that guys v neck tho

[@birdo1180]

I bet he's from Williamsburg

[@theeverythingchannel9760]

I thought he was gay

[@Sgt-Wolf]

@@theeverythingchannel9760 If he was gay he would have a better since of fashion.

[@tochukwuudu7763]

You just know he is gay.

[@Versac3e]

i talk to my dog like hes my homie.. i use slang and everything.. i also speak to him in both spanish and english.. is he confused or does he actually get me?

[@bigheadhammer5886]

Pretty sure he gets you. My family dog was bilingual forsure because of my parents and my siblings we raised them that way and I've seen Japanese speaking similar commands and dogs understood. U just gotta teach em. They smart af. Make sure you treat him like the young lil homie tho cause remember you always have to have the authority. 💪

[@trinibates8282]

Me too, I always trick him and tell him there’s a cat outside

[@SlowedAesthege]

Well can he understand Spanish and english?

[@AlonssoV]

They don't understand words, they read the tone of voice, the mood, etc. to create a picture of what you mean.

[@theginger1187]

@@AlonssoV also they do listen to the syllables and the order of them, but they have to be distinct. like words that rhyme could be confusing.

[@octave1]

OHHHH so this is how my dogs understands me when I say "wanna go for a walk?" and they get all excited

[@plaguex1]

What every dog owner knows. They absolutely understand a lot lot more than we were told to believe. For thought, we've been living with dogs for thousands of years. If you don't believe they have adapted to understand our intent then you're naive

[@dominickjustave3558]

True

[@travisscott3050]

Yeah and we've been with them also for thousands of years and we still don't know what their trying to say. This comment has no logic whatsoever

[@blacklyfe5543]

How

[@apollo7307]

@@travisscott3050 no we actually can understand a bit

[@apollo7307]

@@travisscott3050 +while we have words for evrything they just whofe whofe

[@brendonmckenna2830]

My dog understands a lot we always get into arguments lmao 🤣

[@dazzlingdeb8427]

I knew the answer was both. I've rescued and trained dogs; my hypothesis was based on observation. But it's important that the study was done. Dogs respond to words and intonation. For instance, if you murmured lovingly to your dog, "Bad dog, why are you such a bad dog?" The dog would know you weren't mad at him. They have the capacity to understand and evaluate your intent. It was interesting to learn that they process words in one hemisphere of the brain and intonation in the other hemisphere, just like we do. BTW, cats understand words, intonation and hand commands too. I took umbrage with that one recent study that was done (don't recall by whom) that claimed dogs loved us more than cats do. That study was invalid. They played with dogs and cats and then took MRIs of their brains afterwards. But we don't bond with cats with play-not to the extent that dogs do. Cats bond to us when we speak softly and affectionately to them and interact with them, while taking our cues from the cat. Whoever did that study didn't know that much about cats. Cats love us just as much as dogs do. My cats were much more outwardly affectionate with me than my dogs were-they'd follow me from room to room, demand to be cuddled, and they'd come when I called their name. I had one intelligent cat that was amazingly bonded to me. He responded to verbal and hand commands. I hadn't set out to teach him commands, but since I invariably used the same commands with him, he learned what I wanted. He obeyed easily too.

[@hibasobh]

Dazzling Deb it makes me feel so sad when so many people tell me they hate cats because they are literally so kind, lovable and affectionate, thank you for loving cats as much as dogs!

[@staciemae]

I’ve always had dogs all my life, I would like to have a cat at some point too though! My aunt has had cats and they’ve always liked me.

[@dazzlingdeb8427]

@@staciemae Cats are very cool animals.

[@dazzlingdeb8427]

@@hibasobh I just saw this now! 2 years later. Yes, cats are fantastic, and they’re even more cuddly than dogs.

[@dazzlingdeb8427]

@Tommy McRae Exactly! Both dogs and cats are wonderful animals. Just saw your comment. Better late than never, right?

[@TommyAndGracie]

Dogs are very smart and the unconditional love they give is amazing! I have a chihuahua named Tommy who is an extremely lovable an intelligent little guy. : )

[@guccinutsack6405]

k

[@chrisjoshua69420]

it's only "unconditional" because they're too stupid to know any better

[@jaylore1561]

@@chrisjoshua69420 thats rude. Dogs arent dumb. They just don't know stupid humans ways. Animals are actually smarter than humans sometimes. And animals have been around before humans were made.

[@joshalan2147]

@@jaylore1561 what’s your source of information. Please don’t say opinion.

[@jaylore1561]

@@joshalan2147 you have internet. look it up.

[@Fx_Explains]

all animals understand a lot more than we think.

[@konmari_121]

This is true. Before we got a dog I never understood. Our dog was adopted at 7 years old and we are a Japanese family. She understands both English and Japanese but she pretends to not understand the commands. I know she understands what we're saying but she won't do it unless we give her a treat! (For example, my mom tells here in Japanese "No treats unless you finish dinner" and she starts eating the rest of her dinner.😆

[@visassess8607]

Ahaha that's a great story

[@putinsgaytwin4272]

They understand more than what humans explain in words. They can read our emotions on a much deeper level than humans. They constantly know what we mean by our body language alone.

[@henrylouis5328]

Yeah, I’ve noticed that with my dog it’s a bit scary

[@jchinckley]

I think they understand pheromones on a personal interaction (conscious) level (far) more than we do, so they know when we don't feel all that great or when we're depressed or whatever, sometimes even before we know how we're feeling ourselves.

[@putinsgaytwin4272]

@jchinckley damm that's why my dog acts scared of me when I wear perfume

[@popsodayea1662]

I agree Mostly cause my dog barks at me when I talk and raise my tone it’s almost as if he’s talking back

[@troutfishytp5836]

Its not called barking, its called talking.

[@lailaalanna315]

Mine used to do this when he wanted to have his own way.. Lol. He stopped at about 4 months old

[@Gregman420]

2:47 Whoa, wtf.

[@westernless97]

Greg M leave him alone he’s from Florida

[@fbnflaviusbroadcastingnetw6786]

Greg M aye now that’s jive

[@fbnflaviusbroadcastingnetw6786]

Supvic these days it might be accurate what just you said

[@akumie6996]

Yeah honestly, Nancy? Nice mom name. /s

[@rpickhardt3531]

What blows me away if that he probably knew he was going to be on TV and said to himself "THIS is the t-shirt I want the world to see"

[@daniellclary]

Dogs also have a language, and you can learn it. But I found people have given their dogs buttons so they can have an English voice. Now that's cool! I want to do that if I get a dog.

[@relaxmydog]

This is fascinating!

[@LetsPlayArcanium]

They definitely do understand like when i tell my dogs if they wanna go for a walk they go nuts, or if they’re hungry, and when i say Mami is here they absolutely lose it and wait for her by the door just cry barking

[@beckyrussell251]

My dog has always understood what I'm telling him and I can always understand what he's telling me by reading his body and eye expressions along with his body movements he also knows what I'm getting ready to do also without saying a word to him dogs 🐕 are more INTELLIGENT SMARTER ABS AND ALSO HAVE EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS LIKE WE DO

[@billkillernic]

the dog on 3:07 is saying "please put me out of my misery"

[@JayywonK]

Blu I was drinking g-fule now my keyboard and ninja mouse is broken. rip I got a replacement But ninja mouse cost £248 Wast man

[@yourlifeisagreatstory]

*My dog knows ALL the words, she has the best words! She’s more smarter then some of the most smartest dogs out there. You can ask anyone, people tell her all the time, you might not know that.*

[@cjsk45]

LOL!

[@91rummy]

I am surprised you realized now.. I always see dogs giving appropriate responses to what you say.. If the response is appropriate, it means they understood what you said..right?

[@ihsahnakerfeldt9280]

Yeah this is exactly what it means. This is how we evaluate whether anyone or anything understands us.

[@cyberpunkmodels692]

That guys blue V neck was deeper than then the Grand Canyon🤣👀

[@coryt93]

Before giving my dog a treat, I used to say “sit”, “paw” and then “no” in which she looked away, followed by “ok!” In which she took the treat. However, sometimes I would test her by saying the “no” in the happy tone I’d say “ok” with, and she wouldn’t take it because she understood the difference! RIP Ruby ❤

[@Leaked-ke2zv]

Yeah me and my dog talk to each other a lot we usually like talking about the socioeconomic crisis Uruguay. Usually he comes up with theories on how to fix it

[@jayde4872]

It’s literally them learning language. Just hearing certain sounds and being shown what they mean.

[@trixiepixie5168]

I'll sometimes just start talking to our animals about my day and random stuff just because someone is there to talk to, but I always wondered how much of it they understand lol.

[@THOUGHTCTRL]

Dogs can sense when someone is a bad or good person. Your dog may not know the moral decisions a person has made, but he can pick up on signs of nervousness, fear, anger, and danger. We have covered a Video on a Research Made to understand if Dogs can sense if a Person is Good or Bad. Do Check Out : kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGiQmYdua6hppdU

[@oliviagrace4869]

I had a dog advert before this video started lol

[@NikitaSharma-bs4gg]

Awesome study... I am sure with repitition they start to associate word with action and start understanding the concept of the word

[@myfragilelilac]

Yup. When I call her name in a pitch voice she understands I demand her to come. If my voice is more neutral she might even ignore it sometimes.

[@ragerman7079]

I was talking to my dad once about him getting a bigger dog to protect the backyard. As soon as my dad said this, our chiweenie stood up and howled. Me and my dad were thinking, "what the heck?" Our chiweenie never howls at all. He only barks, and he never barks inside unless he thinks someones there. And if he does bark, he runs towards the noise. This time, all he did was stand there after howling, then laid back down in a frustrated way. With my other dog who passed, we would discuss kicking him outside to go to sleep. Everytime we did and if he heard, he would run over to my mom (she spoiled him the most) and lay next to her. He wouldn't even bother to look at us when we'd say his name. He also had the most nervous look on his face.

[@konmari_121]

The dog obviously understands English, a complex language!

[@AdsForAdults]

Dog owners who spend time with their dog and talk in complete sentences instead of orders know that dogs can understand sentences. For example, I used to always tell my dog to give me a kiss, Give me the chicken (Toy) give me (Multiple different named toys).... She also would play hide and seek with my son Xander. Xander would hide, and then I would say find Xander. We would also Hide toys. One day, I was about to give her a treat. And instead of saying "give me a kiss" ... I said "Give Xander a kiss" and I only had to say it once, and she went over and licked my sons cheek. Darn smart dog.

[@theriverschool822]

Exactly. You can't do advanced dog training and still think "dogs don't learn words" If you teach a dog, "pick up the shoe and give it to John" and you introduce a new person or new object, you can now place those in the sentence; "pick up the toy and give it to Sarah." When "experts" say dogs can't understand words, they never show you their dog. I do believe some people are really bad at training/communicating with dogs.

[@UltimaDragonair]

One thing I noticed is, for dogs, they "took notes", like when you bamboozle them two or three times with the exact same prank, exact same jokes, like hiding the food under three bowls trick, they can guess it correctly. 🤔 so yeah, maybe they do understand.

[@NightOwlGames]

i let my dogs out in the garden for 5 mins to go bathroom they seem to understand the word "in" when i want them to come back in the house they also understand "get back" when im about to open the front door to a postman or someone knocking on the door.

[@PhysicsViolator]

I have a saint bernard and a newfoundland , these dogs are like humans

[@jonnykash9802]

dude i always thought this. i always wondered how my dog can understand the difference in "no" and "go" when i say it

[@SteveCarras]

They do talk to us!

[@DC.402]

Excatly

[@francisfischer7620]

About time someone noticed!!!

[@jchinckley]

Dammit, this makes me miss my favorite dog friend so much more... 😭 She was such a good listener and always had the most sympathetic demeanor. I was devastated when my mother got rid of her thinking it was okay. (Don't worry, Mom made up for it in other ways.)

[@Weirdcore_also_im_insane]

Well what do I do whenever my dog that is just a puppy but it’s very ginormous jumps on me but not knowing that they’re hurting me any stinking that they’re playing with me

[@hughmungus5529]

I think huskeys understand the most

[@Alien--eh2yh]

Yeah my dog speaks English, French, German, And Spanish 👍🏼

[@Z4rD1t0]

Bruh don't act like a kid, dogs cannot speak but can understand

[@dsmj7389]

It was the blurst of times !!??

[@Gina91787]

I knew this a long time ago! I love my furbabies!

[@josephinetracy1485]

Why would any civilized human even care if a crap eating and pee drinking creature "understood" them...

[@DeEchoVibeWontDie]

I have a dog named scruffy (Pomeranian/Maltese) I keep asking him to sit and he just tilts his head

[@tactician1996]

ninjagirl1000 because you have to teach him to sit while you're saying it. You can't just say sit without teaching him/her

[@75vettemaon]

He’s trying to figure out what those words mean. He knows you want something and he’s tilting his head to tell you he doesn’t understand. Like the previous person said he has to be shown how to sit while you say it. My wife’s dog looks and me like you’re not the mommy when I tell him to sit. He won’t sit for me but he sits for her. Lol. They definitely have a mind of their own.

[@fbnflaviusbroadcastingnetw6786]

Oof They get accustomed to words but only after they understand what that word means through the context behind it. They understand tone and pitch as well and can generally perceive how you are feeling, frustrated angry happy sad.. that’s why they feel unease if you scold them.. not so much the words but the tone and your body language.

[@fbnflaviusbroadcastingnetw6786]

Rick Skeels Yeah you got that right they do have a mind of their own

[@75vettemaon]

FBN Flavius Broadcasting Network my Yorkie mix just went for his nightly “mandatory” walk. He reminded me at the correct time. 90 minutes after his nightly treat. I am a well trained owner. He’s done a great job. Lol

[@EiliaRst__]

My dog even understands some hand movements lol. We use it when like someone in our house is sleeping

[@latoyahammond7229]

Exactly! Most dog owners already knew this.

[@heistbros8575]

Yes much like verbal commands dogs understand what certain noises made by you mean in practice.

[@jamesjackman5998]

I always knew that this was true, years ago and I didn't need to scan my dogs head for this. Dogs are truely our real life fur angel's.

[@bearwithnicehair]

U got me Looking crazy telling my dog to bark if she understands me

[@HexproofAnarchist]

Why is there no sound?

[@Edvinas97]

Everytime i complain about some stuff in my life to my dog, he is looking at me as if he trying really hard to understand what i say, he reads the emotion, put he really wants to know why i feel certain way...now if you excuse me i go to hug my dog now

[@adamdorris4081]

I told my buddies 10 year old golden retriever that there was a secret chicken sandwich in the carport that I put there behind a bunch of 2x4's. He went right to it and had a good snack. I mean I hid it well but he completely understood that there was a chicken sandwich in the carport.

[@loucipher7782]

im gonna tell my dog to do fang over fang soon

[@goodcat6655]

That's pawesome! My dog understands me when I ask him if he wants to go out in the garden! :D

[@anya.2352]

Kakra Cat I’m getting a dog in christmas! I hope he is like this

[@hassanps4647]

aexotticii did you get a dog yet my dad said he’s gonna get me one soon

[@michelanzolin6404]

@@hassanps4647 I know I’m late, but you will have to take care of it a lot.

[@kushcloud420]

If a dog knows it's name it knows what your saying

[@lailaalanna315]

Exactly. They don't come when we call other people, they obey commands, so obviously they understand language.

[@rishabhchawla]

So, basically they understand emotions than words

[@CityLover117]

Hmm, when it’s 3 in the morning and my jumps in my bed and I say “get down” nicely he doesn’t. But when I’m half asleep and yell “get down” he does

[@CoolBeans193]

What about negative words spoken in a positive tone?

[@malinko35]

Dog owners: "yeah, we know"

[@Kiki-ge9wf]

I told my dog to yawn if he knew what I was saying and he yawned then he wagged his tail at me, so then I waited a couple minutes and told him to yawn again if he could understand and he yawned. So then I went and got my mom and told her he knew what I was saying, she didn’t believe me than I told her to watch and I told him to yawn again if he understood me and he did. I never taught him how to yawn or the word yawn.

[@zemtek420]

I would guess my Ruby Doo probably knows at least 500 words.

[@patriciaoffer9585]

They understand everything but, "Don't eat my shoes."

[@zBPS]

“Used dogs that learned how to sit still for 7 minutes” So you would get the dogs with high intelligence naturally, also golden retrievers and border collies are usually smarter then most dogs. This can only be said about certain dogs.

[@rallitas11q]

My cat meows to me and I always tell her sorry that I don't understand her. Lol

[@thewolfofswingthat2035]

Every time I say bathe my dog hides and nothing can convince her to come out

[@akumie6996]

I've noticed that the language is specific for the humans the dog is around most. Like, a new human isn't going to know your dog's body language, just like you're dog isn't going to know the new humans, hence why everyone thinks there dog is special. This is going to sound dumb, but I think dogs are evolving to understand specific human language, behaviours, and tones. Like, most dogs are exposed to the high pitch praises and coos from the second they're born. So of course it's going to become part of they're language. And every dog has it's own personality and stuff. It's amazing when you think about it, and how people can just call animals dumb and stuff. Like, they just don't have the right setup to talk back. But they can bork!

[@josephinetracy1485]

Dogs are crap eating, pee drinking, tapeworm-ridden, walking health hazards with stinky/greasy fur-oil and dangerous toxic dander with a brain the size of a marble, and which are responsible for 28,000 reconstructive surgeries a year in the U.S. alone. No civilized human being should care "what they think."

[@freeone6711]

We needed a scientific study to learn something we have known for generations. WTF!

[@choozlife2419]

"Josh !..."

[@green82929]

I'mm not lying, the small curly whitish blond dog at 1:33 looks identical to my dog Lucy. Twin Lucy, hello! I think we found a dog from Lucy's litter...

[@gamingbaqra588]

Next: Dogs can speak every language ever invented by default, they just like to keep it a secret.

[@truthsmiles]

Dogs understand where I point. It’s a superpower I developed at X-Men School

[@texavery5695]

I wonder if cats are capable of the same thing? Or do cats just not care enough....

[@thebestplayerdead956]

They answer to the tone and sounds of us humans

[@luv2stack]

Wait, so they understand the things I say to my waif in the bedroom?

[@adgefreeman6091]

YEEEEESSSS! MY SOUL NEEDED TO HEAR THIS!

[@johnathandagreat3280]

I figured dogs new with people was talking about when my dog bit a hole through my new socks and I fussed at him he went and hid under the bed and looked ashamed of himself

[@nemo227]

Dogs won't tell us all that they know. Sure, dogs understand many words. Cats can know about words also.

[@InvalidUser_]

Dogs are 5x smarter than cats so I'm not sure

[@nemo227]

@@InvalidUser_ It depends on the dog. I've met some pretty stupid dogs AND cats but maybe it's just their stubbornness?

[@InvalidUser_]

@@nemo227 no I mean scientifically dogs have 5x the neurons

[@nemo227]

@@InvalidUser_ Oh, thanks. I had never thought about counting the neurons. Heck, I probably should have just asked my dog but he's gone now; only his ashes remain and lots and lots of pictures and lots and lots of good memories. We really miss our dogs when they're gone.

[@InvalidUser_]

@@nemo227 I don't know this is hard for you to understand

[@loucipher7782]

no need any silly MRI, you can literally look into their eyes and you know the dogs understood what you're saying dog is the only animal that give off such eye contact to respond back at you

[@KentPetersonmoney]

I always wonder how much dogs understand. Sometimes i talk to my dog wondering how much they understand

[@evacody1249]

I bet more then we know. They just can't talk. I mean really they are more like a human then another animal.

[@MizTheDonGargon]

just ask your dog "wanna go for a walk?" and see what happens. they start going crazy cuz they know exactly what it is you're saying

[@ilikeminecraftgaming9331]

And my dad says dogs can’t understand what we’re saying-wrong!XD

[@Midnyte_Angel]

I have conversations with my dog out I'm she's not much of a conversationalist but she's a great listener

[@wuetend9]

Dogs are with us about 1000 years. They are our back up and last hope.

[@alistairbolden6340]

More like 22-30.000 years. There was a grave site not far from where I live in England that's 22.000 years old from a ruler/king of that time and it had a pet dog in with it in the tomb.

[@wuetend9]

@@alistairbolden6340 🥰☺️🙏 even better sorry for my error.

[@mrshrooms3980]

My dog just told me your v cut is too deep

[@tonyprice9804]

Ole v neck has seen one up close.

[@aranyakm]

They are smarter than we think.

[@Kasperx138]

sometimes my dog knows what I'm gonna do before I even do.

[@user-ez2qd3gu5v]

5000 years with us

[@christianchappell4193]

Why would you put headphones on a dog

[@gigachad9826]

Because they have really sensitive hearings and they didnt want to hurt the dogs' ears

[@alistairbolden6340]

@@gigachad9826 No that is not the reason at all. The headphones are used to talk to the dogs.

[@Verbsdescribeus]

as a dog and cat owner for life, both can understand the tone of the voice and guess what you meant, but words not really...

[@lailaalanna315]

If you think so, you don't know much about your pets..

[@JaneDoe-zz3us]

This is very very true

[@reececartwright7830]

The dog at 3.07 looks like dobby

[@shamparoy3219]

Sit , stay , hear are commands. Only a trained dog can understand

[@ohh_gee1094]

*dogs understand english* erin: tHatS nOT vEgAN

[@upsidedown1986]

That is awesome 👍

[@The_ZeroLine]

Hey, hey. I never said they listened too.

[@Strength_In_Wisdom]

I would say wait instead of sit, are you happy instead of good boy, good boy when he doesn't anything I told him to do and for doing something I told him to do a previous day. I noticed my dog Definitely understoody body language. Anytime I said good boy, I would pet, him get myself excited because I would be, look him in the eyes. He loved it. He was so happy!! I messed up when I didn't put him on a leash walking him. 😔

[@lailaalanna315]

Omg, what happened to him??