I was asking Tori what toy she wanted to play with one day last week. I sat there as if she was actually going to answer me. Then I thought for a minute and started to count how many words she really did know. So far I know she knows 6 names, the names of each of her toys, window, squirrel, bus walk, out door, trot, not to mention all of her commands, carrot, meatball, leash, and many more. I am actually starting to make a list. What will I do with the list? Don't know. Maybe I'll put it up on the refrigerator with the kids' report cards!
My Goldendoodle Sadie knows a few of her toys by their name and color, as well as many people by their names! I had heard when she was a puppy they can manage around 100 words as far as the actual word plus comprehension...so I set out to teach her as many as I could. It was/is great fun. I would say she has around fifty words mastered. However, if we say "Go get your collar".....or just "collar".....or "where's your collar?" she is easily overwhelmed and confused so she gives up. In that scenario she might get her collar and just go lie on her bed with it~completely adorable and fun!
I like how Eva split hers. Even though Taquito is not a doodle, this shows you the difference in my dogs:
Taquito: carrot, special treat, treat, Tacky, Charley (cousin), Lucy (aunt), Peri (crazy sister)
Peri: come, sit, stay, down, off, go to your bed, ball, toy, crazy dood, leave it, drop it, treat, ready for food?, green beans, carrots, special (aka her liver treats for training!), diddy (DH) and more....
Dr Stanley Coren: "Well, the thing you have to recognise is that dogs are much better at receiving language from us, than they are at communicating their desires and that sort of thing. The average dog can understand, well, upwards of about a hundred and sixty five different words and that's pretty good. And that's an average dog."
I'm not sure how many words Beckett knows, but I do know that he knows about 6 or 7 (at least) toys by name.. if I ask he to get a certain toy he will go get it and bring it to me. They are very smart dogs. I should start counting :)
I find it scary how much they seem to understand. They know all the common commands (sit, come, etc). They go nuts for "walk" and I think Kirby understands when I spell it now too. They know "treat", "ride", "car", and seem to understand "cheese". Last weekend my husband and I were discussing when we would be going to the beach and Kirby got immediately excited so I swear he understands "beach". I wind up spelling so many things so Kirby doesn't get all riled up for nothing :)
My husband and I got our first dog together before we had kids. The dog quickly learned what "let the dog out" meant and would go to the door when she heard it. So we started spelling it. "Did you let the D-O-G O-U-T?"
After about two weeks of that, one night I spelled it out, and the dog got up and stood at the door.
And my husband turned to me in amazement and said,
"This dog can spell !!!!!"
Is it any wonder to any of you that I divorced him? The dog was smarter than he was.