Dogs Cannot Understand Human Language, Or Can They?

It has been noticed that well trained dogs easily distinguish many different words. Some dog owners swear that their dog understands the meaning of every word they say. While this is not impossible, it certain seems highly improbably that dogs would understand the meaning of human words.

There is a difference between identifying a word with a particular action and understand the meaning of the word. Training involves teaching the dog to react in a particular manner when given a particular command.

Does the dog actually understand the meaning of the words 'sit-stay' or does he comply merely because he has been taught to react in a particular manner when these words are spoken?

A command given over the intercom will not have the same effect as a command given in person. The dog often relies on contextual cues like our body language to understand the command. A faceless and nameless voice giving instructions is not likely to be obeyed.

There is a huge difference in the way we use language as compared to animals. Humans use language not just to fulfill an objective but just because it attracts the attention of another human being.

A baby points to a ball and calls it a ball not just because it wants the ball. It may do so because this helps the baby get the attention of others.

On the other hand, animals, even the language trained chimpanzees, never progress beyond using language to achieve an object.

A chimpanzee which has been taught to create sentences using computer symbols or sign languages focuses on obtaining food, toys and attention using the language. It does not learn to use language as an end in itself. Language always remains the means to an end.

There is no evidence that they identify that the symbols stand for concepts. For them, the symbols are merely means to an end. On the other hand, humans identify the symbols and their underlying concepts and also understand that they are interrelated.

Dogs respond to their name not because they are aware that they have a name. They respond merely because they understand that we humans expect them to react when we utter what we call their 'name'/

However, dogs still have the capacity to surprise us all with their ability to distinguish different words. Russian speech scientists have concluded that dogs are capable of identifying the distinction between 'a' and 'i' even when attempts were made to confuse them.

The funny thing is that dogs do not identify variation of consonants. Use the command 'fly clown' instead of 'lie down' and your dog will obey. However, they are capable of distinguishing between vowels even when they do not utter vowels themselves.

A generic explanation could be the fact that mammalian ears have been in existence for more than tens of millions of years. On the other hand, human speech is a recent development. It is just 100,000 years old. Only humans have the physical and mental equipment to speak.

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Dog Heat Symptoms Guide

Female dogs mate whenever their dog heat period arrives. This usually happens when the dog is between six to twelve months of age. This particular heating cycle continues until they are two years old. The dog heat symptoms will be observed for as long as 21 days. Pet owners should know when their dogs would go through this stage. This period is much like menstruation in women.

The initial part of the dog heat cycle lasts anywhere from 7 to 10 days. During the first week, your dog will go through some changes and it would show in its personality. In some dogs, the changes are too severe pet owners would easily know that there's something happening. An example of such change is grumpiness. Or it can be too clingy to you.

More often than not, your dog's appetite will change greatly too. Some dogs, as they go through this stage, wouldn't like to touch their food at all. On the other hand, some pets would eat too much. Physically, there would be swelling in your dog's vulva. The vulva can be found in the rear part of your dog. It is the part that opens through the pelvis, and it is positioned under the anus. You would notice blood discharges from this body part. The swelling would also force your pet to tuck its tail between its hind legs. You would frequently find your dog sitting down, guarding its vulva.

During the second week, the dog's ovaries would start to produce eggs to be fertilized. There would be blood discharges from the vulva too, but it would be lighter in color than the previous week. The blood would have a pinkish shade and not as red as it used to be. In this phase, the vulva would also soften. This happens to prepare the dog for penetration. At this point, the dog would flag and wag its tail, a signal that male dogs understand. Male dogs know right then that the female dog is in heat and it is ready for mating.

The third week is the final part of the dog heat cycle. The swelling of the vulva would gradually tone down during this stage. The female dog would slowly be back to its old self too. It would end flirting and it won't exhibit the need to mate anymore. There would be lesser discharges as well, until they fully disappear. However, if mating occurred during the dog heat cycle, there would be a whole set of changes to expect from your pet. If your dog mated during the 21-day dog heat period, it would be pregnant. And that means it would now go through the 63-day period of dog pregnancy.

On the other hand, the resting stage occurs during the end days of the dog heat cycle. It would take another 5 to 11 months before your dog would go through the same dog heat cycle. At this stage, your dog would act normally. It won't be interested in male dogs. You can be sure that it wouldn't mate at all during the rest period.

The dog would go back to what it used to. It will be the joyous dog that really is. It won't be too grumpy nor would it flirt with other dogs anymore. It would eat normally and won't be too clingy to its owner. You should not observe any instance of tail tucking either.

Part 2 - For part two of this article, head on to http://www.guarddogtrainingonline.com where you can also find the shocking truth about dog food allergies and dog treatments.