# Signs of maturity that I hadn't thought of..



## Datun Walnut (Oct 15, 2013)

I guess most signs of maturity in a poo are obvious: the ability to decide where to go to the toilet, Walking without pulling, being able to sit still etc.

One that I never thought of occured a few weeks ago. Poppy now knows that the noises coming from humans mouths is conveying information.
Ok, she follows commands she understands but she has made a bit of leap in listening to things she doesn't understand and trying to make sense of it.

I'll explain: on holiday a couple of weeks ago on holiday we were sitting by the banks of a river throwing a ball in. Poppy would gleefully splash in or swim after it and bring it back. Marion threw the ball behind her away from where Poppy could see. The poor thing was nonplussed. Marion started saying things like 'it's over the there' or 'It's by the trees' etc. Obviously, non of these things are commands that she'd recognise but she stopped and listened to what was being said and you could see the mental effort to understand. Eventually she went off and found it.

I think this might be the last stage of bonding when a dog realises that you are not just a food dispenser and picks up your verbal and body language just as much as you learn your dogs facial expressions and what they mean. How many times do you hear people say: 'it's as if she understands every word you say' or you've realised that a dog has 'smiled' at you when you looked at it?

Having said that, the little monster ignored me completely while walking the other day, so we aren't out the woods yet.


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

Aw, it is lovely! She cocks her head to one side to listen for keywords (like 'hungry')


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

When Rufus loses his ball we use yes and no like hot and cold to help him find it. It works (some of the time).

Clearly one of us, or some of us, must find a way to help these little furry people communicate with us in a better way. Rufus is almost as desperate to talk as he is to understand our speech. I met a man at a dog park in Ottawa who was teaching his dog, can't remember the breed, to use a touch pad. He had some of the rudimentary requests down, walk, food, play and when I met him he was trying to work out a way for the dog to ask for which particular park he wanted to walk in that day. I wish I knew if he'd managed to do it. 

A couple of days ago we drove past a park we'd visited once before. Rufus was desperate to get out but we were in a rush. I need words, or a sign, for "sorry, not this time but we'll make it up to you later."


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## sugerlump (Oct 6, 2012)

when ginger goes out to do her thing, and i sit and wait she get side-tracked very fast. so i will say hurry up or are you done yet.or she will come back and want to go in and i say you did not go yet now go and she will run and go.some times i talk to her and she seems to understand every word,my wife say it is scarey the way she hears things and does things,and she is getting better at it all the time.now they say dogs are color blind but they can tell the difference.i can tell her to get the blue ball or the green ball and she will now how does she do that huh


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

Its one of my favorite things. Cricket is starting to catcch on to some little stuff, but nothing like Lady, I swear she understands so much more than her commands


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

I love this too about my girls. Nina has always done the head cocking even when we aren't talking to her. She listens intently! 

Lola is half human I am convinced of it. She watches tv as you know and I am certain she tries to understand what is being said on TV. She listens to us very carefully and the little cogs are turning behind her deep eyes all the time.


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Kiki talks back - she has a special little grumbly groany squeak and she positively converses - looking into your eyes as she rumbles away tail wagging, pausing for you to respond - the other day I came in late and only realised that the dogs had not been fed becasue Kiki started talking to me as I sat down with a sandwich and looked very intently at me as she did so, it was quite obvious she was saying 'its ok for you - you can get your own food, me I'm starving, no one gave us food - can't get the staff, be a dear and go and fetch our dinner - on asking around neither OH nor men children nor Lizzie had thought to give the furry ones their tea. Inzi and Dot were just resigned to starvation


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

Marzi, I know exactly what you are talking about..Lady talks back too! she will answer questions and everything.


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## sugerlump (Oct 6, 2012)

yes i know just what your talking about ginger talks to us but she yodels .and when my wife talks to her she will sit and listen so patiently i swear i really expect her to talk to her. she knows us better then we know ourselves sometimes..i know one thing she is more like a person every day.i guess that is why they are so wonderfully smart dogs.and more loving then any other dog.just truly great


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Marzi said:


> Kiki talks back - she has a special little grumbly groany squeak and she positively converses - looking into your eyes as she rumbles away tail wagging, pausing for you to respond - the other day I came in late and only realised that the dogs had not been fed becasue Kiki started talking to me as I sat down with a sandwich and looked very intently at me as she did so, it was quite obvious she was saying 'its ok for you - you can get your own food, me I'm starving, no one gave us food - can't get the staff, be a dear and go and fetch our dinner - on asking around neither OH nor men children nor Lizzie had thought to give the furry ones their tea. Inzi and Dot were just resigned to starvation


Yes! Ours do this, it's funny when they shape their lips and mouths to make the lower sounds


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

Just now at the park I told Rufus "this is the last throw, after that we're going to the car." He fetched the ball and ran right past us to jump in. 

Rufus has several words too. His Woooooooooooo might be what you guys are calling a yodel, but he also does a Harunka sound, a happy growl, a snuffle and a louder snort. If I include barks and his hello sneezes that means seven sounds he is using to communicate with. Sign language is a whole different matter. He likely has at least five signs or signals he uses with us to tell us what he wants.


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

What does he want when he harunkas? I love it


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## fairlie (Sep 7, 2013)

I'm having trouble with the phonetics. It is somewhere between harunka and hugacha and it means "I've got the tug toy, now get off the couch and come and play with me."


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

Clever Rufus, he has one word where you used sixteen


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

beginning to feel a bit left out as Dudley doesn't 'talk' to me, unless you count his very demanding bark and he worked that out at a very young age!


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

Dawn we get lots of that  but there are several different types of bark and we're learning about them gradually


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

Ruby grumbles and chatters. She's recently taken to nipping my arm if I'm not paying her enough attention for play time!! 
I can also sing "do the ruby dance" and she goes on her back legs and bounces around the kitchen for a treat!! - I really need to learn to post videos x


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