Those of you with pets, do you think that they understand what you say?
I don't just mean by tone of voice: Maggie knows that "you're so cute" and "hello, baby girl" are good things, but I could say (and in fact have said) "you are such a pain in the ass" in the same tone and she wouldn't know the difference. I'm talking about actual words, like walk or treat, or even more complex ideas.
I was thinking about it recently when she once again proved that she knows what I mean when, as she hesitates to eat the remaining food in the bowl, I tell her, "You eat this and then I'll give you more." She almost always will eat what's there, but if I don't immediately take the bowl to get her more, I will see her in the kitchen by the food, looking reproachful. "You said!"
There was a column in the Boston Globe Sunday that touched on this in the context of family code words, and I was most amused by these:
"...my wife and I started referring to them as certain individuals, as in, ‘Is it time for certain individuals to take their evening meal?’ They have cracked all the codes for walks, car trips, etc., and they can spell T-R-E-A-T-S. But one phrase they have never been able to get is certain individuals, and so that has become the established code in our house for the dogs."
“In a house with two active dogs, you cannot say ‘walk the dog’ without causing immediate chaos. So we switch to things dogs are less likely to glom on to, like perambulate the pup. ‘Hey, I’m home! Do the pups need perambulating?’”
Maggie definitely knows some phrases. "Tuck a kitty in a blanket" is one, and specifically for my mother's bed, she knows "blue blanket." (She really likes sleeping in the blue blanket; it seems ordinary to us, but clearly we know nothing.)
The other category has to do with her preference to be the one deciding where to snuggle in: she hates to think that she's following our suggestions. So she'll jump on my bed and hesitate when I lift a blanket for her to go under. But if I say things like "Where would you like to go?" or "It's up to you" or "It's your call," nine times out of ten she heads right under. Just so we're clear who decided.
She also understands the meaning of "no," but does not see how that applies to her. Ever.
I think Rex, like Barkley before him, knows English words and phrases. They both knew "walk" "go to your crate" "do you want a treat" (which would immediately be followed by them sitting nicely and wagging) and I think they know names too. Barkley knew the phrase "clean up crew!" which meant someone dropped food on the floor. Aw, pets. They are such gifts to the world!
ReplyDeleteWhether it's by a combination of words and gestures and tone or words alone, I don't know but I do think they have us totally figured out. It's their one job.
ReplyDeleteI don't actually think my dog understand the words I say. I do think she understands our patterns. Hannah doesn't know what "good girl" means when we're on a walk, but she knows that I'm pleased with her. She doesn't know what "lay down" means, but she knows she's been rewarded for laying down when I say it. It's mostly just tone and pattern.
ReplyDeleteI am convinced the cat understands every word and DGAF.