Can my dog understand me? | James May Q&A (Ep 34) | Head Squeeze

Sit, Fetch, Lie Down! James May answers Luke from Durham Johnston Comprehensive's question on whether dogs can understand humans.

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[EQuivalentTube]

If you hunch over the phone and read your contact list in an angry voice, I'm certain, that anyone will become anxious and back away.

[ChrisMarrou]

Not only could Rico understand 200 words, he could do it in German! Ausgezeichnet!

[EinarEle]

My dog watched this video with combination of disdain and hurt.

[ahmetcantasci]

when he says "under(stand)", i'm expecting him to say "understeer" :)

[Dave-ylrf]

As soon as im finished with this video im gonna go and hug my dog <3

[denverag]

I have a standard poodle, named captain slow(he has bugged eyes because of a fight when he was a puppy), he also goes by Bentley, and i will often utter phrases to him, knowing that he doesnt understand a word i'm saying, but every once in a while he'll get it right, like just the other day, i "asked" him a question i never had before, directly, or in similar context "do you want to go downstairs" and he cocked his head and trotted over to the stairs and headed down, which, up the that point he rarely had the need or desire to use because there was nothing for him down there and the floors were all hard rough concrete, but now after setting up my "dog cave" with 4 monitors and a comfy easy chair just for him, is a hot spot frequented by both of us. I was so surprised by this coincidence that i probably cocked my head in much the same way he did.

[mtonkinson]

Jame's May is by far the best thing on Head Squeeze! Always come back here for the video and the extras. Love it!

[shananagans]

I love these head squeeze videos. They are always good to learn something or at least get you thinking. It's also clear that James enjoys learning & sharing that with others.

[chilcottjack]

my dog (who has sadly passed away) pippin, she could open doors cupboards and even ring the door bell. i could speak to her and she would know what i was on about like, "pippin go and say hi to john ( the next door neighbor) and she would open the back door and bark at the fence until he come out then john would come over the fence and pippin would talk to him if you know what i mean in dog language, arggguuuaaagguuueee, you must know what i mean. she was something special. she was a lercher, i miss her 

[gaetanboiv]

Very entertaining as usual.

Good work.

[skimlines]

omg more James May! My life is complete!!

[Skippy]

I've got both a german shepherd and a beagle/basset cross and the shepherd is as smart as they come. She's like a super computer in dog form.
The beagle/basset cross... also has good qualities...

[Elec-DIY]

It helped to keep the engine valves clean and prevent them from wearing down, nowadays they're made of stronger materials so lead or additives aren't needed.

[johnmurray]

Besides a limited understanding of words, they are also very good at sensing most human emotions.

[drummerboy]

i love the last statement..literally lol'd

[TomMattin]

i got a german shepherd and she remembers items such as 'ball' and it's quite remarkable how you understand them! it's said they have 100 facial expressions that  human can recognise anyway. 

[shananagans]

When I was a psychology student I had a dog That I worked with frequently. She got to where she understood probably 50 basic words. Objects & basic commands she understood well. She understood get Snoopy (stuffed animal) quite well but she never could quite understand more than 1 command & 1 object at a time. She read body language & voice tone very well & despite knowing a fair number of words her primary interaction with me was based on nothing more than basic voice tone & body language

[ganymede]

Although I love my dog, I have a feeling she doesn't really understand me yet still sees me as a friend. She can recognize her name, she also recognizes the name of my other dog but doesn't react to it, which makes me think she can tell their names apart.
Though, as far as objects or actions are concerned- she doesn't seem to understand them too well. She sees me crouching as an invitation to come and get pets, she is completely terrified of water buckets or hoses because of how much she hates getting wet and she can tell the leash means she will be tied and thus, runs from it.

It's kind of bittersweet to know she doesn't really comprehend things that I say or do around her, yet she still has so much love for me.

[Jonconji]

The dog only understanding his or hers name allows me to express myself without being judge and thus cuddling with him/her afterwords with nothing changing

[schmittelt]

Funny. You posted this video just as I was being tasked to puppysit a dog for the weekend. Now I want a dog.