Talking To Your Dog

When Pico and I were talking our service dog training class, our instructor told us to talk to our dogs all the time. She said that if we told them what we were doing as we did it, named items and otherwise just talked to them conversationally, they would pick up words and phrases. I did this with Pico and she picked a vocabulary of hundreds of spoken and ASL words and phrases. She knew more ASL than I did because other people used it with her and she had a better memory.

I have done this with my subsequent dogs as well and while they haven't picked up as much vocabulary as Pico, they certainly have picked up quite a bit. Remember that they didn't spend 24 hours a day with me like Pico did as a Service Dog.

Having a large vocabulary isn't just a dog party trick. It allows you and your dog to communicate wants and needs and builds your relationship.