Most dog owners know their pets are always paying attention—but often in ways we don’t realize. Whether we are chatting on the phone, talking to a partner, or simply moving around the house, our pups are quietly gathering information from us all day long.
Recent research found that Gifted Word Learners (GLWs) dogs can learn the names of objects without any direct teaching—just by listening to their owners talk to each other.
Dr. Julie Hunt, a veterinarian for Embrace Pet Insurance, told Newsweek: “Dogs overhear a lot of our language over time, and it is not surprising to think that they start to form associations of words with objects when those words and objects are connected by two people talking to each other rather than talking directly to the dog.”
But outside of picking up their favorite words—such as “walk,” “treat,” or “ball”—what else can a dog learn simply by listening in? Newsweek spoke with canine behaviorist Sarah Rutten, who says that pups absorb far more from us than most people realize.
“On a subtle level, it’s not our words that shape our dog’s behavior, it’s our body language, emotional state and scent. Dogs are always listening, but not in the way we think,” Rutten, based in Queensland, Australia, said.
What Dogs Pick Up Just by Listening In
Below, Rutten breaks down five surprising things dogs learn just from overhearing and observing their owners.
- Your Emotional State, Before You Say a Word: Dogs are masters at reading human body language. Subtle changes in posture, facial tension, breathing and movement tell them whether we are relaxed, stressed, angry or excited, often before we are consciously aware of it ourselves. Rutten said: “People focus on what they’re saying, but dogs are reading how we’re being.”
- How Safe or Unsafe the Environment Feels: When humans feel stressed or anxious, our scent changes. Dogs have incredibly sensitive noses and can detect shifts in body chemistry linked to stress hormones such as cortisol. Over time, they learn to associate certain conversations, tones or situations with changes in how the environment ‘feels’ to them.
- Emotional Patterns Between People: Canines don’t understand arguments in the human sense, but they absolutely pick up on emotional tension between people. Repeated exposure to raised voices, abrupt movements or emotional intensity teaches dogs to anticipate conflict, even if no one is yelling.
- Contextual Meaning of Words, Not Dictionary Definitions: Canines don’t learn language the way humans do, but they are very good at pairing words with outcomes. When certain words consistently occur alongside emotional shifts, routines or actions, dogs start to understand what those words predict, not what they literally mean.
- When You’re About to Change Behavior: Canines are exceptional at noticing tiny changes that signal what is coming next, whether that’s leaving the house, going for a walk, or becoming upset. Conversations that repeatedly precede events teach dogs to anticipate what will happen, sometimes triggering excitement or anxiety long before anything actually changes.
Read the full article here
