Puppy's Life

Word Play

Talk it up with your pup!

Puppies thrive on learning. And picking up a shared vocabulary with your puppy is an easy and fun way to start your relationship.

The first spoken word Andy Shattuck noticed Roxy, his Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, react to was “pup-pup.” That was the name her breeder gave all the puppies in the litter. To get her used to her name, Shattuck called her “pup-pup Roxy.”

“Now she goes by both interchangeably,” says Shattuck, of Vancouver, Washington. “But ‘pup-pup’ still seems to have more influence.”

Roxy quickly learned the words “walk,” “park” and “adventures!” — the last Shattuck uses sparingly, he says, because she gets so excited.

“We use it when we go to the beach, hiking, or snowshoeing; all of which are rare compared to the first two [walk and park],” he says. “I like its open-ended meaning [of unknown adventures], and she never knows exactly what that means.”

While body language and facial expressions certainly go a long way toward communicating with our dogs, we should not underestimate vocabulary. Words help convey action as well as emotion, Shattuck says. So how did Roxy and her owner start? Just like many owners and their puppies, Shattuck uses repetition and rewards and ties words such as “walk” to something his puppy enjoys as a way to build his pup’s vocabulary. And since Roxy is eager to learn with Shattuck, they continue to try new words together once she learns a word or phrase.

Another Roxy, this one a Shepherd-spaniel mix in Syracuse, New York, also enjoys learning new words with her owner Laura Ryan. Roxy understands a lot of words, but perhaps Roxy’s most impressive vocabulary involves her toys. Although she has many, Roxy clearly understands each is unique. Relating names with the toys from the time she was a puppy helped Roxy understand which toy was which, and that’s something many owners and their puppies do to learn together.

“Each time we buy a new toy for Roxy, we give it a name,” Ryan explains. “We repeat the name several times on the first day, and then Roxy has it down cold. We can say, ‘get Dino’ or ‘get Kong’ or ‘get Flashy,’ and she will run to her toy basket, pluck out the appropriate toy and drop it at my feet, with the expectation that I’ll throw it for her to catch or chase after. Sometimes, she’ll drop the toy beyond my reach. If I say, ‘too far,’ she’ll go pick it up and drop it closer.”

Sharing a common language brings an added dimension to the relationship—and it works both ways. By learning how to communicate through words, both friends get to grow closer to each other.

“Likewise, when she wants something, she communicates, too, Ryan says. “She’ll stare until she has my attention, then cast her eyes in the direction of whatever she wants me to notice, such as a toy or water dish or whatever. She will also stand still in a precise spot in the dining room to communicate that she needs to go out in the yard.”

Alena Malatesta’s Greyhound, Gabriel, learned the name of his favorite stuffed doll when he was 10 weeks old. Learning vocabulary skills were even more important for him considering he is blind. Being able to communicate through words instead of hand motions has helped build a stronger relationship for the pair. Since he is so keen to communicating through sound, he loves toys that “talk” back.

“The toy talks when you squeeze it,” says Malatesta, of Wilmington, Delaware. “He loves it when I ask, ‘Where is Shrek?’ He [then] runs and gets it. Gabriel, who was just certified as a therapy dog, takes his communication skills on the road too—he enjoys hanging out with his owner and visiting nursing homes.

In addition to the words many pups understand regarding outside activity, toys, or treats, Susanna Wu-Pong’s Greyhound loves to hear what a handsome boy he is.

“He likes any type of sweet talk,” Wu-Pong, of Richmond, Virginia, says. “Any type of communication brings us closer.”