He listens to our conversations!
A Little about Chewy
We have a dog. He is a mix between a Chihuahua and a Dachshund, a Chiweenie they call them. His name is Chewy, and he is 9 years old. He was the runt of the pack and has been with us since he was 5-weeks old. For us, he is family, and we treat him like so. Chewy is a smart little guy, and he understands what we talk about. It happened on more than one occasion and here is my proof.
What Not to Say at Home
At least once a week, my family and I enjoy an ice cream treat from the Twistee Treat nearby. Chewy enjoys it, too. Every time we take him along with us, he gets a free pup cup. Unfortunately, we cannot say the name at home because he whines loudly for us to take him. The prohibited words are ice cream, helado, mantecado (we’re bilingual so he understands both English and Spanish), that cold thing, the frozen thing — he associates these words with the delicious sweet treat from Twisty Treat. Therefore, when we consider having ice cream, we dance around the words with either spelling or other related things if we don’t want him to ride along. Of course, we always bring him a pup cup, anyway.
He Is a Nosy Little Guy Too
One night, my son and I wandered outside to take Chewy to do his business before heading to bed. It was a beautiful, clear, starry night with a full moon. So bright and energetic that it caught our attention as soon as we stepped outside. My son and I commented on how beautiful the sky seemed — the glowing stars twinkling and the full moon so bright. We had spent a good 5 minutes out there, so I figured Chewy had completed his business. I searched for him in the yard but did not see him. He was standing next to me, staring at the sky, too.
I thought it was funny that he was staring at the sky and said to him,
“Hey, why are you listening to our conversation?” I said once I got his attention. “Do your business since that is what you came out here to do.”
He then walked towards the grass and did his business.
My son and I stared at each other while laughing. It was as if he really understood what we were talking about.
A Deep Conversation with Chewy
There was another incident that had me questioning myself. Chewy sleeps in our room but in his crate. I tuck him in every night. Believe it or not, he wants his covers over his entire body. Therefore, he will sit in his crate until we come to tuck him in. We never close it, and he sleeps well until about 4 or 5 a.m. when he jumps onto our bed. He snuggles between my husband and me. One night, my husband shifted from his back to his side and Chewy began growling. The shifting around in bed disturbed Chewy’s sleep, and he did not like that. We called him out on it, and he calmed down. But the next night it got worse. His growling was louder and aimed at both my husband and me. After calming him down, we went back to sleep.
The next morning, while I dressed my bed, I had a little chat with Chewy. He was sitting on the floor and stared at me as I said to him. “Good morning Chewy. We need to talk about your behavior these past two nights.”
Pointing towards my bed, I said, “This is Dad’s and mom’s bed. This is not your bed.”
Pointing towards his crate, I continued, “That is your bed. The next time you come to my bed and begin growling, I will pick you up and lock you in your bed. So, if you want to continue sleeping with mom and dad, you must be on your best behavior. No growling. Understood?”
Of course, he did not respond and just stared at me with those beautiful puppy eyes. That night before tucking him into bed (his crate). I said to him, “Remember this morning’s conversation? If you jump on my bed and growl at us when we move, I will grab you and bring you back to your crate and lock it.” I said my goodnight, gave him a kiss and tucked him in.
That night, I heard him, as usual, shake off the covers. Then he jumped on our bed and accommodated himself. When my husband shifted around in bed, I waited for Chewy’s growling, but he did not growl.
“Hm, maybe he didn’t feel it,” I thought, so I shifted around and heard nothing. Not a peep came from Chewy. I placed my hand on him to make sure he was okay. He raised his head but did not make a sound.
It has been about three weeks since this incident. So far, my conversation with Chewy worked, because he has not growled at us in bed ever since. And that, my friends, is why I believe dogs understand our conversations.