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In reply to the discussion: What is your favorite dog breed and why? [View all]wnylib
(21,343 posts)He learned spelled words, understood normal conversational language, picked up new word and phrase meanings from context with other words. It was downright spooky, sometimes.
When I was a teen, my family had a black lab/border collie mix. That dog also had a remarkable vocabulary of spoken and spelled words. There was a mom and pop corner store on our street. If that dog heard someone say, "I'm going to the s.t.o.r.e. Want anything?" the dog grabbed his leash and carried it to the person who had spoken. Knew everyone's name. Watched TV and barked at injustice, like scenes of somebody getting beat up. He tried to herd kids playing and would get between them to stop normal wrestling play. He did learn not to interfere with their play, sort of. Still tried, but stopped when told, "No, no."
Laddie had only a passing interest in TV. Did not try herding kids, except the time in the OP when there was a real danger. He acted from judgment as well as instinct. Also had more nuanced perception of situations and language than my family's dog.