Every pet owner trains his or her fur-buddy in different ways. This is evident from verbal commands that direct your pet to stay closer to you during walks, or discourage begging for food at the dinner table. Nonverbals, like hand gestures signaling “paw,” also come into play for communication with our beloved fur buddies. But there’s something that people often overlook when it comes to teaching pets new things.
Have you ever been to a foreign country and watched how pet owners operate there compared to the United States? It’s obvious that in France, they speak French to their dogs. Or in Spain, they speak Spanish to their cats. Even in the deaf community sign language is implemented to communicate with their pets! According to the Washington Post, “As of 2016, 35 million U.S. citizens over the age of 18, or more than 15 percent of the adult population, speak a language other than English at home, according to the U.S. census.” With this in mind, it would be reasonable to think that people who are multilingual more than likely speak multiple languages to their pets.
When it comes to dogs especially it is very possible to teach them certain commands in different languages. However, this all depends on the age of the dog when you start, your consistency and patience, and how you present the command. When you ask your pet to perform, they will respond with their body language to let you know whether they are comprehending.
Sophia Pang, an owner of a 3-year-old Golden Retriever named Prince Nori, said it wasn’t difficult training him in Burmese and English. “I alternate between the two languages. I use the same hand gesture or hand signal for the command so it helps him understand that both words mean the same thing.” Despite Burmese being Sophia’s first language she decided to teach Nori English first.
According to ABC Multicultural, “…A border collie called Chaser, featured in a Scientific American article, learned over 1000 [words]– so there is no reason to believe that your pet would not be able to learn words from more than one language.” Speaking more than one language to your pet is not just out of convenience, however. There is a special bond one can develop from teaching their pet their native tongue.
“One thing for sure is I’m very proud of Nori. Speaking in Burmese makes communicating easier for me. I have a stronger bond with him because sometimes it’s hard for me express my emotions in English compared to Burmese.”
Daniella Johnson, an owner of a 1-year-old German Shepard name Kaiser, said it also wasn’t difficult to train her pet in German. German is not Daniella’s first language, but she said when pets are young it’s easier to train them. “You have to correctly train them by not over repeating the word.”
Family pet.com says, “Start using verbal and non-verbal cues when your dog is a puppy. That way, when he or she reaches senior-hood, they’ll still be able to follow your commands if they lose their sight or hearing.” Essentially training a puppy or even a kitten will set them up for the long run for the rest of their lives.
The bond that Daniella has with Kaiser developed from training him in German for not just discipline, but also protection. “Being a single female, I thought it would be a good idea. I wanted to be able to speak to Kaiser in a way that others wouldn’t understand if I felt uneasy when someone was approaching me.” With practice, she works on pronouncing the commands better for her and for Kaiser as well.
So whether you think your dog has selective hearing or that they’re genuinely listening to you in multiple tongues, it’s important to know that it requires some work for your pet to understand you at your desired level of comprehension.