Springador Puppy

Unfortunately I take issue with dogs not understanding bad tempers - it is extremely bad practice of course but they do understand it.  Two of my rescues understood very well - even slightly raised voices would reduce them to a quivering mess. 

There are always exceptions Pippah..... Generally, bad tempers confuse dogs, especially when training, they can't understand why you are shouting at them for something that appears normal to them, they don't do human emotions.....  

But they very much are affected by human emotions

Agree JVB, a well trained dog is.....

Our latest family member Rosa is still not sure of how to "please" us as we are forever getting the "submission" of her showing us her tummy

we do not think she was a farm dog in her previos life that we we told as she is very much a people dog 

I never understand which human emotions dogs don't do.  Mine do quite a selection including guilt, jealousy, frustration, anger, pleasure - its quite a list - I am not saying they are precisely the same as ours - but I have heard trainers say its not like humans - and my dogs don't get treated like humans but there are definitely similarities. 

Some years ago I remember Monty Roberts the Horsewhisperer saying horses don't understand English but I had a horse reluctant to go in his stable - he escaped and as I recaptured him he jumped onto my foot (he was 18.2 hh! rescued).  He may not have understood "if you don't go in that stable you will be sausage meat" but he went in the stable like a lamb.  Of course it was my tone he understood but......

Rich - I have a little, secondhand, experience of the breed in that a good friend of mine has one - trained as a gundog and I regularly go out picking up with him on a shoot in North Yorkshire.  "Wayward" is the expression that comes to mind!!  Lucy is nicknamed the 'Black Bullet' because if she sees a running bird, she's off like the wind and won't come back until she's completed her mission.  Having previously had a succession of springers, Lucy is probably the best working dog he has owned, although it has taken him almost three years to be able to exercise a reasonable level of control over her.  When not working she gets at least two to three hours of exercise a day - and she needs it!  

I don't mind admitting that I talk to my dog all the time and it never ceases to amaze me just how much of our language they understand. For example, mid morning, she has a whole raw carrot as a snack and all I say to her is 'would Meg like a carrot?' and off she dashes to stand by the fridge awaiting her treat.  On the odd occasion we leave her alone in the house, I simply say to her 'Meg, in your shed' and off she toddles, as good as gold to her cage in the kitchen where she settles down in her bed.  That said, and much to my frustration, she will also demonstrate the 'cockapoo deaf ear syndrome' - especially when I try to call her back on the beach but she's having none of it because there's a far more interesting smell to explore amongst the pebbles!

Dogs like routine don't they? Whether it's the mid-morning carrot or the 2 pm walk it gets fixed in their brain quite quickly. Ours have an early evening chew treat, the terrier never forgets!

Brue - your post made me smile.  We were in Dartmouth in June this year - it was exactly a year since we were there last. At least once during our fortnight's stay, we have lunch in the Bayard's Cove Inn. Meg is allowed in, of course, and the staff now know her and make a big fuss of her (with the odd treat thrown in!).  

We were within about 50-100 yards of the pub when Meg realised where we were going and began to pull on her lead, almost dragging me through the door - talk about excitement - she knew exactly where she was going!  And - as soon as we were inside, she sat down politely and waited - looking around at all the staff - as if to say - "Come on then - where's the treats!!"

I am the first to admit that she is a very greedy dog - but like yours - obviously has an incredible memory!