I have a pupper named Colby. He's a three year old Portuguese water dog and he is so much smarter than he let's on. I genuinely think that he knows exactly what I'm saying. We were going to go out for a walk, so, I had him sit in the spot I trained him to wait in, just before the hallway to the door. As I pick up the leash, I start to say aloud things like, "Wait....what are we doing? Where are we going?" looking confused at him and the leash in my hands. He got on his hind legs and pawed the air urgently in my direction and huffed and stomped in place, I swear, exactly as if he were saying back, "Quit it! You know! You know!"
He's just recently become my dog and before this, he was not paid much attention to. I'm slowly socializing him and training him but at night, just to prevent any accidents, I put him in a kennel right by the front door. Sometimes, he gets a bit excited still and gets needy for attention. About a month ago, I'm sitting at the dining table drawing and I hear my mother down the hall rebuke Colby, telling him to settle. So, he comes to the dining room to be with me, because I may be his daddy but I've got a softer touch than my mother. I wanted to back her play and not fall for his manipulation so I told him in a medium firm voice, "You need to listen better(my mother told him twice to settle down before shooing him from her bedroom)."
I get up to go and get something from my room and when I come out, he is sitting in his training waiting spot, just sitting straight, almost like he was pouting. I felt bad(I told you; this daddy is soft), so I got him to follow me to the table as I sat down to finish my art, encouraging him and petting him. He jumped up on the edge, almost knocking some stuff over, so, I used a voice of displeasure and shoved him down. Then as I watch, he goes walking real slow and melancholy down the shoe hallway to where we keep his kennel by the door. I have never seen a sadder dog walk and it broke my heart. Until he paused in the doorway and looked over his shoulder at me to make sure I was watching! Just like a little kid!
I am convinced now that my little cheese dog is emotionally intelligent and understands English. We go on frequent walks and when we do, I talk to him about all the birds we see, and I identify them for him. I ask him what he might do if he caught one(because he "stalks" them in posture) and I ask him about possible critters he might be smelling when he gets really intense about a scent trail. I don't really do baby talk but I talk to him like a 5 year old kid. His favorite toy is a lambchop doll that he has had forever. He knows her name( "Lambchop") yet always refuses to bring her to me when I ask. It is his favorite thing, to bring her close and for me to lunge to grab her, miss, and make a frustrated sound as he trots away with her in his mouth.
Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)
She can no longer steal my phone but if the song comes on, she will run full speed, knock the phone out of my hand and lay next to it for the entirety of the song. I have also tested this in different formats.....it is in fact the song she loves and I’ve no clue why. I have put it on on my computer and she’s rubbed up against my computer. I recorded a clip of it when I saw them live and brought it home and played it for her, she went nuts and loved all over my phone while it played. My little rocker kitty! 
