How many of you find yourselfs doing this?

[IronHorse]

My wife and I had a good laugh last night when we realized how often we have begun to actually spell out things when we don't want the dogs to recognize.

The problem is that TBolt has figured out what I am spelling when I tell the wife I need to R-U-N into T-O-W-N.

I told the wife that perhaps we will need to begin to write notes and not let him see them.

[Dixie_Girl]

LOL that is too funny! With my crew, it doesn't matter if I spell it, write it or just think it! They know! Well, okay, it is just about the only time I put shoes on but still!

[Kyrasmom]

No tot mention that they know the difference between "house clothes" and "going out clothes". I can change 50 times into different things to putter around the house in (not that I do) but the second I dress to go out, there's a line in front of the truck...because after all...it's all about them.

 

Maria

[border_collie_crazy]

lol all these people spell things out for there dogs. my question is WHY? does it really matter that they know you are going out? or plan on taking them on a walk? when I go somewhere without my dogs they all run in their kennels and wait for me to close the doors lol

[BigD]

T-R-U-C-K.

 

Do not even THINK the word in my house. Why do I spell it? Because if I don't, Marzipan will take down lamps, kids, walls, drinks, chairs and doors at the slightest mention of the word on her way to the front door.

 

She has left scars on our feet using us for traction on the wood floors.

 

It's not fun.

 

Folks usually don't wear shoes in the house in Hawaii. So when the socks go on, it's the same thing (lamps fall, walls scratched, etc). We keep things very low key (that's another word we have to spell - K E Y S) when we need to G-O somewhere.

 

If we are both leaving, we just tell them to go in their room and they wait for us to close their crate doors. But if one of us has to go without the other (or one of the dogs!), that's when all hell breaks loose!

 

Unfortunately, Marzipan is learning what T-R-U-C-K spells so we might change the word to Ford!!!

 

Denise

[Cheri McDonald]

We tried the spelling thing (I can't begin to tell you how big their spelling vocab is now), the covert signing thing, the wink thing. We have begun to look like baseball coaches giving signals to their batters with all the different hand motions and faces we have.

 

Trust me unless you are using ESP the dogs will figure it out fast.

 

Come to think of it, hubby already says Rob can read my mind, so that won't work either.

[Beth G]

I believe it. These guys don't miss a thing.

[border_collie_crazy]

lol I guess I am just lucky! if my dogs REALLY want to come, at most they turn themselves in a bar across the door, but they are happy to oblige if I ask them to back off. all the dogs I ahave ever had have been like this so I never understood the whole spelling theing lol

[nancy]

We spell. But Fergie has learned b-a-l-l, d-i-n-n-e-r, c-o-c-k-t-a-i-l-s...even t-i-m-e (meaning it's time for dinner).

 

She can also tell time. At 4:30 she's at the cocktail table, "with her bib on". Except on Sunday, when it's 5. She grabs her cloth basketball and tosses it around at exactly 5:30, her dinner time - and her dinner routine. She won't get up until 6 in the summer or 7:30 in the winter. Even if I'm up early for and election day or something. But at exactly the "real" wake-up time, she's on the rug at the foot of the bed, belly in the air, ready to trip us for a belly rub on our way to the bathroom.

 

We've been trying French and Lithuanian.

[BustopherJones]

First word that is always spelled in front of the dogs, until it is time to actually do it: "W-A-L-K". When the word is spoken, the dogs go into a frenzy.

 

Second word that is always spelled in front of the dogs: "C-A-R". Same reason.

 

And we NEVER, NEVER, NEVER actually say the words "Bye-Bye" until we are already out the door; we replaced two screen doors before we learned THAT lesson!

[Maralynn]

Ball is B-A-L-L, or else Miss goes nuts trying to find hers.

 

Problem is, the boy I nanny for loves balls, so his mom is constantly repeating the word, And Miss goes frantic trying to comply

 

Also, if I get ready to go anywhere, Missy follows me around as if she's asking if she can go, too. If I tell her we're going for a ride, she is eager to go out the door, but if I tell her that she needs to stay home, she walks over and lies down in her spot.

 

Edited to add:

She also comes if she hears the pill bottle rattle, and sits and waits for me to pop a pill down her throat!

[Kat's Dogs]

B-E-D is a big one here. Make her go crazy!

 

But also the more common:

P-A-R-K, B-A-L-L, F-R-I-S-B-E-E, W-A-L-K, F-O-O-D and so on!

 

We do a lot of spelling over here.

[Allie+Tess&Kipp]

We have to spell B-A-L-L and G-A-M-E. I also say things like "throwing object" and "yard activity" or "time of the flying items."

 

Other than that, we do not use the word "bunny" or "birdie" unless we want the dogs to run off looking for one. We use "rabbit" and "bird" in normal conversation. Tess goes BERSERK if I say I am going to "feed my fish." We think it is the smell of the fish food. I spell F-I-S-H all the time but she has started to look at me funny when I do that, so I will have to start calling them the swimming things again.

 

Allie + Tess & Kipp

http://weebordercollie.com

[nancy]

The great word here is "squirrel".

 

Does the squirrel want to go get the newspaper?

Is the squirrel going to come get the mail?

Will the squirrel come with us to see Clyde?

 

The only way to get Fergie to do anything when there is low pressure, loud noises, or threat thereof.

[Zoe]

You are all so funny ! We spell stuff too and we also say things in Japanese that he knows in English and vice-versa. But he is getting to be quite bi-lingual

[Shetlander]

Originally posted by Zoe:

You are all so funny ! We spell stuff too and we also say things in Japanese that he knows in English and vice-versa. But he is getting to be quite bi-lingual

These dogs are so smart! With the BC mix we had when I was a kid, we started spelling words but he picked up on that. So we switched to French which worked for a bit, then he also did that bi-lingual thing. So we started spelling the French words. He was beginning to figure those out as well when he died at age 13.

[stangs13]

I spell out BALL, disc, play,everything,lol.The only thing i dont really spell out is food!

[Lunar]

See, I knew Oreo wasn't as bright as "normal" BCs. We had to spell out was W-A-L-K, because that word always caused complete chaos. Oh yeah, and D-I-N-N-E-R.... and C-A-R. Say CAR RIDE and you'd HAVE to give her one or she'd sulk all day. But I don't know if she ever figured out the spelling of any of them. Sometimes I guess it's a good thing to have a slightly dumber dog, lol!

 

Here with Zeeke we say O-U-T as opposed to "out", because that's his magic word. "Dinner" elicits a response, but only in specific context, so that's not a big worry.

[Nik]

Guilty!!! I've had this habit for quite some time because my kids are spaced just far enough apart that by the time one learned to read the other came along. But just last week I spelled something out to DH in front of the dogs and he just gave me this look to die for. He asked my why in this world was I spelling something in front of the dogs, and all I could do was burst out laughing. He caught me off guard w/ that one.

[AWQH]

LOL, I'm so glad we rarely have this problem. When the dogs see we are going away, they all run to the door of our 1 ton, and sit. If we are not taking them, we tell them to "Back off" and then stay. So far this has worked. Hopefully it will continue to, otherwise we'll have to start spelling lol.

 

 

Dianne

 

"50 cows and only 1 dog needed"

[iluvlucy]

my dog is either exceptionally smart or exceptionally dumb(or maybe just young)

 

if i tell her to be a good baby she goes lie down. but she expects to go with daddy when he goes on a trip-he is a truck driver. all in all she is fairly well behaved.

[painted_ponies]

Originally posted by Kyrasmom:

No tot mention that they know the difference between "house clothes" and "going out clothes".

Yep. When I go to the boarding stable, I always take Violet along to visit her "other mother" (the lady who gave her to me) who lives nearby. The minute I put on breeches and riding boots, she's stuck to me like glue until I let her into the truck.

 

Nancy - You have to spell c-o-c-k-t-a-i-l-s? Please don't tell me I'm going to be wrestling Violet for the lime in my G&T one day soon!

[BeezSK]

Originally posted by Cheri McDonald:

Trust me unless you are using ESP the dogs will figure it out fast.

I'm not even sure that works. Freakiest BC moment for me was I am sitting on the couch watching TV and notice Gypsy is looking pretty fluffy and think that I should probably brush her. All of a sudden her ears perk up, she looks at me and then runs down the hallway and under the bed.

I didn't know these things could read minds!!!! :eek:

[bskeeter]

My hubby and I have started to use pig-latin for some our words. You know, taking the first letter of the word, putting it at the end of the word with "ay" at the end. Example: ride = ide-ray, eat-tray, etc. Have to do that with the grandkids too!!!

 

Having the dogs and the grandkids on the same mentally level right now is keeping us old grandparents on our toes.

 

Sometimes I can't understand what DH is saying, but I really like BJ is starting to catch on.

 

How much education is good for a BC anyway???

[shibby]

well i can't say the word cookie or walking or forest or kittie, shibby totally freaks out on these words

 

so i found other words which he doesn't know (yet)

but i'm a afraid that in a few days i'll have to change the walking(which is now 'trippelen') again in something else...

the other words i only say when 'it is the time for it' so that's not a really big problem

 

py only big problem is the 'piep' sound in the dog-toys, if he hears that 'piep' he won't stop until he'd found it. and if the 'piep' is coming from a childrens truck, well than we all have a problem