We have a 4 year old female Autralian Shepherd dog (“Daisy”) who vocalizes a LOT!
She makes an odd-grunting-like sound when satisfies (like when I’m scratching her ears). When she wanst attention, she makes a sort-of drawn out whine-sounds like “heeerree”! When she wants food or water, she will picjk up the bowl and drop it!
Really quite amazing-she seems to want to talk at times. Anyone have a dog like this?
That’s pretty cool. Aussie shepherds are great dogs, if you have the energy to keep up with them.
I don’t have a dog, but my cat can imitate the ‘cricket noise’ that my old cellphone made when the batteries got low. If she could talk, I’d ask her why she doesn’t perfect a Joan Rivers impersonation, since they’re about the same vocal pitch. Then we could get out of this pigpen and go on the road. Fame! Fortune! Groupies! Gourmet cat food! The world would be our shellfish!
This reminds me of a joke the neighbor’s Chihuahua told me:
A potato and a carrot were in the refrigerator. The potato turns to the carrot and says, “Is it cold in here, or is it just me?”
The carrot says, “Holy crap! A talking potato!”
My Pyrenean Shepherd (probably the breed that was the forerunner of the Aussies) vocalizes a bit. When you massage her neck or head she gets the “moanies”. She has a high pitched whine when she is anticipating something good, and a long, drawn out groan when she is settling down to sleep. She also has about 5 pitches of barks, which we hear all too often.
My sister’s Eurasier “Alex” has a remarkable range of vocalizations. Mostly moans/groans/whines, and combinations thereof, and remarkable few actual barks.
Blaze, “talks” all the time. he’s 4 years old also,though the pic is 2+ years old.
he howls,arooroos,barks,growls,groans and generally make a noise for about anything he wants or is trying to tell me if I’m not paying attention.
A good friend of mine has blazes brother, my boss owns an aussie and a woman I work with also owns an aussie, they all talk to some degree,but mine seems to have the biggest mouth. i’m trying to get the 4 dogs together for a picture, none of them look alike colorwise,but they are all the same in stature and coat.
great dogs.
I was talking to an Australian Shepherd a few months ago. He said “Martini, if you see any foxes out there, nail the bastards, but watch out for the cattle 'cos I think some of them are out of their paddocks and might get in the way.”
Oh, wait, you’re talking about dogs. Never mind, carry on. 
Many years ago I worked with someone who had an Aussie and I was pretty impressed with the dog’s intelligence. She had trained it to go to a certain area to have B.M.s and it would go get its own food bowl when it was time to eat. If it had opposable thumbs to work the can opener I’m sure it would have served itself as well. It was a long time ago but I think it talked a little, too.
We had a breeder of Aussies come in a few months ago and I commented on how I was considering one as my next dog, then she told me she sells her puppies for $1500 (her dogs were absolutely beautiful and extremely well-behaved) but I realized I should probably stick with mutts.
My dear sweet Maddie, may she rest in peace underneat the hyacinths, was well known for her recitation of the vowels whilst demanding my company from the opposite side of the fence. She screamed bloody murder and, were there just a few consonants, I’m sure cursed like a sailor. Tulip, her successor as Canine Tech 3, has developed a remarkably similar method of vocalizing her demands. Please keep in mind that there are probably 5 semi regular dogs that live in the front yard (the volunteer security force) and none have ever made such a sound as A E I O UUUU!!!
Though different breeds, the two in question are still athletic brown German bitches.
What up wit dat? as they say.
My ex had a blue heeler that could talk, or at least tried to really, really hard. His specialty was “oh-ga-oh-ga-oh-ga.” One day we came home and he said “Aye-wah-na-go-owt” so we opened the door and he ran outside to do his business. My ex and I practically fell on the floor. God I miss that dog so much.
I have a cat like that. She often scolds me if I walk in the door late (very loud and unappy meows), sings to herself while she’s eating (it’s like a little hum of happiness), and will even sass back if she’s been yelled at for misbehaving (one sharp MEOW!. which I’m sure translates to “sez you!” or possibly even “up yours”).
My sister’s cat says “Hello?” when he’s feeling lonely and checking to see if there’s anyone home to entertain him. It’s downright creepy.
My uncle always had Australian Shepherds. The best of the lot, though, was Tex. Uncle had him trained to move the cattle, so that all uncle would have to say is, “Move 'em, Tex” and Tex would run into the lot and move all the cattle to the gate. He also had him trained such that, if uncle said, “Hold 'em, Tex.” there was no way you would get within 10 feet of his front door. Good natured, friendly dog, but if he was told to 'hold ‘em’, it didn’t matter who you were or how well he knew you, you would not get near the porch on threat of biting.
The dog we have is a whiner. He whines quite a bit for seemingly no reason, but is good about using a different whine when he needs our attention. He also grunts and moans his approval when you are scratching his ears just right. However, for communication, he’s more paws on. If he wants to be petted, he’ll walk up and start petting my leg with his forepaw, or put his nose under my hand and toss his nose upward, causing my hand to move on top of his head, then shaking his head back and forth until I start petting. If he wants to go out, he’ll stand between me and the door, then glance back and forth between me and the door until I let him out. Same with his food dish. If he wants food, he’ll stand between me and the kitchen and glance between back and forth between me and the kitchen until he gets some food.
Quincy ,my beagle, has various growls and barks he uses. When he wants to be covered on the couch he has a little woof. When he wants me to follow him somewhere he has another one. I can tell how badly he wants to go to the bathroom by the degree of open the door bark.
When I find a hole in the park I think might be interested in ,he will snort the sniff out and give me a attitude of showing my complete incompetence ,if it does not need sniffing.
The problem with having a talking dog is that they will eventually get so conversant that you realize that they are dumb as a doorknocker. Regular dogs get the benefit of the doubt.
My little mutt, which we think is part Keeshund, does a lot of what you describe. If she wants food, she picks her bowl up and runs around with it. In the morning when she decides we have slept enough she has this annoying little whine. Also she uses that whine when her toys are under the couch or any other place where she can’t get them. She also has this little whistle she makes while exhaling, when she is frustrated. Also when I am playing with her, it’s very easy to get her to growl, I growl, and she growls back. The dog has a distinct “I’m bothered let me in” bark, and when playing with other dogs a “look how important I am” type bark. She is very loud bark for her size.
Our Flyball team boasts a splendid Aussie with a distinct vocalization she uses when her owner/handler turns her back: a repeated and very loud “aah-ah”, with a bit of an “m” sound starting each syllable.
Granted she’s not the only dog with a bit of separation anxiety on the playing field, but she’s the only one who actually yells, “MOMMA! MOMMA!”
my Australian shepard haven always talks to me and find it kinda weird I usually know exactly what she is whining about but sometimes it just drives me crazy… but I wouldn’t want it any other way…she’s a year old and is so happy. my vet says it’s cause she is talking to me…:)she soes the grunting thing big time to when I scratch her.
I had a Siamese cat whose only vocalization was a constant “Mah-owww”. So we named her … “Mao”.
Present Occupant Cat either accepts or declines having the door opened for him by saying, “Owwwt” or “Nahhhh”. If denied a second can of Fancy Feast, he grumps to himself, “ah-wah-wah-wah-wah”. I interpret that as, “Ah go fuck yourself”.
An uncle had a half-dachshund/half-collie named Rebel. One morning, my uncle came into the living room. Rebel was looking at the closed drapes. Rebel said, ‘Schnoe!’ My uncle opened the drapes, and it had snowed overnight. 
I have a Norfolk Terrier/Poodle cross tha is extremely vocal. He grunts happily when you scratch his ears, growls grumpily when Big Dig is bugging him and does this barely audible whine when he is being ignored.
My dog would go to the door, sit, and look hopeful when he wanted to go out. We tried to tell him to say something so we would notice him, but he never did.