# Bayliss speaks! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 2, 2023, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991 "2023-12-02T03:47:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/61 "2023-12-10T00:14:24Z")
Billi is opinionated. I’ve given Bayliss a day off. He seems a little concerned I’m pushing the buttons and modelling them. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/62 "2023-12-10T04:11:17Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Have you ever raised a dog? They learn lots of words you didn’t mean to teach them. Creatively referring to things they like without alerting them is always a family joke. “Arborial rodents” and “Canine municipal green space” were a couple of ours that the dog figured out. Our standard poodle learned “Burger King” which we sometimes took her to (she got 3 hamburgers plain and shared French fries). We had to switch to B K when she learned “Burger King” then finally to “Beta Kappa”. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/63 "2023-12-10T04:42:14Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > > [@TruCelt](#): > > > > Creatively referring to things they like without alerting them is always a family joke. “Arborial rodents” and “Canine municipal green space” were a couple of ours that the dog figured out. > > Our standard poodle learned “Burger King” which we sometimes took her to (she got 3 hamburgers plain and shared French fries). We had to switch to B K when she learned “Burger King” then finally to “Beta Kappa”. When I was a kid, my dad would have a cocktail after work; cocktail time included a treat for his dog. It got to the point where my dad and his girlfriend had to start calling them “C oh C’s”, because the dog got too excited when he heard about cocktails. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/64 "2023-12-10T05:06:12Z")
I dare say Bayliss knows 50 or 60 words. I can say a certain toy and he’ll go get it. I can say go get the kids. Or the little dogs. They don’t always listen to him, but he’ll go to them. He understands 10 to 12 hand signals. He can be obstinate when he wants to, but I know he gets what I’m asking. He also has meaningful woofs and yips. He’s trying his best to teach me what they mean. I need buttons more than him. Hmmm? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/65 "2023-12-10T05:15:04Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I can say a certain toy and he’ll go get it. If you name a specific toy from among several, and he goes and gets the right one, that’s pretty impressive. Not all dogs can do that. It’s considered a sign of high canine intelligence, especially if there are a lot of different toys. Anyway, regardless of the outcome of this particular experiment in canine education, the nice thing about this thread is that I get to hear more about Bayliss, which is always a treat! 🐕 ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/66 "2023-12-10T06:00:24Z")
Yes. He picks particular toys out. Funny thing is he doesn’t really like toys. They are mostly the Chihuahuas toys. He’ll go get my shoes for me. Sometimes they match. 😊 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/67 "2023-12-10T09:42:19Z")
Hmm. That makes me wonder if would be good to try and take advantage of the words he already knows and use them as his buttons. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/68 "2023-12-10T10:18:13Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > He’ll go get my shoes for me. Sometimes they match. Don’t entirely blame Bayliss if they don’t! 🙂 Dogs have more limited colour perception than we do, although contrary to popular myth, they definitely do NOT see the world in black and white. Their eyes, like ours, have cones for colour perception, but only two types, for yellow and blue, as compared to the three that we have for full-spectrum colour. So they’re partially colour-blind, having what’s called yellow-blue dichromatic vision. They can distinguish some colours but not others. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/69 "2023-12-10T13:45:26Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > He’ll go get my shoes for me. Sometimes they match. Will he respond to words from others or is it a bond between you and Bayliss? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/70 "2023-12-10T14:57:37Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > > [@OldGuy](#): > > > > > [@TruCelt](#): > > > > > > Creatively referring to things they like without alerting them is always a family joke. “Arborial rodents” and “Canine municipal green space” were a couple of ours that the dog figured out. > > > > Our standard poodle learned “Burger King” which we sometimes took her to (she got 3 hamburgers plain and shared French fries). We had to switch to B K when she learned “Burger King” then finally to “Beta Kappa”. > > When I was a kid, my dad would have a cocktail after work; cocktail time included a treat for his dog. > > It got to the point where my dad and his girlfriend had to start calling them “C oh C’s”, because the dog got too excited when he heard about cocktails. I’ve known more than one dog who learned how to spell “b i s c u i t”. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/71 "2023-12-10T16:14:35Z")
He does. The kids test his “go get ?? Toy” all the time. Mid-dau says “Bayliss, time for outside, go get the little dogs” and he would go round them up. Here’s where it’s gotten strange, now he _woofs_ a certain sound and the little dogs come. The student is now teaching. The littles are learning. We’ve learned what that _woof_ means. I wonder what sound he’ll make to call the kids? I know it’s coming. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/72 "2023-12-10T16:25:11Z")
Thanks. We could learn a lot by observing our animals more closely. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/73 "2023-12-10T16:40:43Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > We could learn a lot by observing our animals more closely. My mom used to say “Animals talk to us, if we know how to listen.” ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/74 "2023-12-10T16:41:50Z")
I’d be afraid to know what my cat is ‘thinking’. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/75 "2023-12-10T16:50:20Z")
Me too. It’s a near thing, around here. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/76 "2023-12-10T16:55:38Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > At 3am we didn’t appreciate _treat_ so much. But now you know he gets hungry during the night. Is he the type of dog that you could leave some kibble out for him? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2023, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/77 "2023-12-10T19:11:21Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > I’d be afraid to know what my cat is ‘thinking’. I think they wonder what flavour we are. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2023, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/78 "2023-12-11T00:39:32Z")
> [@Average Cat](#): > > I want to kill. I mean, I wanna kill. Kill. I wanna, I wanna see, I wanna see blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. I mean kill, Kill, KILL, KILL ` ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2024, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/79 "2024-01-11T23:10:52Z")
Well, we have a new update. A paradigm shift, if you will. Bayliss is doing the buttons well. We laid off the late night _testing_ my last nerve by pushing the treat button excessively. Now, I model treat. Walk in the kitchen a get the treats. He pushes _love you, treat_. I give the treat. He then walks to the button and puts the treat right by the button and gives me stink eye til I come over and push the treat button with my toe. Then he eats it. He’s clearly smarter than me. The Chihuahuas are using the buttons as well. They’re kinda dense so I have no sense they understand any more than hopping, two paws on the treat button over and over, very excitedly gets them the morsel. Rinse and Repeat. Til I hide the button. One of them has recently transferred his button seizure to the _love you_ button. It worked out for him. So at least he’s kinda learning. The Siamese cats are very interested in the buttons. They’re not likely to touch them. Too many dog cooties. I’m waiting til they start manipulating the Chihuahuas into using the buttons for their nefarious needs. It’s gonna happen. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991/80 "2024-01-13T19:34:04Z")
I was wondering how things were going. The Siamese are no doubt going for world domination. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-speaks/993991.md?page=5)