# What language do foreign dogs speak? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 21, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679 "2003-08-21T14:34:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Freiheit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e8c25b/32.png) [@Freiheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freiheit)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/21 "2003-08-21T21:15:06Z")
try [www.bzzzpeek.com](http://www.bzzzpeek.com) for animals in different languages. and somebody answer phase42’s question. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/22 "2003-08-21T21:27:49Z")
Don’t Norwegian dogs go “oofta, oofta”? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/23 "2003-08-21T22:52:21Z")
As far as understanding, my dog responds equally well to “sit” and “sientate!”; “down” and “bajate!”; and “come” and “ven aca!” It wasn’t my goal, but my wife said she got tired of the dog understanding more English than she. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/24 "2003-08-22T00:12:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mipiace \* > \*\*In Italy a dog say Bow bow and you tell him to “Seduto!” > > In Germany you tell your hund to “platz!” > > Of course a dog will respond to whatever language they are used to hearing, the same as a child. And yes, there are multi lingual dogs but to a dog, it isn’t a big deal. It’s the same as asking “want a cookie?” 'Want a biscuit?" both meaning a milk bone…both are English but to the dog they both mean he is getting a treat. He doesn’t know if it is a different language. \*\* I’m thinking that intonation has everything to do with a dogs response to a command. If you talk baby talk to a dog, and actually say ‘come over here so I can rip your tail off’, he’s coming at you with tongue out and tail waving. On the other hand, if you scream viciously ‘I LOVE YOU!’, he’s gone with his tail between his legs. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/25 "2003-08-22T03:44:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phase42 \* > \*\*Aren’t most American police dogs trained in German? I have heard this from police K9 officers. It’s to reduce the likelihood of an American criminal being able to command the dog. \*\* Not any more, from what I’ve heard. The police dogs I’ve encountered (no, not while I was running COPS-style from them) are trained using Czech. Apparently, some criminals learned the German commands. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/26 "2003-08-22T05:19:35Z")
Woof, bloody woof… 😃 Our dog reacts just as well to commands in English (the common language of my wife and I), Chinese (hers), Dutch (mine) and French (where we live). It’s all about intonation, rather than words. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/27 "2003-08-22T05:30:07Z")
I trained one dog of mine to respond to hand signals (along with the verbal command). But this dog could also distinguish between a frisbee, a ball, and a stick, i.e., if you said “Get the frisbee!” she would get the frisbee, always. I hadn’t thought to include hand signals for those words. My son trained another of our dogs to sit, stay, heel in French, as well as English. But he used the more formal–I thought he should have used the familiar, it being a dog. Nonetheless, the dog seemed to follow the instruction given better if it came in French, or maybe my son was just more forceful. ---
**Author:** ![Masuro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Masuro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Masuro)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2003, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/28 "2003-08-22T13:17:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* > \*\*Joe Random: That bit about starting with w being a common theme depends on which languages one selects at random (I slay myself sometimes). Korean, IIRC, uses the expression “bong bong” for “woof woof.” \*\* It’s mung mung. Rhymes with lung (in your body). ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/29 "2003-08-23T15:25:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cicada2003 \* > **But this dog could also distinguish between a frisbee, a ball, and a stick, i.e., if you said “Get the frisbee!” she would get the frisbee, always. I hadn’t thought to include hand signals for those words.** Ours understands the difference between “ball” and “bone” and I think the little thiefs is starting to understand “tomato.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/30 "2003-08-23T17:43:56Z")
Thanks, Masuro! It’s been quite some time since I’ve had to interact with any dogs in Korea. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/31 "2003-08-23T17:44:43Z")
dogs in Korea? fettucini al fido Hi Monty! ---
**Author:** ![Masuro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Masuro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Masuro)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/32 "2003-08-23T22:30:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* > \*\*Thanks, Masuro! It’s been quite some time since I’ve had to interact with any dogs in Korea. \*\* No problem. I hear the expression often because quite a few of the male teachers at my school like ‘mung-mung soup’. I order something different when we go out for lunch together 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Thylacinewas\_taken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@Thylacinewas\_taken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thylacinewas_taken)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/33 "2003-08-24T01:49:27Z")
I haven’t paid much attention to dogs, but cats have about the same accent everywhere I’ve been (Canada, some of Europe). ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/34 "2003-08-24T03:08:10Z")
Masuro: Is that still being served in the city in Korea? I thought the government had a huge eradication program against it back during the Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![Masuro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Masuro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Masuro)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679/35 "2003-08-24T12:43:28Z")
I read a while ago that the government decided dog meat is considered fit for consumption and therefore legal. There are plenty of restaurants that serve dog but none of them actually say ‘dog soup’ on their signs. It’s euphemistically referred to as ‘health soup’ or ‘stamina soup’. These restaurants also serve goat soup or chicken soup. I tried it (the dog soup) a few years ago while visiting Seoul. It was really greasy so I couldn’t eat the soup. I took out the meat and just ate that. It was pretty good. A few days ago I went to a ‘health soup’ restaurant with some other teachers and they ordered dog soup. What they had certainly looked a lot better than what I had in Seoul that time. There are two large dog farms in my village and several other peope raise a few dogs to make extra money. The dogs are sold to the dog truck that comes around now and then. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-language-do-foreign-dogs-speak/196679.md?page=1)