Do dogs understand English or Spanish?
Andrew Mclaughlin
Updated on January 14, 2026
Dogs do not understand English or any other human-created language. They do understand words (or rather, sounds) in any language. After hearing “sit” many times, the dog associates it with a particular behavior and with some consequences; and will end up sitting more often than not when it hears that sound.
Can dogs understand English and Spanish?
The mind-blowing answer here is that dogs can learn pretty much any language you throw at them. English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, you name it. They can understand commands in two, four, six, ten different languages, if you really want to expand their repertoire.What language is easiest for dogs to understand?
German is a clear, distinctive language for dogs to understand. When giving German commands, you'll say the word in the imperative form, which is concise, distinctive, and easy to learn.Do dogs know when you're speaking a different language?
Our canine pets are such good social learners that they can detect speech and distinguish languages without any explicit training. Just like you, your dog knows when someone is speaking your native tongue or a foreign language, Hungarian researchers reported.What language do dogs know?
The canine ability to comprehend human body language and intonation is amazing. Our dogs know more than just “Sit” or “Stay” or “Walk”. They can learn the meaning of many words and can grasp that meaning even better when we say those words in an appropriate tone.Dogs actually understand what you're saying, study shows
Do dogs think in English?
The Science Behind Dogs Understanding EnglishStudies show that dogs, in fact, do not think in English, because ultimately our doggos are not able to understand English or any other human-created language. However, they are able to understand words (simply, sounds) in any language, including English.