And they say dogs don't know what we say, HA!

I am really enjoying this topic so I have to add some of my stories. There are the dogs that read your mind! I can be in the kitchen and decide to use the remote to start my car, before I reach for the key, Toby, our miniature poodle, can be in another room, with a wall between yet he will start to bark. With my Standard Poodle Charley I could just think about going for a walk, even at an odd time during the day and find him in front of the closet door where my walking shoes are kept. Oh and they tell time, especially bed time and nap time. One of our Havanese, Andy, goes and finds my husband and herds him to the couch for their afternoon nap. Mention or think bath, then play find the dogs. I couldn't begin to count how many words, gestures or sounds they understand. Andy loves my friend Elayne. We hadn't seen her for over four years as she doesn't live near us. One day she had planned a visit and about an hour before she arrived I made the mistake of telling him his Auntie Elayne was coming. He sat at the door and cried until she arrived. Another Standard Poodle I had several years ago figured out I didn't like the smell of lawn spray or paint. She usually walked ahead of me on a long retractable leash and would stop and look at me, like don't you want to turn around, if she noticed those odors in the air. I wonder sometimes if dogs are getting smarted or if years ago we just didn't pay them the same type of attention.