What a dog knows

Observing Marley on a daily basis, I often wonder just how much a dog truly understands. It could be more than I realize. When I look at him closely, I see a light in his eyes that tells me there is a certain intelligence present. I know it's different than human intelligence, but it's real. Our brains are primarily wired for language - speaking, reading, writing and the reasoning skills that developed along with language. Dogs' brains are primarily wired for smell.

What do I know about what a dog knows? I know a few things about what Marley knows:

• He knows and responds to his name. He knows my name and who Debbie is, both by name and if I say "momma." When Debbie calls out, "Lewis!," Marley knows he better behave.
• He knows and (often) responds to commands - come, sit, stay, down (lay down), off (get off me, get off the furniture), heel, go, etc.
• He knows he's a good dog and a good boy - I tell him all the time.
• He knows where in the apartment he is allowed and not allowed to go. We have a gate to keep him out of the kitchen, in case he forgets or gets bold.
• He knows where his bed is.
• He knows Debbie and I love him and he is eager to show his appreciation. I usually pet him first thing in the morning and he signals for me to put a hand between his paws, so he can hold it while licking it. If I bend down, he'll lick my face (dog kisses) for a solid minute.
• He knows when we're getting ready to go out, and knows the difference between me getting ready to go to work and getting ready to take him to the dog run.
• He has a good number of toys and he knows which one he wants to play with at a particular time.
• He knows that if he stays near the kitchen table around dinner time, he has a better than even chance of getting something especially tasty to supplement his regular meal.
• He knows very well where the dog run is and the different ways we take to get there.
• He knows who his dog buddies are. He knows who his human friends are.
• He senses our emotions - he knows if someone is angry or sad and he knows when we're happy.
• He knows that when I pull hard on his leash he better respond right away.
• He knows to run all the way through the intersection when we cross a street.

I don't know how many words Marley knows, but it's probably close to 100. I'm trying to teach him right and left. We'll see how that goes.