This is nothing to do with Brigitte Macron’s boudoir exploits - it’s for you dog owners. The English always reward their male dogs who have behaved well with an encouraging “That’s a Good Boy !” or similar. But - I know that the French don’t say this . . . . . so what do they say?
My reason for asking is that I have adopted a lovely dog, previously French owned, and he therefore responds to French word commands. But maybe his French is better than mine.
Bon pépère, c’est bien mon loulou- but it’s all about tone so he’ll understand.
4 Likes
Merci, Jane - could it perhaps be just ‘C’est bien !’ ?
1 Like
Lucky you! How / where / who? Pictures?
1 Like
Dogs are bilingual. 
6 Likes
Bon chien, brave chien, etcetc
3 Likes
Indeed they are, I speak to mine in both languages. but then he had previous French owners. 
1 Like
That’s nice of you to ask - it’s because for the first time in my life I have ended up with no dog in the house. Can’t bear it! So I decided to adopt an older dog. I started by asking the Know-All - and straight up was a French site for Roumanian rescue dogs . . . . but everyone said ‘He will do what he’s always done, and just run off’.
That must be true, I thought. So back to the keyboard, and Googled Le Boncoin. They have a big animal section, which includes dog owners who need to re-home a dog for various reasons. On only the 3rd day a beautiful 7-year old pedigree English setter called ‘Paddy’ was advertised by a French couple in Périgueux. With 2 children getting older now, the wife was also working full-time - and the neighbours complained that poor Paddy howled all day. He was becoming very stressed.
So after exchanging info about each other, they drove down - and it was love at first sight !
It has been an extraordinary experience - in truth, Paddy has adopted me just as much as the other way round. He follows me everywhere, and is desperate for love - totally relieved to have a real home at last . . . . and for your delectation and delight - here he is (taking guard duty seriously).
22 Likes
That’s so nice and isn’t he lovely looking!
1 Like
He’s a stunning looking dog and I like his name. What is his temperament like?
1 Like
So are cats. We had 2 French and 1 American cat and they ignored us in any language.
12 Likes
Our dog is trilingual: English, French and Dog.
6 Likes
Oh what a handsome chap, I have had 2 English Setters, both female and both delightful, the 2nd one took to sleeping on the tiles next to my bed so I dragged out an old sleeping bag from somewhere and put it there for her.
It is still there, still crumpled by my feet as I shuffle to my bedside table, 18 months after she laid down quietly by my side in the kitchen, and died.
Just out of interest it has never occurred to me to look beyond SPA or associations, so what was adopting from Le Bon Coin like? Did the owners demand a fee or were they genuinely thinking of their dog’s welfare?
5 Likes
The dogs round here speak French but understand English too.
When I ask any of them, “Whoo’s a good boy? Are you a good boy?”, they always answer, “Ouais! Ouais!”
5 Likes
It takes a while to learn dog. I can distinguish between the various types of bark. I have always assumed that a howl meant distress. However, sometimes our border collie just howls for no apparent reason.
We made a deliberate decision to only communicate in French so that anyone nearby (especially someone with a fear of dogs) would understand what is going on.
2 Likes
Nice comment, David - thank you. I can totally share your empathy with her.
Previously I have had two labs , the female being a gorgeous golden lab/retriever cross. She almost got to her 15th birthday; and like you, when she was fading I put a duvet on the tiles next to my bed for her. . . . . but I went further, because I shared that duvet with her through her last days (or maybe that should be ‘nights’?). Here’s a little photo of her - my lovely ‘Melou’.
11 Likes
Useful to know who are the fashes (as @JohnH and I think of them) on SF.
Who else wants to confess their “far right fantasy” dog ownership?
(Sorry if this offends those who avoid politics: I’ll move it if anyone objects.)
I intended this thread to be about dog language - so you’ve totally lost me, Porridge . . . . . I can’t understand a word you’ve written.
Just one comment though - owning a dog is anything but a ‘fantasy’ !
1 Like
Sorry, @Bosendorfer — it was a joke about a speaker at the Labour Conference who gave what I thought was a silly example to illustrate what she saw as the battleground of the next UK GE: between Labour and a 'far-right fantasy that never existed‘ involving pubs, warm ale and black labradors.
What I find fascinating is not language we use to him, but how we can read what he is trying to say.
I’ve always had dogs. But only since retirement have I spent 24/7 with my (our) dog and have had the time to really get into his details. He has a wide variety of barks for different things, his ear and tail positions also express a lot. And overall body language is very communicative and he uses his paws a lot. His internal clock and programming is also quite precise so he will tell us what should be happening at specific moments of the day
5 Likes