Talking Spanish to my dog

One of the challenges when learning a new language is finding someone to practise with.

Words only really sink in if you use them lots and lots. I am lucky that I have Lucia (my daughter-in-law) and Julia (my granddaughter) to practise with, but it’s still not really enough.

I needed someone to speak Spanish to every day, so who better than my dog. She is not the brightest spark - they say Labradors are born half-trained and Springer Spaniels die half-trained (and I have a Springer Spaniel). However, provided I have a biscuit in my hand, she’s pretty good with the old Spanish and a lot of dog commands come in handy with grandchildren.

Here are a few phrases and commands:

Ven aquí ... come here

Vamos a una caminata ... we´re going for a walk

Vamos a dar una vuelta ... an alternative to the above. It translates as “we are going to take a turn” and, colloquially, can be used for a walk, a drive, cycle ride or just going out in general.

Ve a tu cesta ... go to your basket

Baja ... down

Encuéntralo ... find it

Tráelo de vuelta ... fetch (literally, bring it back)

No lamer ... no licking

Buena perra ... good dog (my dog is a bitch)

Siéntate ... sit

Sígueme ... heel (literally “follow me”, we are still not sure whether Spanish dogs walk to heel).

Sin jalar ... no pulling. You may see the word “jalar” on a door. If you do, it means “pull” and on the other side of the door, it should say “empujar” which means (you’ve guessed) “push”

Es la hora de la cena ... dinner time

No muerdas .. do not bite (not that she does) or “no muerdas al cartero” (don’t bite the postman, which she would like to do).