We try different languages and codes to make sure he doesn't know what we're talking about, but he figured out the Dutch, English and German words as well as just saying the first letter. We've really reached a point where we get more confused by what we say to eachother than the dog because we keep trying to formulate it differently.

Use paper and a pen. See if it learns to read.

Also, it's probably not the case that a dog is "constantly listening in", as if your conversations are particularly worthy of clandestine snooping. Dogs have good hearing and can easily pick up known words, which activate their instincts for certain basic desires, such as food, walks, and forests.

Agreed, I could've phrased that better.

Chickens are the obvious answer to the false dichotomy of cat vs dog. They don't destroy native birdlife, or consume vast quantities of processed meat. Kill them, and you get free chicken, or don't kill them... eggs come out their arses. You cannot lose.

It's understandable. Human beings have a tendency to force their viewpoints, impressions or feelings on to reality.

Leon makes the best case so far. I have to agree.

Cats know the sound of food being placed in the bowl. My cat knows the sound of my car door when I pull in and it runs to the front door. My cat comes when called too. I sing to my cat and it likes it. My cat also is very nervous about the outdoors, loves to come outside only when someone else is outside. Otherwise its terrified of the yard and would never go wandering off creating public health concerns.
Owners should not be letting cats out at night. its a good way for them to get attacked by a raccoon or hit by a car.

@Leon
https://youtu.be/rvPOaeMxxEI

I wouldn't allow either a cat or a dog to remain unsupervised in the presence of a baby. I think dogs are far more useful critturs than cats, with the obvious exception pointed out by HR, of the way "rafter rabbits" can be turned into a decent sweet and sour. Feral &/or stray cats make excellent fertiliser for fruit trees. Cats have certainly caused a significant amount of ecological damage in Australia.
But dogs have been of far more use to us humans than cats in my opinion.
Not too often are cats seen rounding up the sheep, although cats are useful snake fodder, if too many serpents are a problem. Even if that wascally King Brown kills the cat, as long as the cat gets in one good swipe with a claw, the ants will finish the job.

Probably most problems associated with both species have a human contribution, eg the abused dog, the stray and / or feral cats upsetting my chooks and knocking of native birds and lizards

Is the dangerous pitbull dog responsible for the inbred monstrosity it has become, or the humans who manipulated the breeding and then "trained" it to be such a dangerous dog ?

I also think farmers and pastoralists in Australia should be allowed to shoot and kill any dog or cat they see on their property, or give them a dose of 1080.
I do however make my purchases of bird seed etc for General Gordon and Naughty MeepMeep from the local pet shop that refuses to stock kittens or puppy dogs but directs people seeking these critturs to the local stray dog and cat refuges.
There's no logical consistency in some, or many of my views regarding the way we treat animals.

Living with 1 dog, 2 cats (norweigan forrest cats mentioned above), 2 rabbits and currently at last check 7 gerbils the only real winner is the local petfood shop.
The dog is always my friend, the cats are my friends when they get something out of it, the rabbits are hairy and lazy bbq material to happen and the gerbils are just horny cat teasers.

Dogs are awesome.

Cats suck.

Not to mention dogs are way smarter and actually can be helpful around the house and have vastly more developed social abilities. And they don't literally make their owners crazy or carry disease the way cats do (ones that are seriously bad news for pregnant women too.

I have a highly viscous dog. She curls up on your lap and totally relaxes and sometimes she slows flows off your lap, like maple syrup. We call her liquid dog, and a highly viscous one at that

"Not to mention dogs are way smarter and actually can be helpful around the house and have vastly more developed social abilities. And they don't literally make their owners crazy or carry disease the way cats do (ones that are seriously bad news for pregnant women too."

I find the opposite to be true.

My experience with cats is that they're lazy, mean, and don't want anything to do with people besides being fed and having their shit cleaned up after them.

At first, I thought you were describing corporate bankers.

It's why they are called fat cats.

I hate the shit outta my cat and he hates me too. We are perfect for each other.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008702400909

my cat even learned how to sign up for facebook

Maybe we are thinking about this all wrong...

http://pussingtonpost.com/rosie-the-kitten-keeps-up-with-husky-pups-during-her-first-snow/

what about Cat&Dog v. The Michigan Militia

As a child my neighbors german shepherd would often get out of its fence and attack my parents cats or me. Later I got bit by dogs while delivering newspapers. Never really have been comfortable with them. Also a lot of people have big dogs that like to jump/hump/lick me and while it's endearing to some... i feel like my personal space is violated when i visit homes with dogs. If i started fondlimg every woman that walked in my house I'd be in jail. If you want it great but if it's unwelcome dogs still want to be all up in my face. Ug.

Cats smell, they shit in your house, they throw up everywhere, and their food smells nasty. Cats are also temperamental and stupid. Dogs rarely poop inside, they only throw up when sick, and their food has little to no smell... Dogs also listen to commands and can be told to go away when you want time without them or asked to come to you when you want them. Cats do whatever they want and that is a problem. Cats remind me of women on their period; temperamental, and hard to understand. I have 2 cats by choice of my parents and I never want any more. I hate cats.

I hate cats

My sister had a greyhound called Comet, total failure as a racing dog, the slowest, quietest, laziest dog, rescued from the dog refuge, Excellent family pet dog.

www.mtv.com/news/1957348/dogs-owners-reuniting-videos/

Reasons #1 through 2,458,761,387 why dogs are better than cats.

Dogs sniff out bombs for the military
Dogs will never stop loving you

Cats just wanna be fuzzy and warm
Cats' brains are always in alpha state

Honestly, I don't discriminate. Some of my cats are dolls and some pee on everything. One of my dogs is just a sweet baby and the other chews up everything. I make 'cat games' but I will not deny dogs love. There is always enough love

I think dogs have been, and are of far more practical use to humans than cats. Humans have actively shaped the evolution of dog species. Some scientists suggest that dogs were involved in the development of languages.
In our primitive hunter gatherer tribal societies dogs were important members of tribes, for early warning and protection against predators, often the big wild cats, and at night when the primary sense of humans, sight is compromised. Dogs were also used to hunt. A hunting party needs to be able to communicate, so the theory is that communicating with the canine members of the tribe had importance.

Yes humans shaped the evolution of domesticated cats, but I think cats were a high prestige level pet in most cases, although they had a role in rodent control. And there is the use of the mongoose against serpents.
But I think it's clear that dogs were used far more commonly and in an increasing range of roles compared to cats

It's interesting that some classic villains, notably in the James Bond films, have a pet cat, and cats have been associated with witches. They are given a more scheming, malevolent role or image than dogs, who are usually portrayed as a simple violent tool