Quote: Mara Jessup

I think you might change you mind if you experienced a super intuitive human focused dog. You don't train them as much as they learn in an uncanny manner

They want so much to figured out what you want that they just learn words much like a toddler. Missy learned most of those names in a household that always had 6-10 people coming and going. No effort on our part, no rewards given out. She figured it out.

Exactly right. Thats why I thought it was weird. I never made any attempt to teach her human's names.She knows me , my nephews, my grand dad , Ramiyan and Panneer (guys from our village ).

She does not leave my side and is super sensitive to my scolding her for some reason (which I seldom do) .

She just seems weird in the way she prefers humans to dogs.

In my experience with my own dogs, it is not uncommon at all, though some seem more intuitive than others. One of my dogs, Savanna, had a vocabulary of probably close to a hundred words she recognized. She was very much the way Mara described her Missy. I didn't set out to train her for it, she just picked up on things. I talked to her a lot, told her the names of things (much like you would with a small child), she listened and she learned with no effort on my part.

I hope this part doesn't get me laughed off the board, but I could speak to her in full sentences, and she often understood the concept I was trying to get across. For example, I'm working at my computer, she brings me her ball and deposits it on my desk, obviously an invitation to play. I would say something like, "Sorry, I'm busy right now. Take the ball to Daddy, maybe he'll play with you." She would turn around and do just that, and "Daddy" was at the other end of the house and hadn't said a word to her.

The two I have now are smart and trainable and know several people and objects by name, but I don't have the indefinable connection with them that I had with Savanna. Dogs like that are a special gift and those of us who encounter them in our lives are very lucky.

The dog I have now is much like you both describe. She masters new behaviors in a matter of moments, and can be proofed in the second or third short session. She has an extensive vocabulary with no limitations, and understands concepts, especially multiple behaviors for the same word. I can teach her the name of an object with relative ease.
I guess I misunderstood Mara's comment because all of the dogs we're describing can relate to different types of objects and creatures; I didn't think it was based solely on the ability to recognize different human individuals.
My bad.

My Zasha is like 'Missy' she knows 6 people by name (I can have them in a room together & send her by name to each one) she knows my cat by name & used to know my horse by his name also.(He died recently). I can't even begin to list the names of objects & commands & hand signals that she knows...way too many. She is an exception dog in many ways.

She learns quickly, retains what she learns, can generalize most what she learns instantly(which most dogs can't) & understands much like a young child & problem solves very well.

My male is more like a 'normal' dog..so were most of the other dogs (some smarter then others) I have owned thru the years except one..a mini poodle that I had years ago, she was just like Zasha is.

Sometimes we are lucky enough to have these kinds of special dogs in out lives...sometimes even more then one.

 Quote: Cheri Grissom

I hope this part doesn't get me laughed off the board, but I could speak to her in full sentences, and she often understood the concept I was trying to get across. For example, I'm working at my computer, she brings me her ball and deposits it on my desk, obviously an invitation to play. I would say something like, "Sorry, I'm busy right now. Take the ball to Daddy, maybe he'll play with you." She would turn around and do just that, and "Daddy" was at the other end of the house and hadn't said a word to her.

The two I have now are smart and trainable and know several people and objects by name, but I don't have the indefinable connection with them that I had with Savanna. Dogs like that are a special gift and those of us who encounter them in our lives are very lucky.

I won't laugh - I know exactly what you mean!

Missy was my first dog and she spoiled me, both by her ability and the connection we had. She was an amazing gift. My mom said once, "it's hard to think of her as a dog. Kipp is a dog, but Missy is Missy"

Then poor Kipp had to follow that. He's super smart, learns quick, tries hard and I love him, but he's umm, still a dog. He's taught me how to actually train and live with dogs

 Quote: Anne Jones

Sometimes we are lucky enough to have these kinds of special dogs in out lives...sometimes even more then one.

I truly hope that I will fortunate enough to have another some day!