Can dogs understand us when we talk to them or do they just hear sounds and not words?

Question: Can dogs understand us when we talk to them or do they just hear sounds and not words?
- Keywords:
  dog,
  sound,
  talk
Asked by Adrienne to Andy, Dwaine, Natt, Priya, Tatiana on 23 Jun 2015.
- Tatiana Trantidou answered on 23 Jun 2015:
  
  Hi Adrienne,
  dogs are able to learn around 165 different words, if we train them properly. These words are basic commands, like “sit”, “stay” and so on. Dogs have the learning capacity of a 2-year old toddler, so in a way they are limited to the words they can learn. Nevertheless, dogs are able to understand your feelings while you are talking to them from the tone of your voice. If you sweet talk to them, they won’t understand what you’re saying, but they will understand that you love them and you are happy with them. If you tell them off because they did something bad, they will also understand that you are angry for some reason.

Question: Can dogs understand us when we talk to them or do they just hear sounds and not words?