One of my friends refuses to talk to his dog in case it confuses it and it forgets the commands he's taught it...
...on the flip side...
...I ask my dog loads of questions and chat away to it. The most obscure thing I've ever asked Bailey is if he used to be a pirate because his ears picked up at the word 'pirate' once.
He responds well to:
Carrot
Lettuce
DentaStix
Pee'n'Poo
....are you wanting to go to the beach?
....are you wanting your tea?
Cheers,
Grant