Who says dogs can’t talk?

Most dog owners will tell you their pets understand them and can speak to them in their own special way, but Patches, an Australian sheepdog living in the US, is determined to make himself understood.

So he’s learning English.

As mum Andrea Diaz-Giovanini sits on the couch eating her dinner and trying to coax that elusive “mama” from her son Samuel’s mouth, Patches interprets the situation in the way only a dog can.

If Patches could speak, he would say, “Dude, if you say ‘mama’, she’ll give you what’s on that fork.”

The clever canine is only happy to comply, saying “mama” over and over in dog-speak. And when that doesn’t work, Patches tries “mama” in human-speak.

You’ve got to hear it to believe it: see him in action in the video below, which has gone viral and been viewed nearly 2 million times.

How does your pet communicate with you? And what would they say if they mastered human-speak?