I adopted an older obese dog many years ago that seemed to understand hundreds of words, including the brand names of junk food. He would listen closely to human conversations. For example if someone mentioned socks, shoes, leash, walk or synonyms of those he would immediately go wait by the door for a walk.
Dogs can pick up on a lot of human things that aren't spoken; they're actually very good at body language. That and their ability to eat starch/more omnivorous diets are probably the biggest differences between them and wolves.
I once visited a wolf rescue where a wolf pup was being raised in a pen with two Great Pyrenees puppies (to socialize it with them). The biggest behavioral difference I noticed between the two was that while the wolf was willing to be (and perhaps even enjoyed being) pet and handled, it absolutely did not care that we were in the pen. It wandered off after a few moments checking out the new visitors, whereas the puppies (being puppies) wouldn't leave us alone.
There is nothing in this world like a Great Pyrenees puppy at about 8 months. They're SO big, but SO dumb and cuddly. They're the perfect thing, and the embodiment of joy.
