I think your dog is exhibiting the fine characteristics of her hearing and smelling capabilities.
I used to think my horse knew when I was looking at her, but I have since reasoned that her eyes are picking up on the slight movement of me/curtain at the windows when I peek at her to see what she is doing.
Animals DO have great senses, but they can also learn so much more from us IF we spend the time with them and give them the attention. My cats all know their own names and come when called. They can be directed to do things and they even exhibit behaviors that show me what they want. I also know their different meow's and usually what they mean by them; happy trill, upset meow or an I'm-hungry-for-canned-food cry. Our dog (passed away in 2000) was the same way, she had different 'noises' that meant different things...and she'd "talk back" to us. She was a wolf hybrid, so maybe she was more vocal than usual.