But if I say to my mom, "Anya put her O-C-T-O-P-U-S in the water again," it doesn't result in the toy being thrown the way "Anya, octopus!" does. She has no context for the spelled-out version.

I imagine they will all eventually learn T-R-E-A-T, though. I spell it as if I'm not going to give them any and then cave and feed them pretty often.