Dog Speaks More Than Just a Woof?
Discover the fascinating world of button-trained dog (s) and their ability to understand and respond to human language. We share this article which is an adoption of an article published in science.org. The link is shared at the bottom.
Spend any time on YouTube or Facebook, and you’ve probably stumbled across one of those videos where dogs appear to be “talking” by pawing at buttons. Most of these clips seem a bit too polished to be true: a pooch stomps on “want,” “help,” and “toy,” then trots over to a closet where their favourite frisbee is kept. Or perhaps, after its repeated pawing of “treat” is ignored, the dog presses on a curse word button. These dogs are giving Shakespeare a run for his money! But new research suggests that these button-trained dogs might actually understand some of the words they press.
Researchers conducted two studies to investigate this phenomenon. In the first study, they visited dogs in their homes to observe their behaviour. In the second study, dog owners were roped into conducting tests with their pets themselves. The researchers recorded the animals’ reactions to words, whether spoken by humans or activated through buttons. It didn’t matter whether the word came from a familiar owner or a complete stranger; the dogs frequently responded appropriately. For example, they would scamper towards the door at the sound of the word “outside.”
“Our findings are important because they show that words matter to dogs and that they respond to the words themselves, not just to associated cues,” explained Federico Rossano, who led the research, in a statement. “They really needed to show this,” remarked animal communication researcher Mélissa Berthet to The Guardian. Rossano also highlighted that both studies were pre-registered. This means that the scientific plans were mapped out and published before the studies were conducted, ensuring that the findings weren’t simply cherry-picked from a larger dataset. In other words, no funny business here!
So, does this mean that Waffles the Yorkie genuinely meant it when she called her owner an a–hole? It seems a follow-up study may be needed to answer that. Perhaps we’ll soon be seeing a new wave of doggy diplomats, armed with buttons, ready to articulate the woes of kibble shortages and unreasonably late walks. For now, though, it’s safe to say that while dogs might not be reciting Shakespeare anytime soon, they’re certainly getting their paw in the door of human language!
To read the original story and research click here .