Have you ever wondered if your dog really understands what you're saying?
Recent studies have shown that dogs catch on a little more than you think. Not only do canines hear what you're saying, but they also process words in a way similar to humans. According to the study published in "Science", dogs use the left hemisphere of their brain to process the words they are hearing, and the right hemisphere of their brain to process the tone that the words were said in. These studies show that dogs may separate what you say from how you say it.
Hungarian scientist Attila Andics claims that dogs are special because "they pay attention to human social signals, including speech." When 13 dogs were studied in an MRI machine, the left hemisphere of their brain reacted to positive and meaningful words, while the right hemisphere reacted to intonation- solidifying the claim that dogs separate what humans say from how they say it.
These studies show that a man's best friend may be smarter than we think! Below, you will see a picture of the 13 dogs that were a part of the study.
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Questions:
1. Do you have a dog? If so, do you think that he or she can understand what you're saying? Why or why not?
2. Do you think other animals process words in a way similar to dogs? If so, which ones? Why?
My Opinion:
I do have a dog, and she seems to understand what we say to her. For example, whenever she hears the word "here," she knows that someone is at our house and immediately starts barking. If someone says "walk", she goes over and stands by the door. I think that cats may have a similar thought process to dogs. I think that all animals are smarter than we think!
Replies
How does your younger dog behave? I do think it takes time to train animals. I think it's difficult at first because the animal needs a chance to get used to you and your tone of voice to be able to understand you. I think it would be cool to do studies on other animals to see how their brains work!
I actually have four dogs. I do believe that they can understand what I am saying. If you ask the if they want to go for a ride or go for a walk, they can understand it and they get super excited. They're not stupid. They understand what you are saying. Maybe not what it means but they can understand if you're angry or happy or sad. They can sense it and hear it in your voice.
I completely agree with you! I think that being able to sense intonation and tone of voice almost shows more intelligence than being able to understand the words themselves. Dogs are very smart and caring animals!
I have a dog, and they are very smart they know when they are in troub;e, so I feel they can understand me. I don't think so lots of people say dogs are smarter than cats, when I tell my cat something, they just sit there.
I definitely agree that cats are smarter than dogs. My dog responds to her name and many nicknames, and my cat doesn't even respond to one name. It would be interesting to do a study on a cat's brain to see how the two animals differ!
I have a dog and I think that she understands the tone of my voice, but I'm not sure that she actually understands my words. When we use a happier tone, she gets all excited even when we are angry. When we use a lower, more of an 'i-am-upset-with-you' tone but have our words be words of praise, she seems to tuck her tail as if we were upset with here. It is like a foreign language. We know what some words mean and they stick with us because they are repeated over and over again. I believe that is the same process with dogs. If we use the same word over and over again, they will associate that word with what they are supposed to do. I think animals process the speech but don't really understand it.
You have a very good point! I agree that dogs definitely understand the tone of our voices, and the studies definitely showed that. I've also experienced talking to my dog in the same tone and getting the same reaction, despite what I'm actually saying. It might still be a mystery to solve!
Indeed i do have a dog, his name is bear and he is annoying at times. I believe he understands more than he is ever giving off not only my words but my emotions, based off the kind of day I was having. then he responds accordingly either trying to comfort or be with me, or leaving me alone and giving me space. I also believe that other animals understand us, most likely more domestic animals simply because they have been around humans so long.
I think it's so cool that dogs are able to pick up emotions. Dogs are very caring animals by nature, and they can even make great friends. I think that because they are able to sense emotions, their perception of the words they are hearing is stronger. Human intonation is often times a reflection of how we are feeling.
Yes, I have two dogs, and I think that they can understand words, including commands. Also, when they're taking too much interest in our chickens, creeping a little too close, my mom just calls out to them to leave the chickens alone, and they stop, knowing exactly what she means. I definitely think that other animals understand words, including horses, who can also understand commands, and words like "treat".
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