Studies show dogs know exactly what you’re saying
Researchers in Budapest have found man’s best friend processes information in the same way we do, through a combination of tone, words and body language.
The study at Hungarian educational institution, Eötvös Loránd University, saw researchers train dogs to sit still in an MRI scanner while their brain activity was monitored.
While in the MRI, dogs listened to different combinations of words as well as tones that indicated praise or neutrality. And the results, published in Science, were fascinating.
The study found dogs process both the vocabulary and the intonation of the word they found, much in the same way that humans do. The left hemisphere of dog’s brains typically dealt with vocabulary, while the right hemisphere dealt with intonation.
The study’s lead author Attila Andics said in a press release, “This shows… that dogs not only separate what we say from how we say it, but also that they can combine the two for a correct interpretation of what those words really meant.”
What’s your take? Do you think your dog understands what you’re saying?
Let us know in the comments.
Video credit: YouTube / Family Dog Project
Image: Getty