Dogs’ ability to understand and use language appears to be more sophisticated than previously thought. Members of the Comparative Cognition Laboratory at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have discovered that dogs, trained to communicate through sound buttons, can make combinations of two words to express their needs. Specialists sense that these choices are intentional, not casual, and go beyond a simple imitation of their owners.
The researchers studied the behavior of 152 trained dogs for 21 months. They captured around 260,000 keystrokes in loudspeakers with different designs. About 195,000 of these were done by animals. Data were collected in real time via the FluentPet mobile application.
The team used advanced statistical methods and computer simulations to find common usage patterns. The intention was to determine whether the button combinations were serendipitous, imitative, or premeditated. The results showed that a significant part of the sequences were far from random.
The scientists also ruled out that the dogs’ behavior corresponds to a process of imitation of their masters. They admit that both groups learned the language under similar circumstances, but their choices were notably different. Dogs, for example, showed a much lower preference for expressions of affection compared to humans. The conclusions suggest that these animals They can establish intentional communication mechanisms.
Federico Rossano, associate professor of cognitive science at UC San Diego and lead author, says, “This is the first scientific study to look at how dogs actually use soundboards. It has been revealed that these pets press buttons on purpose to express their wants and needs, not just to imitate their owners. When you combine two buttons, they don’t do it randomly. [Su comportamiento] appears to reflect specific requests.”
Dogs Combine Words to Communicate Essential Needs
The canines most frequently selected words like “out,” “prize,” “game,” and “bath.” The trend assumes that preferences are related to basic needs, according to the document published in the magazine Scientific Reports. The authors emphasize the ability of animals to compose puns that express abstract ideas. “Combinations such as ‘outside+bath’ or ‘food+water’ were used significantly and occurred more frequently than expected by chance,” they indicate.
Rossano acknowledges that canines have learned to communicate some of these needs through different methods. Despite this, he maintains that “the use of sound panels could allow for more accurate communicationimprove the company and strengthen the bond with its owners.”
The authors say that the study provides evidence about the voluntary expression capabilities of dogs. However, they accept that it is necessary to expand the research. In the future, they will explore whether these animals are capable of using buttons to refer to past situations or events that are yet to come. They will investigate whether canines really have abilities to communicate, with deliberate combinations of words to form concepts for which they do not have specific words.
“We want to know if these domesticated animals can use these soundboards to express ideas that go beyond their immediate needs. If they can, it would drastically change the way we think about animal intelligence, cognition and communication,” concludes Federico.
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