If you happen to have any friends or family members that aren’t quite as enthusiastic about the canine kind as you are, they may think it’s silly when you talk to your dog or interpret what he or she is “saying.”
But as it turns out, we humans really are pretty proficient at decoding what are dogs are trying to tell us!
According to a story by Daily Mail, our four-legged friends know how to talk to us – especially the ladies! In the cited study, 65% of women were able to accurately interpret the dog’s communication, compared to 45% of men. The article reports that scientists from Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary surmise that this is due to a woman’s “higher emotional sensitivity.”
Unsurprisingly, pup parents were better at decoding dog language than non-dog owners. And while 81% of human subjects knew what a “play growl” sounded like, less people were able to identify food guarding sounds, which is a bit concerning. The article also notes that, “Friendly dogs produced a larger number of shorter, less separated growls, the research showed.”
Anyone who lives with a dog will tell you that they can interpret his or her barks, rumbles, whimpers, mannerisms, and even facial expressions; but if you know someone who is skeptical that canines are conversationalists, here’s some science to back you up!
So I guess the real question is this: are we just that good at speaking “dog,” or are our pooches experts at communicating with us? You decide!
(h/t: Daily Mail)
