Dogs are the best pets! Not only are they humans’ best friends, but intelligent beings who understand human voice commands and react appropriately to human body language. In fact, according to researchers at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary, dogs do comprehend human communication on a somewhat higher level than it may appear to humans.
In the experiment conducted, a few dogs were trained to lie in an MRI scanner voluntarily. The sound of their trainer’s voice was then played with different kinds of intonation. As a result, the dogs processed the words and tones of voice individually, in different parts of the brain. The research found that the right side of a dog’s brain deals with emotions, and the left side processes meaning.
All About Praising Dogs
Time and again, dogs have been trained to respond to auditory commands. Another study has also shown that canines read some of our emotions. Dogs may associate these two gifts to construe our words—at least in the case of praise. In this regard, their brains are no less than human brains. Let’s see what happened when Hungarian neuroscientists tried tricking dogs –
Researchers said out-of-context words using a praising tone (for example, instead of “good boy!” they said “however”), and the results were astonishing. As per the brain scans taken, the left hemisphere of the brain was not activated, and therefore, the canines were not tricked. This may not necessarily mean that dogs can perceive the exact meaning of all known words, but it does specify that they can tell between words they’ve caught prior and words they haven’t.
Great Listeners, Best Companions
If you are sharing your home with a pet, planning to adopt one, or just an animal lover, you absolutely shouldn’t feel silly for speaking to your four-legged friends. They may not grasp everything you say, but here’s the silver lining – dogs focus their attention on the content of the conversation as well as the underlying emotional tone.
So, go ahead and ask your dog how their day turned out. Remember to say the nicest of things to them to light up their day, especially using a warm tone of voice. Indeed, dogs are an ideal listener, which brings us to our original point, why canines are, indeed, humans’ best pals!
If you have any questions regarding your dog or are looking for a dog daycare, please feel free to call Dog Day Afternoon at 703-779-1333!