Many people probably wish they could have a conversation with their pet. Although dogs do not speak the same language, dogs do understand certain human expressions.
According to a study conducted by Dalhousie University in Canada, dogs are able to understand an average of 89 words. And the smartest ones respond to more than 200 terms.
The team surveyed 165 dog owners of different breeds to find out what words and phrases they seemed to understand, as well as the canine's breed, age, sex, and training history.
"Our goal was to develop a comprehensive inventory of owner-reported words that their dogs respond to differentially and consistently," researchers Catherine Reeve and Sophie Jacques said in the journal that published the study, Applied Animal Behavior Science.
In addition to their own names, the researchers highlighted a total of 10 words that dogs understand perfectly and respond to most frequently.
The authors of this study included in the “canine vocabulary” only those words or phrases that caused each dog to look up, whine, run, wag its tail, or perform a specific action related to that word.
While the average number of words a dog knows is 89, the study found that the range for some dogs may be higher depending on their breed.
The dog breeds that understand the most words are the Australian Shepherd, the Border Collie, the German Shepherd, the Bichon Frize, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the Chihuahua. On the contrary, the study determined that breeds like Beagle and Boxer have smaller vocabularies.
Researchers say that most dogs know about 100 words, but just because they respond or react to them doesn't mean they can actually understand their meaning.
What probably happens is that dogs associate certain human sounds with specific events that follow those words.
For example, hearing the sound of the word "sit" often triggers a reward, so the puppy knows he must obey to receive his treat.
The scientists add that dogs can also learn to associate specific sounds with other actions after hearing the same pattern over and over again.
"With additional research, our tool could become an efficient, effective and economical instrument to map some of their competencies and perhaps help to early predict each dog's potential for various professions," the team concludes.
