It is undoubtedly the dream of everyone who shares their life with a dog. That they could express their desires in simple words. And now it is possible to buy “talking buttons” to give them a voice. Researchers, however, emphasize that our dogs remain mostly sensitive to our body language. Even from a distance…
Dogs are intelligent animals. There is no doubt about that. Over the centuries, they have mainly learned to communicate with their human friends. To the point where some of these humans started to think… that all they are missing is the ability to speak. And from there to imagine a device that would allow our dogs to speak to us, there is only a small step. Which was taken a few months ago.
More and more companies now offer kinds of “talking buttons” designed to literally give our dogs a voice. In a kit – costing around fifteen euros for the simplest ones and up to hundreds for the more advanced ones – several buttons on which you, as a human, can record words like “treat,” “walk,” or “ball.” Everything needed to give your dog the ability – after some training, of course – to clearly express its desires by pressing the corresponding button with its paw.
Dogs Prefer Body Language
The training mentioned is the same as the one you used to teach your dog that when you say “sit,” you expect it to… sit. Operant conditioning or positive reinforcement training, as experts call it. If the dog exhibits the behavior, it is rewarded.
However, veterinarians and other animal behavior specialists remain skeptical. They first point out that dogs, and other animals as well, are skilled at reading our body language – observe how yours rushes to the door even before you have had time to grab its leash – much better than we are aware of. They might seem to understand the concept of talking buttons when in fact they do not. And when some dogs string together several buttons, which some humans interpret as expressing an advanced desire in a series of words, it could be that in reality, the dogs are simply reacting to their human’s body language.
Our Dogs Follow Us, Even on Video
Understanding Pet Communication: What Science Tells Us
Scientists have conducted various studies to learn more about how our pets communicate with us. However, none of these studies have conclusively proven that dogs communicate through these talking buttons. Some dogs may just be intrigued by this new form of interaction.
Ultimately, spending time with your dog and teaching them things using positive reinforcement training should allow you to communicate effectively with them, just like with these gadgets. Your dog primarily pays attention to you and seeks your attention.
A recent study by experts from Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary further confirms this. In the journal Biologia Futura, researchers describe how they observed two trained dogs being able to mimic human actions shown in videos, albeit in two dimensions instead of three like in reality. The dogs faced some difficulties when the video showed a top-down perspective, an angle they are not accustomed to in real life. This still serves as evidence of the remarkable cognitive abilities of our furry companions and an opportunity for us to stay connected with our dogs, even from afar, through video calls.