I’m fairly certain I’m not the only person who has one-sided conversations with their pet. Dogs are, after all, very good listeners even though they haven’t the foggiest idea what we’re saying most of the time. However, dogs do have the ability to understand our tone of voice and listen to intonation cues in our words to get a general idea of what we’re trying to get across to them. When talking to your dog during training sessions, your tone and intonation make a difference in getting his attention and helping him understand what you want.
How Our Language Is Understood?
Tone of voice reflects the attitude or emotional mood of the person speaking. Intonation is the fluctuation in our words. It can be a little confusing to tell the difference, but they are two different parts of language. When we speak, our tone tells someone how we are feeling – sad, happy, angry, tired, etc. Intonation is how we express our words with the upward or downward movement of sound. An upward intonation is how the voice rises at the end of a sentence. “Way to go!” “Are you hungry?” A downward intonation is how the voice goes down at the end of a sentence. “What is the matter?” I would love to go, but I have to work.”
When making a positive statement, the intonation cue is usually higher to signal that the intent of the sentence means you are happy, excited or pleased. The intonation cues in a negative statement take a lower pitch and reflect sadness, disappointment or bad news. Understanding the difference between the two is important when giving commands to your dog, because he can tell the difference and it can impact his understanding of what you expect from him.
A 2014 study done at the University of Sussex in England found that, like us, canines process verbal and non-verbal parts of speech in different hemispheres of the brain. Elements of language are processed in the left hemisphere, and emotional connotation is processed in the right hemisphere. Researchers point out that the study doesn’t prove dogs have a complete understanding of all the emotional parts of speech, but they do pay attention to what we say and can hear the meaning of human speech and the emotion within it. How we say a command provides canines with a better understanding of what we are trying to convey.
Research done by Dr. Patricia McConnell suggests repeated short sentences work better to increase motor activity to speed a dog up, while long held out continuous ones command a slow or more soothing result to calm him down. If your dog doesn’t seem to understand what a command means, it could be he’s confused because you aren’t saying it in the right tone of voice or with the appropriate intonation cues.
How CANIDAE Treats Can Help Your Dog?
When training your dog, his favorite CANIDAE treat given immediately after complying with a command helps him learn to associate a word with the behavior you want. Intonation cues, along with your body language and tone of voice, give him more information and help him understand the intent of a command. Using a lower tone of voice with commands like sit, down, or stay can help you teach your pet to remain still until released. He understands what you mean by the downward intonation cues. It’s also the voice you want to use when making corrections.
A more excited tone of voice with upward intonation cues works better to get your dog’s attention. Your excitement, reflected in your voice, will get him excited, too. It’s what you want to use when giving praise and teaching more active commands like come, fetch, roll over and heel. It tells your dog he needs to move in order to do what you asked.
A Real Paw Story!
A Border Collie named Chaser can understand 1,000+ words. Chaser’s owner and trainer, John Pilley, discovered she was able to learn the names of her toys and other objects through successive discrimination. During each training session, she played with one object. As she played with a certain toy, it became valuable. Once an object assumed value, it was given a name, hidden, and then she was asked to go find it. It took many hours to train Chaser to learn the words, and would be hard for most dog owners to replicate Pilley’s success. However, canines can figure out the gist of what we want and gather a lot of information from our body language, tone of voice, the rhythm of our voice and intonation of speech.
What your dog hears when you talk to him is his favorite melody – your voice. How you use speech and tone of voice to convey what you want helps him understand. He may not hang on your every word, but he does listen!
Article by Linda Cole, CANIDAE Pet Foods
Photos by Flickr
FAQs
What your dog hears when you talk to him is his favorite melody – your voice. How you use speech and tone of voice to convey what you want helps him understand. He may not hang on your every word, but he does listen!
What does a dog hear when you talk to them? ›
Even though many scientists agree that dogs understand specific words, some believe they don't comprehend full sentences. They feel that saying “trees, birds, grass, walk” invokes the same meaning as, “let's go for a walk”. While the dog may not understand every word in the sentence, he gets “walk”.
Can dogs hear what we're saying? ›
Dogs are renowned for their auditory capacity and their ability to hear words and sounds well, Magyari said, and they are able to differentiate speech sounds.
What words do dogs understand? ›
Most pet parents aren't surprised to learn their pups can understand simple key terms like “treat,” “walk,” and “vet,” but that just scratches the surface of what the canine mind can translate; the average dog can learn an astounding 165 words and some can comprehend as many as 250 words, according to the American ...
Do dogs like getting talked to? ›
Yes! Research published in Animal Cognition found that both puppies and adult dogs are attentive to the high-pitch voice we use with babies and the more even-toned language used with adults. However, dogs do seem to have a slight preference for the child-like talk we often engage them with. All words are heard!
Do dogs like it when you kiss them? ›
It depends. "If the dog has learned to accept kissing on top of the head, then that's fine," says Shojai. "For a new-to-you dog, though, I'd find other more species-appropriate ways to show affection." The truth is that some dogs simply don't like being kissed.
How do you tell a dog you love them in their language? ›
Give human touch. Your dog craves your attention and even just a few minutes of back massage, belly rubs and ear scratches go a long way. Speak to him in quiet, soothing tones. Tell him he's a good boy.
What is kisses in dog language? ›
They Show Affection
Just like you imagine, doggie kisses are also forms of affection. That is, it's affectionate when combined with butt wiggles and other signals of happiness. For example, when you come home after a long day at work, your dog wants to say “Hi Mom!
Do dogs know their name? ›
Do Dogs Know Their Names? Studies have shown that dogs process language in a similar way that humans do, using both sides of their brain to understand body language, tone of voice, and context clues. With this method, dogs can learn many different words, including their own name and various nicknames.
Why do dogs lick you? ›
For them it's a way of grooming, bonding, and expressing themselves. Your dog may lick you to say they love you, to get your attention, to help soothe themselves if they're stressed, to show empathy or because you taste good to them!
Yes, your dog knows how much you love him! Dogs and humans have a very special relationship, where dogs have hijacked the human oxytocin bonding pathway normally reserved for our babies. When you stare at your dog, both your oxytocin levels go up, the same as when you pet them and play with them.
What dog has the highest IQ? ›
This list of smartest dog breeds is based on numerous studies done to test the intelligence of dogs.
- Number 5: Golden Retriever.
- Number 4: Australian Shepherd.
- Number 3: Poodle.
- Number 2: German Shepherd.
- Number 1: Border Collie.
Experts in dog behavior believe that, in general, dogs do not like being embraced. However, every dog has a unique personality. Some may dislike hugs more strongly than others, and some may actually adore them. The closest thing our furry family members do to a hug is something referred to as 'standing over'.
Do dogs understand anger? ›
However, dogs excel at emotional intelligence. If you get mad at your dog, they will sense the change in your mood through your body language, tone of voice, and even your scent. Even if they might not remember the exact reason you were mad, they will remember the feeling of you being upset with them.
Do dogs like to hear you talk? ›
People talk to their adult dogs as if they were puppies. We often say the same sweet, nonsensical things to our dogs that we say to our babies—and in almost the same slow, high-pitched voice. Now, scientists have shown that puppies find our pooch-directed speech exciting, whereas older dogs are somewhat indifferent.
Can dogs understand when you talk to them? ›
Dogs tend to be good listeners, and they can have an uncanny knack for knowing exactly how we feel. No wonder they're our best friends! But how much do they really understand about what we're saying or feeling? Research indicates that dogs understand human emotions and words better than we thought.
Do dogs like when you talk to them like a baby? ›
Science backs up that yes, dogs actually enjoy baby talk and are more likely to respond to it. "We don't fully understand why dogs seem to be more sensitive to this way of speaking," Dr. Buzby says. "Maybe it's because dogs communicate amongst themselves with high-pitched barks and yips.
Why do dogs like being talked to? ›
The very same high-pitched, melodic, and emotionally engaging voice that humans instinctively use with babies will catch and hold the attention of your dog—especially if you're using their favorite words (walkies, anyone?)
