Study is described as ‘necessary first step’ in discovering if dogs respond to audio from devices – or simply react to cues from humans
It has become a hot-button topic among dog lovers: can humans and canines communicate with each other using a soundboard? Now researchers say they have taken the first steps towards finding out, revealing that dogs trained to use such devices respond to the pre-recorded words just as they do to spoken words.
“Here we show that actually [dogs] do pay attention to the [soundboard] words and they produce appropriate behaviours independently of environmental cues and who produces the word,” said Prof Federico Rossano, of the University of California San Diego, who led the research.
About Author
More Stories
Weatherwatch: How AI could offer faster, affordable weather forecasting
Plastics in everyday objects may disrupt sleep in same way as caffeine, study finds
Giving weight loss jabs could bolster UK economy by £4.5bn a year, study says