Communicating with Your Dog

I think we’ve all seen the bumper stickers, wall art, and memes that state, “In this House, We Narrate our Dogs Thoughts” and in most homes, we do just that. Each dog has its own personality, attitude, accent, and manner of speaking (in a manner of speaking). A dog can speak in baby talk, have a toddlers vocabulary, speak with the dialect of their homeland (for instance… German Shepherds speak with an overstated German accent, Chihuahua’s with a very heavy Mexican accent, English Bulldogs with a distinct “Cockney” drawl).

We create these dog characters to be overly sensitive, aggressively angry, scholarly, rude, filthy mouthed, low intelligent, or any other number of stereotypical human traits. By assigning a more human personality, and set of mannerisms, to our fur kids… we better relate to them and they become vastly more entertaining. Case example, we know a fella that makes his dog VERY sarcastic… to the point that this gents wife was actually mad at the dog for comments it “made?”. A quick card and box of candy from the offending pooch to his human Mom made things all better. Is that extreme… maybe, but it likely happens in more homes than we could ever imagine.

All of this dog narration, dog voice-over work, creation of human like dog personalities, and giving your dog a back story (like the couple who adopted a kill shelter dog that was picked up in the streets of Memphis, named him Elvis, and swore that he was a homeless blues musician who was simply looking for a meal and a bed when he was picked up by the cops) is the human fix for dogs not being able to communicate in a common language. All dogs have “tells” in their mannerisms and vocal communications that allows their owners to clue in on what they need, want, desire, or whats going on in the dogs world. But that type of signaling is somewhat muted and limited, almost like a bad game of charades. The question becomes, why can’t we find some common language between humans and canines? What does all the barking and whimpering mean? Even more important, why can’t our dogs speak English? Or why can’t we speak dog? Or why can’t we find a dependable and accurate translation guide between our languages? In today’s Dog Blog, we’ll dive into all these subjects and try to plot a course to better understanding exactly what our furry friends are trying to tell us.

Why is my Dog a Dummy?

Let’s get some basic assumptions on the table before we start down the road of what is keeping a dog from having a long & serious talk with you.  Independent scientific research has determined that the average adult dog has the intelligence of a 2 to 3 year old human toddler. This varies by the dog, environment, owners, breed, socialization, and training they are given. There is no such thing as a “dumb dog” there are simply dogs that have an advantage, or are at a disadvantage, due to their upbringing, genetic makeup, instincts, and experiences. Much like human children, the environment and day-to-day happenings of their youth greatly influence their ability to communicate, learn, and socialize.

Breed and ancestry plays a huge role in determining intelligence. Dog breeds that historically have full times jobs (Guard Dogs, Herding Dogs, Rescue Dogs, Companion Dogs) can inherit their abilities from their predecessors. Being part of a breed that has generational training to work in service fields creates a built in ability in some canines to learn faster and learn more. For instance, Hunting Dogs are likely to have the ability to learn/respond to more words and follow simple commands at a higher rate than their contemporaries from other breeds.

Although a dog may have the intelligence of a toddler, their ability to understand the human language is more comparable to a one year old. The average dog can learn and understand up to 165 human words, while exceptional dogs can learn upwards of 200 – 250 words. The most intelligent dogs are the ones that have mastered the mirror and can recognize their own reflection. Think about how many dogs look in the mirror and believe they are looking at a stranger, playmate, or potential intruder. Some dogs even try to find that elusive “other dog” in the mirror. So don’t call your dog dumb, he’s in the 95% of all dogs who think the mirror is simply a cruel trick. Another point of interest is dogs cannot distinguish their own breed in a crowd… however, they can discern themselves from other species (in other words, “A Dog is a Dog” in a dogs eyes… but a cat is never a dog… and a chicken? Come on now… no dog is that dense!)

Scientists also believe that a dog is at the lower end of species intelligence.  However, their desire to please their owners, and their overall love of praise and affection makes them work hard to learn and obey. Repetition of simple actions also will help to motivate your dog and, by the simple repeating of an act, helps to increase their overall intelligence. Take playing fetch, for instance… once a dog has learned the game, it’s nearly impossible to get them to stop playing. Sure, it has a lot to to with the fun, but it also has to do with the easy to follow action, the pleasure they see in their owners, and the attention they receive.  Dogs aren’t complicated, but don’t expect them to even solve math problems or write a novel.

But.. If my Dog can Learn and Respond to Words, Why Can’t they Speak English?

From a mental standpoint, think about the communication skills of a 1 year old. They respond to words, phrases, actions… but their ability to vocalize is very limited. Beyond your Da-Da’s, Ma-Ma’s, and other simple more guttural sounds, they just don’t have the ability to vocalize. Now lets add to that limited scope of intelligence in your dog by considering that their physical make up also makes speaking the human language nearly impossible.

  • Dogs Have Very Limited Vocal Chords – a canine’s range to make sounds is very small. Growls, yelps, whines, barks, they all come from the same basic sound routines. Generations of work to widen that range of sounds would be needed to speak human words.

  • Larynx Positioning – A dogs larynx sits high in the throat, humans have a lower set larynx which produces a wider range and variety of sounds.  In simple terms, dogs historically have not needed words. More guttural sounds, a keen sense of smell, and a more sensitive hearing have made up their ancestral communication style.

  • Shape of a Canine Mouth – The much different design of a dogs mouth limits movement and thus prevents the needed actions to create sounds like “T”, “D”, and other letters. We humans never really recognize the gymnastics our mouth is going through to create the different alphabet sounds. Try making an “M” sound without moving your jaw and lips.

  • Flexible Tongue and Lips – Much like the shape of the mouth, the limited range of motion that a dogs tongue and lips have would severely limit the sounds they could make in conversation.

  • English Is Confusing to Us, Think about the Mind Melt it Must Be for a Dog! – The reason dogs struggle with some commands is that they sound like other words. In a dogs mind, they don’t always get past the beginning sounds of a word. “SIT” and “SET” are not two different words in a dogs head. In the same vein, longer commands are often to much.  “COME HERE” is much harder for a dog to learn than a simple “COME” command.  Consider this fact… infants have the same difficulty early on in life. It’s not till the human auditory cortex develops that the ability to distinguish “sound a like” words forms.

    To prove this point try a simple test with your dog. Try calling their name. Once they respond, try calling them another name or word that is similar. Use the same inflection in your voice and the same volume. You can call your dog “Sammy” and they will look up at you if that’s their name. But you can also call your dog “Sanitarium” or “Samsonite” and they will also look up at you. The key is the first hard sounds… for most dogs, all words with that same hard sound are simply one word. A dogs brain is limited in processing speed, space, and the nuances needed to speak in a complex language. But they do have the ability to learn, recognize, react, and process commands.

The Makeup Of a Dogs Brain is “Different”

With a nose that has about 300 million scent receptors (compared to 6 million in a human nose), a dog devotes a lot of brainpower to smelling stuff, decoding what they are smelling, putting that smelly stuff in categories so it can be easily recognized the next time it’s smelled, and placing a “good/bad” marker on the smell. Up to 30% of a dogs brain is dedicated to smells alone (vs. 3% of a human brain). This is why you should never be angry with or stop the process of a dog stopping every 10 feet on a trail to sniff. Their noses and brains are lighting up like the Times Square Christmas Tree!  If one could “turn off” some of those brain functions for smells and reroute them to speech functions, who knows how much more advanced a dogs ability to remember, mimic, or create words could be.

Dogs brains also are keen to recognize and react to non-verbal cues. If you watch your dog watching you, you’ll see that they are always studying your facial expressions, eye gazes and actions, your hand motions and gestures, and the position of your body when you speak. They are always watching and learning how to respond to what they see… what they hear and vocalize are secondary to smells and reading your actions.

In the same way, dogs use their body language to communicate their feelings, emotions, and what’s going on in their world, back to you. You can watch your dogs face, their tail position, how they stand, and the tone in their barks, to figure out a lot about their mood, intent, attitude, or response to what is happening in the moment. The integration of your body language and theirs is an important part of how they communicate. It also shows the depth of their bond to their people.

The next time you hear a “dog walks into a bar” joke, unless it’s full of “and he smelled” or “and he saw” or “and he acted”… then its exactly what it says it is, just a big joke. Chances are we will never hear a dog speak in a language we can fully understand, we’ll never carry on a meaningful conversation, dog to human, and we’ll never see a dog novelist, a dog auditor, or a dog giving a political stump speech… they just aren’t built that way. But don’t think for a moment that your favorite fur friend isn’t attempting to get you to hear and understand them. They just show it differently… and as the “brains” of this two way friendship, it’s important that we humans take the time to decode their method of communication to us and then respond in a way that is acceptable to them.  The better the two-way communication, the better the bond, the tighter your friendship, and the happier your dog will be.  The next time someone calls a dog “Dumb”… correct them. There is no such thing as a dumb dog, just a stubborn human that hasn’t learned how to communicate with them!

We hope this weeks Dog Blog was as interesting for you to read, as it was for us to research and write. Who knew there was such a deep, mostly hidden, communication connection between dogs and humans? If you enjoyed this blog, we would invite you to check out the list of pet related blogs at this link; www.freddiesplaceanimalhosptial.com/freddiesez.  You’ll find all sorts of topics from medical, to educational, to just plain fun… and every one pet related.

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us, so whatever plans you’re making for the big welcome to Summer… keep your pets in front of mind as you coordinate the plans. Remember that more pets go missing on Holiday than at any other time of the year.  This is due to strangers in the environment, different and odd routines, unusual food and smells, and the noise level of celebrations. Keep your pets safe by creating a “quiet space” in your home that is a safe haven for them in times of stress or noise. Make sure you have your pet microchipped, the information is up to date in the database, and that you have an ID tag on their collar or harness. Nothing would ruin a fun family weekend like having your best fur buddy go missing.

That’s all the news that is news this week from Freddie Central. Here’s to all our friend, fans, and guests, as we hope for a safe week, happy gatherings, lots of fun, good food, pleasant outings… and above all else, make these events Pet Friendly, #FreddieSez!

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