With Dogs, It’s What You Say — and How You Say It

Who’s a good dog?

Well, that depends on whom you’re asking, of course. But new research suggests that the next time you look at your pup, whether Maltese or mastiff, you might want to choose your words carefully.

“Both what we say and how we say it matters to dogs,” said Attila Andics, a research fellow at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest.

more…

CrazyNeutrino said:

With Dogs, It’s What You Say — and How You Say It

Who’s a good dog?

Well, that depends on whom you’re asking, of course. But new research suggests that the next time you look at your pup, whether Maltese or mastiff, you might want to choose your words carefully.

“Both what we say and how we say it matters to dogs,” said Attila Andics, a research fellow at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest.

more…

I think how you say it, tone of voice, and facial expressions are what the dog picks up on rather than the actual words used.

bob(from black rock) said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

With Dogs, It’s What You Say — and How You Say It

Who’s a good dog?

Well, that depends on whom you’re asking, of course. But new research suggests that the next time you look at your pup, whether Maltese or mastiff, you might want to choose your words carefully.

“Both what we say and how we say it matters to dogs,” said Attila Andics, a research fellow at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest.

more…

I think how you say it, tone of voice, and facial expressions are what the dog picks up on rather than the actual words used.

Dr. Andics, who studies language and behavior in dogs and humans, along with Adam Miklosi and several other colleagues, reported in a paper to be published in this week’s issue of the journal Science that different parts of dogs’ brains respond to the meaning of a word, and to how the word is said, much as human brains do.

As with people’s brains, parts of dogs’ left hemisphere react to meaning and parts of the right hemisphere to intonation — the emotional content of a sound. And, perhaps most interesting to dog owners, only a word of praise said in a positive tone really made the reward system of a dog’s brain light up.

The experiment itself was something of an achievement. Dr. Andics and his colleagues trained dogs to enter a magnetic resonance imaging machine and lie in a harness while the machine recorded their brain activity.

The positive words spoken in a positive tone prompted strong activity in the brain’s reward centers. All the other conditions resulted in significantly less action, and all at the same level.

In other words, “good boy” said in a neutral tone and “however” said in a positive or neutral tone all got the same response.

What does it all mean? For dog owners, Dr. Andics said, the findings mean that the dogs are paying attention to meaning, and that you should, too.

That doesn’t mean a dog won’t wag its tail and look happy when you say, “You stinky mess” in a happy voice. But the dog is looking at your body language and your eyes, and perhaps starting to infer that “stinky mess” is a word of praise.

bob(from black rock) said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

With Dogs, It’s What You Say — and How You Say It

Who’s a good dog?

Well, that depends on whom you’re asking, of course. But new research suggests that the next time you look at your pup, whether Maltese or mastiff, you might want to choose your words carefully.

“Both what we say and how we say it matters to dogs,” said Attila Andics, a research fellow at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest.

more…

I think how you say it, tone of voice, and facial expressions are what the dog picks up on rather than the actual words used.

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Yes, when the dog farts in the office and business can’t continue for fifteen minutes and you shout OUT then the dog recedes.

yes some dogs can develop a guilty complex after farting

other dogs can get frightened by their own farts

depends

CrazyNeutrino said:

yes some dogs can develop a guilty complex after farting

other dogs can get frightened by their own farts

depends

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Na, my old hound just doesn’t give a shit about rules anymore, I have to remove the odd nugget now in the morning.

there are ways to toilet train dogs

I heard its better to do it when their younger

you tube has toilet training dogs videos

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=+toilet+training+dogs

my sisters boyfriend does not worry about toilet training his dog either

pees everywhere now

I own this, and I own this, I now own this bit, I now own this bit, I own that now, I own this

CrazyNeutrino said:

there are ways to toilet train dogs

I heard its better to do it when their younger

you tube has toilet training dogs videos

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=+toilet+training+dogs

my sisters boyfriend does not worry about toilet training his dog either

pees everywhere now

I own this, and I own this, I now own this bit, I now own this bit, I own that now, I own this

territorial thing or something

but when they do it on the electric heater

OMG the smell is overwhelming

its over for that heater

little larry was a mess when we got him, he’d had a hard (and confusing) life.

engaging him in something nearing doggy play seemed the trick, which initially seemed new to him (coming from a human).

he knows a few words well, walk for one, wee wee etc, and drive.

there’s a few sounds I make when I see foxes, roos, and rabbits, he knows when I make these sounds i’ve spotted something (he might like to chase).

that the obvious words and sounds he knows, which don’t need any tonal emphasis (associations I suppose i’ve developed, or we’ve developed)

there’re other things he reads from not so much words, it is tones (which is related character of breathing), but also something like reading drives/attentions/desires about what you’re doing (doggy instinct stuff it is). Sometimes he initiates these himself, a shift, he makes known he wants to do something. He senses i’m resting, or sleeping for example. He’ll get off the bed and shake, look in my direction, and if that’s not enough he’ll give a gentle nudge with his nose, then turn away as if to say come on.

CrazyNeutrino said:

With Dogs, It’s What You Say — and How You Say It

Who’s a good dog?

Well, that depends on whom you’re asking, of course. But new research suggests that the next time you look at your pup, whether Maltese or mastiff, you might want to choose your words carefully.

“Both what we say and how we say it matters to dogs,” said Attila Andics, a research fellow at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest.

more…

This was on tonight’s Channel 23 (ABC3) news as well.