How to communicate with dogs

Dogs are special. Every dog owner knows that. And most dog owners feel their dog understands every word they say and every move they make. Research over the last two decades shows dogs really can understand human communication in ways no other species can. But a new study confirms that if you want to train your new puppy, you should be speaking to it in a certain way to maximise the chances that it follows what you’re saying.

There is already quite a lot of research evidence showing that the way we communicate to dogs is different from the way we communicate to other humans. When we talk to dogs, we use what is called “dog directed speech”. This means we change the structure of our sentences, shortening and simplifying them. We also tend to speak with a higher pitch in our voices. We also do this when we are not sure we are understood or when talking to very young infants.

A new study has shown we use an even higher pitch when talking to puppies, and that this tactic really does help the animals to pay attention more. The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, showed that talking to puppies using dog-directed speech makes them react and attend more to their human instructor than regular speech.

To test this, the researchers use so-called “play back” experiments. They made recordings of humans repeating the phrase “Hi! Hello cutie! Who’s a good boy? Come here! Good boy! Yes! Come here sweetie pie! What a good boy!”. Each time, the speaker was asked to look at photos of either puppies, adult dogs, old dogs or at no photos. Analysing the recordings showed the volunteers did change how they spoke to different aged dogs.

The researchers then played the recordings back to several puppies and adult dogs and recorded the animals’ behaviour in response. They found the puppies responded more strongly to the recordings made while the speakers looked at pictures of dogs (the dog-directed speech).

The study didn’t find the same effect applied for adult dogs. But other studies that recorded dogs’ reactions to the human voice in live interactions, including work I have done, have suggested dog-directed speech can be useful for communicating with canines of any age.

Following the point

It’s also been proven (and most dog-owners will tell you) that we can communicate with dogs through physical gestures. From puppy age on, dogs respond to human gestures, such as pointing, in ways other species can not. The test is very simple. Place two identical cups covering small pieces of food in front of your dog, making sure it cannot see the food and doesn’t have any information about the contents of the cups. Now point to one of the two cups while establishing eye contact with your dog. Your dog will follow your gesture to the cup you pointed to and explore the cup, expecting to find something underneath.

This is because your dog understands that your action is an attempt to communicate. This is fascinating because not even human’s closest living relatives, chimpanzees, seem to understand that humans communicate intent in this situation. Nor do wolves – dog’s closest living relatives – even if they are raised like dogs in a human environment.

This has led to the idea that dogs’ skills and behaviours in this area are actually adaptations to the human environment. That means living in close contact with humans for over 30,000 years has led dogs to evolve communication skills that are effectively equal to those of human children.

But there are significant differences in how dogs understand our communication and how children do. The theory is that dogs, unlike children, view human pointing as some kind of mild command, telling them where to go, rather than a way of transferring information. When you point for a child, on the other hand, they will think you are informing them about something.

This ability of dogs to recognise “spatial directives” would be the perfect adaptation to life with humans. For example, dogs have been used for thousands of years as a kind of “social tool” to help with herding and hunting, when they had to be guided over a great distance by gestural instructions. The latest research affirms the idea that not only have dogs developed an ability to recognise gestures but also a special sensitivity to the human voice that helps them identify when they need to respond to what’s being said.

If so, you’ll be interested in our free daily newsletter. It’s filled with the insights of academic experts, written so that everyone can understand what’s going on in the world. With the latest scientific discoveries, thoughtful analysis on political issues and research-based life tips, each email is filled with articles that will inform you and often intrigue you.

Editor and General Manager

Find peace of mind, and the facts, with experts. Add evidence-based articles to your news digest. No uninformed commentariat. Just experts. 90,000 of them have written for us. They trust us. Give it a go.

If you found the article you just read to be insightful, you’ll be interested in our free daily newsletter. It’s filled with the insights of academic experts, written so that everyone can understand what’s going on in the world. Each newsletter has articles that will inform and intrigue you.

Behavior & Training

Share

• Share it
• Tweet
• Pin it
• Share it

Dogs use face and body language to communicate, just like humans. But since dogs have four legs and a tail, their body language is very different from ours. Taking the time to observe your dog’s movements and actions can be hugely beneficial to you and your dog’s happiness, allowing you to recognize stress or discomfort, and respond to potential problems before they get worse.

Here are ten ways your dog might be trying to communicate with you:

Dogs communicate in subtle ways with their faces, specifically with their eyes. Constant eye contact from your dog is his way of showing his trust and affection towards you. Think of it as an understated ‘I love you.’ Avoiding eye contact, on the other hand, is a sign that your dog is uncomfortable, scared, or cowering after doing something naughty.

Perhaps the most widely recognizable form of dog communication is tail movement. In addition to the joyful wagging tail, a dog’s tail can communicate a range of other emotions. For example, a slow wagging means your dog is feeling cautious, and a stiff tail held high means your dog is on alert. A low tail means your pup is feeling content, but a tucked tail means he is feeling scared. If your dog is wagging his tail vigorously enough to make his butt to wiggle (we all know what I’m talking about), he’s elated to see you!

Tongue flicks are often driven by anxiety and a desire to appease the owner or avoid conflict, but they don’t mean your dog knows he’s been “naughty” and is sorry. Dogs can certainly read our body language, and may get worried or anxious if we seem upset, but this is not the same thing as feeling guilt, or understanding that they’ve done something wrong.

Dogs sometimes try to communicate with us by sneezing and yawning unnecessarily. A misplaced sneeze or yawn means that your dog is uncomfortable and stressed, often around new pets or people. Believe it or not, humans do this when they feel uncomfortable too! This can get confusing because dogs also yawn when they are feeling content around you. The key is to look for misplaced yawning in unfamiliar circumstances.

In addition to face and tail movement, dogs also try to communicate using the rest of their body. If your pup rolls over and bares his belly to you, he is initiating this gesture to appease you (but a belly rub is always welcome!) Dogs also communicate with each other this way, rolling over as a sign of passive resistance to perceived threat.

If your dog faces you and dives into a bow with his front legs on the ground and his butt in the air, this is known as the play bow and it’s your dog’s way of telling you that it is playtime. If you want to make your dog’s day, try play bowing back at him! Your basic downward dog yoga pose will do the trick, and your pup will be grateful that you’re trying to speak his language.

Dogs communicate that they want attention by raising a paw and touching you. You probably see this most often when you’re sitting and your dog approaches you to put a paw on your knee. In puppies, this is communicated by pawing the air repeatedly.

Have you ever approached your dog with a bone and noticed the way he suddenly freezes mid-chew upon noticing you? Freezing in the middle of an action is a clear way dogs communicate that they are feeling uncertain and want to be left alone. If your dog freezes mid-chew, or in the middle of another action, it’s best to honor his wishes and give him some space.

Every once in a while your dog might bring you a ball, stick, or other toy. Most people read this as an invitation to play, which it very well might be. But if your dog brings you one of his favorite toys and drops it at your feet, it’s more likely that he is giving it to you as a gift! This is your pup’s way of showing affection for you by sharing his favorite things with you.

Last but not least, if your dog is leaning against you, this is your dog’s way of trying to cuddle with you. Unfortunately, he physically can’t hug you, so cuddling against you is the best way to show affection for his favorite human!

While these methods of communication are the most common among all breeds, it’s important to remember that every dog is different. To maximize you and your dog’s happiness, the best thing you can do is observe your pup’s habits, movements, and mannerisms so that you can begin to understand the ways your dog specifically communicates with you. That is, of course, unless you learn to speak dog.

Let other pet parents know what you think about it

2527 found it helpful

2526 found it helpful