Dogs really do understand what you tell them.
You do not deceive your dog, if you gently speak to him about the upcoming trip to the vet! The study by Hungarian scientists showed that the brain of the dog treats it the same as human.
Scientists from the University of Budapest. Eötvös published in the journal Science an article about how dogs understand the meaning and intonation of human words. As in humans, the left hemisphere of their brain responds to the meaning, and the right — on intonation and emotional content of the sound. Dog owners will be helpful to know that the reward system in animals activates only the praise, said fun and affectionate.
“For dogs it is important, what we say and how we do it,” says Dr. Attila Andiks, who led the study.
The experiment was for the scientists a great achievement. Dr. Andiks and his colleagues have trained dogs to enter the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and lie quietly while the machine records the brain activity.
The coach uttered the words in the Hungarian language — a common phrase used by dog owners: “good dog”, “good”, “well done”. She also used very neutral, expressionless word — “however”, “nevertheless”, etc. it is pronounced with a positive and neutral tone. Positive words spoken in a friendly tone, evoked strong activity in the reward centers of the brain: the dogs were happy. All other conditions led to significantly lower activity: the phrase “good dog” said in a neutral tone, and the word “however,” said affectionately calls the dog the same answer.
What does it all mean? “Dog owners should know that animals do pay attention to the meaning of the words,” says Dr. Andiks.
This does not mean that the dog will not wag its tail and look happy when you gently say: “You’re stupid”. But the animal will react to your body language and the look and maybe start to think that “stupid” is a compliment.
Studies of the evolution of language suggest that the ability to process meaning and emotions in different parts of the brain and link them together is not uniquely human: it has evolved from non-Primate long before people started talking.
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