Do dogs talk? They aren’t built structurally the same as humans, so it wouldn’t sound much like human speech if they do. But I believe that they try to speak, even if we don’t understand it all the time.
You see the YouTube videos with dogs saying “I love you” or something similar, usually with quite a bit of coaching. It’s hard to tell just from those videos if the dog actually understands what is being said. Maybe they do, but that cute trick isn’t what I’m talking about.
Our dogs talk
I believe dogs are capable of much more than we give them credit for. And this is one of the areas in which I think dogs are vastly underappreciated.
Just the fact that I have to spell “ball” or talk in riddles without saying the word “post office” tells me that maybe my dogs understand, at least some of the time. However, I’d take that a step further. When I hear the various barks from my dog, they don’t all sound the same.
If I listen closely, I hear Quinn bark an enthusiastic “ball, ball, ball.” I also hear “Mom” from Lincoln when I’m back under his protection. And I know I’ve heard a sigh from Lucky that sounded a lot like “I’m sorry” when he has pee’d and got caught.
I could be imagining it, but I don’t think so. The way the “words” are used makes sense in context. They also seem to fit with the way a dog’s mouth and other structures come together.
Given the right set of circumstances and allowing for physical differences, I think dogs talk. I don’t have any initials after my name or a fancy degree to give my theory credibility. But I do have practical experience with my dogs.
What about other dogs?
I’ve been watching this cute dog, Bunny, on social media. Disclaimer; I don’t have a paid arrangement and I’m sure that Bunny’s mom doesn’t even know that I exist. However, Bunny and what they’ve developed are fascinating!
Her parents have a set of buttons with recorded words that she’s been learning to use. I think they have included scientific professionals as part of the initial process. As time passes, you can watch Bunny show more significant and meaningful use of speech as she understands more about our language.
Watching their videos, Bunny pushes buttons she chooses on purpose, and there’s an exchange between human and dog. A conversation that seems to have meaning that applies to their lives makes communication more helpful. Dogs do talk!
Can we have two-sided conversations with our dogs?
I can see so many possibilities that could develop from something like this. If dogs can be taught to communicate with the buttons, we can better understand them. It would allow them to respond and have an actual conversation with us. Instead of trying to say our words and hoping we understand, dogs could actually talk!
I got some buttons and started with “ball” and “outside”. I thought they would be easy ideas to grasp. However, I think maybe it was too easy since Quinn already says “ball” and “out” and gets her request across pretty clearly. How did they get the ball rolling, so to speak?
I have so much to learn about the process, not because I want to copy Bunny, but because I think there is so much potential in this kind of conversation. I’ll have to keep watching, thinking, and experimenting.
Suppose humans and dogs could really talk to each other, what great conversations we might have. What do you think? Does your dog talk to you? Tell me about it in the comments below.
I find this subject fascinating. Maybe you do too. For more about communicating with dogs, read my posts
You can use animal communication
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