(Adam Miller/ CBC News) — You may think your dog can understand you, and in a way, you’re right.
New research suggests dogs may actually be smarter than we give them credit for and can also have profoundly positive effects on our health.
Researchers from the University of Sussex in Brighton, U.K., analyzed 42 dogs of different breeds and their reactions to specific words that were not commonly used as commands.
The study, published in the journal Biology Letters, found the dogs could differentiate between slight changes in words spoken by humans and also recognize distinct voices of speakers. (Phonetically similar words like “hid, “heard,” or “had,” for example.)
As the dogs became more familiar with the language, they only reacted when they heard a new word, which caused them to perk up and refocus their attention. (…)