Animal Communication Systems Versus Human Language

Over the years there has been ample research and articles on the subject of canine body language and how to understand it, but relatively little research has been done on the human owner's body language and speech and how the dog interprets these types of communication. One camp of diehard believers think that dogs most certainly can understand the human's verbal words; the other thinks that dogs are only able to decipher the body language displayed, regardless of what words go with that body language. Somewhere in-between is probably where the truth lies. This essay will discuss both sides of the debate and attempt to give valuable advice on how to improve the communication between humans and their dogs.

Animal Communication Systems versus Human Language

"Long before history began, our ancestors began an unwitting scientific experiment. Somehow humans managed to domesticate the wolf, and the two-legged masters began breeding their four-legged companions in a primitive form of genetic engineering that would, thousands of years later, result in Lassie, pooper scoopers and the Taco Bell Chihuahua" (Lemonick & van Dyk, 2002, p. 46). Since this "primitive form of genetic engineering," the relationships with our dogs have become closer and closer, until it's sometimes difficult to separate the species when naming family members. Down through the ages dogs and their human counterparts have evolved a great deal towards forging an ongoing, mutually beneficial relationship. But how far have we really come? When we ask Fido if he's missed us after coming home from a long day at the office, do we really believe he knows what we've asked him? When Fido gives us a great big grin, do we really know what he's trying to say?

According to the famous "dog whisperer" Cesar Millan, the universal language we can use to communicate with our dogs and that our dogs can use to communicate with us is "energy" (Millan & Peltier, 2006, p. 62). Through our emotions and the scents we as humans inadvertently give off, our pets (and strange animals alike!) know exactly what's going on in our heads, according to Millan. Most people realize that a dog can sense fear in someone instantly, which instantly puts the dog at an advantage. Animals are so in tune with the energy of the world that some call it a "6^th sense," and show as examples animals that fled the area prior to the horrible tsunami in Asia recently, and prior to tornados and hurricanes hitting their area (Millan & Peltier, 2006, p. 67).

How animals sense the impending arrival of doom is not known at this time, but the fact remains that they do sense it. This powerful ability of dogs to sense the energy around them makes them very sensitive to their owners energy in particular. In the same way, if we want to learn to effectively communicate with our furry friends, we need to harness this energy and make sure what we're portraying to Fido is indeed what needs to be portrayed.

Others who study communication between dogs and humans place emphasis on understanding your dog's body language as being the most important to a positive relationship. If you misinterpret your dog's behavior and then reinforce it or punish it for it, your dog will be confused and this cannot lead to a happy, healthy pet. According to Joan Paylo, there are specific parts of a dog's body that you can study for clues about the way he's feeling. The dog's face can show confusion or determination; the eyes can show friendliness, fear, desire to avoid confrontation, anger, and defensiveness; the lips, teeth and tongue can show if a dog is relaxed, or wants to play, or is ready to attack; the ears can show relaxation, listening, submissive, and fear; the tail is usually the most obvious for showing how a dog is feeling, wags when he's happy or to show he's full of energy, and to show he's submissive if it gets put between his legs; and last but not least their "voice" which can show their playfulness or aggression (Paylo, para. 3).

Paylo goes on to describe the many posture forms that dogs have, which also give clues to their underlying emotions or desires. If a dog is alert and holding his head up high with a non-clenched jaw and relaxed swinging tail, then he is in his normal posture. When a dog lowers his shoulders and wags his tail, this is generally an invitation to play. A submissive dog uses many devices to show he's feeling submissive, such as crouching down, lifting a paw, keeping his ears back and his tail down, and even sneezing which, according to Paylo, is meant to relax himself and the others around him. Paylo also describes two types of aggressive behaviors that dog exhibit, fearful aggression and dominance aggression. Fearful aggression is shown by a dog who is tense and has a rigid tail, shows his teeth, pulls his ears down flat and the hair on his back stands up, as well as growling or snarling. Showing the teeth and then moving forward in a self-assured manner shows dominance aggression, with the ears up and alert. If a dog puts his tail between his legs, drops his head to avoid looking at you in the eye, rolls over on his side and shows his stomach, he's acting in total submission. If he does this but tilts his head up and keeps his ears up, then he's showing trust while still being completely submissive (Paylo, para. 12).

Now that we know a little about understanding the dog's body language, how does the dog know what our body language is saying? What we may be trying to convey to the dog and what the dog actually gets out of the message may be two completely different things. According to Lemonick and van Dyk (2002), the ability for dogs to pick up on reading our body language is probably due to becoming domesticated. Tests have been done to show the ability of dogs to respond to mere glances in the direction of food or treats, whereas wolves do not detect this body language. Even puppies have this talent, showing that it's not necessarily something that's learned, but is more a natural talent that has come about through the domestication process (Lemonick & van Kyk, 2002, p. 46). The authors go on to say that further tests have been done showing that the original domestication of dogs from wolves probably began some 15,000 years ago in East Asia - so there has been plenty of time for the species to get used to being around humans!

Dr. Nicholas Dodman says that because dogs do not have a language center they "can never learn syntax and will never understand sentences." He believes that it's the way we say things, not the words themselves, that convey meaning to the dog. Dr. Dodman says that by staring at a dog we are giving a signal of confrontation. So when you think you're having an enjoyable time looking at your dog, in fact you may be making him incredibly nervous - which probably is not what you intended. When dogs communicate with each other, they use head and neck positioning to understand how to size each other up. Dogs evidently judge humans the same way, meaning that if a dominant dog sees someone walking towards them with their head held up high, they will probably assume you are challenging him and he could attack. By dropping your head, the dog should interpret your behavior as submissive or wanting to play and may be caught off-guard, according to Dr. Dodman. It's also important to understand that the mouth and nose and the neck area are very sensitive areas on a dog. Grabbing a dog by the fur on the neck or going for a dog's face can be very dangerous and have deadly consequences, especially for an unsuspecting child who just wants to "play" with the dog.

Dr. Dodman goes on to say that your position relative to the dog is also very important in showing who is boss. If you allow your dog to sit on your lap, he asks the rhetorical question, "who is the king and who is the throne?" If you want a dog to feel comfortable with you then get on its level, and let the dog come to you. Dr. Dodman makes a point of saying that you should never walk directly toward a dog you don't know, because if he's dominant he could mistake this as a challenge and attack. To get near a dog who is afraid you can use a curved route, anything but a straight direct path towards him.

The advice Dr. Dodman gives for improving the communication with your dog is to use your dog's heightened "powers of observation" to your advantage, by combining body language signals with verbal commands. They learn hand signals very quickly generally, and when combined with verbal commands eventually can learn the command without the hand signal.

There are some dog owners and trainers who firmly believe that dogs can and do understand human's verbal communication. An example of this ability in some dogs was shown in an experiment with a border collie named Rico, who appears to have a vocabulary of approximately 200 words (Bloom, 2004, p. 1605)! The experiment they conducted was to put Rico in a room full of his toys and then asked him to retrieve them, by name. They then introduced a brand new toy to Rico and asked him to retrieve it by its name (which of course he had never heard used before). Rico correctly guessed that if there was a new toy, then the new word must be its name and retrieved it just as directed more often than not. Even more surprising, a month later Rico still remembered and correctly retrieved the new toy!

According to Carol Tenny, the ability for Rico (or any dog for that matter) to understand a word is the consciousness of the human to give disparate names to things, so they are easy to tell apart from each other. A dog hears "SKIT, SLIT, SPIT" all the same as "SIT." Tenny says the dog is responding to the phonetics of the vocal signal, and to the dog - all those words sound too much alike to tell them apart. She goes on to say that body language always overrides the verbal clue the dog hears, as exemplified by using your softest most loving voice to tell Fido that he is a dirty flea-bitten menace and you don't want anything to do with him. He will completely ignore all the horrible things you are saying about him, but assume you think he's the greatest because of your body language signals you're giving to him.

Dr. Dodman also refers to a deaf Dalmatian, Hogan, who has a "vocabulary" of 45 words in American Sign Language! He believes that this ability, combined with the ability to get the reference in subtle signs and gestures, "means that dogs have evolved to understand us, their human caregivers, more than was previously believed possible."

Just as the term "Motherese" was given to name the baby talk we do to babies, the term "Doggerel" has been given by some as the name for the way we talk to dogs. Using short sentences, commands and instructions, asking questions, and repeating ourselves characterize Doggerel. This term comes from Stanley Coren, another popular dog guru, who has authored five books on the subject. According to Coren, "there is no evidence that speaking to a dog in Doggerel helps the dog understand what we are saying, there is a lot of evidence which suggests that talking to dogs in a normal, purposeful, and meaningful manner improves their receptive language abilities" (Coren, 2000, p. 233). Consistency is key if you want Fido to understand you, says Coren. It doesn't matter what signal, symbol, or word you use - as long as it's always the same one.

With some 400 million dogs in the world, consisting of 420 breeds, the ability to communicate effectively with our furry companions should not be a trivial endeavor. Dogs give us a lot in return for the food and shelter we give them, so by doing our best to "talk" correctly and understand their behaviors, we are showing them we value their contributions to our lives. That being said, have you hugged your dog today? (as long as you don't grab them by the scruff of their neck, or approach them directly!)

References

Bloom, P. (2004). Can a dog learn a word? Science, 304(5677), 1605-1606. Retrieved July 16, 2006, from Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection database.

Coren, S. (2000). How to speak dog: Mastering the art of dog-human communication. New York: Free Press.

Dodman, N. (n.d.) What does your body language say to your dog? Retrieved July 13, 2006, from http://www.petplace.com/dogs/what-does-your-body-language-say-to-your-dog/page1.aspx.

Dodman, N. (n.d.) Dog-human communication. Retrieved July 13, 2006, from http://www.petplace.com/dogs/dog-human-communication-2/page1.aspx.

Lemonick, M. D. & van Dyk, D. (2002). The mother of all dogs. Time Europe, 160(24), 46. Retrieved July 16, 2006, from Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection database.

Millan, C. & Peltier, M. J. (2006). Cesar's way: The natural, everyday guide to understanding & correcting common dog problems. New York: Harmony Books.

Paylo, J. (n.d.) What is your dog saying? Retrieved July 16, 2006, from http://www.petplace.com/dogs/what-is-your-dog-saying-a-key-to-canine-body-language/page1.aspx.

Tenny, C. (n.d.) Lecture on animal communication. Retrieved July 13, 2006 from http://www.linguist.org/Animal-Communication.pdf.