Dogs can learn to 'speak' by pressing buttons on a soundboard

Sharing videos of pets accomplishing extraordinary feats is a massive trend on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Notably, dogs using soundboard buttons to convey thoughts have been taking the dog-loving community by a storm.

But the question remains: are these dogs genuinely communicating or merely responding to cues from their handlers? An intriguing new research study delves into this very question and comes up with some compelling answers.

Dogs know what they’re saying

A recent study recently published in PLOS ONE presents some fascinating findings.

It seems dogs trained with soundboard buttons can indeed understand specific words, leading to contextually appropriate responses.

At the forefront of the initiative was Federico Rossano, Associate Professor in the Department of Cognitive Science at UC San Diego.

He also heads the Comparative Cognition Lab and appears in the popular Netflix documentary “Inside the Mind of a Dog.”

Dogs using soundboards

Rossano’s research is one of the first empirical studies to come out of the most extensive ongoing project to date on button-trained pets. It is part of his laboratory’s continued investigation of interspecies communications.

Key findings of the study suggest that dogs trained to use soundboards responded appropriately to words like “play” and “outside,” regardless of whether the words were spoken by their owners or triggered by pressing a button.

This result held true irrespective of whether the buttons were pressed by the owner or an unrelated person.

This exciting discovery suggests that dogs are not merely ‘reading’ their owners’ body language or presence. Instead, they are actually processing the words.

Dogs reacting to soundboard buttons

Rossano emphasized that his study addressed public skepticism about whether dogs really understood the meaning behind the button presses.

“Our findings are important because they show that words matter to dogs, and that they respond to the words themselves, not just to associated cues,” he explained.

The two-pronged study involved both in-person and remote trials. The former saw researchers visiting 30 homes to gauge dogs` reactions to soundboard buttons.

The second experiment saw 29 dog handlers conducting the trials themselves at home under remote guidance.

Holding transparence

The study’s methodology was rigorously pre-registered, ensuring transparency and replicability.

The process Rossano’s team followed serves to enhance accountability, reduce cherry-picking results, and align with a growing movement to increase scientific rigor while decreasing bias or fraud likelihood.

“Future studies will explore how dogs actively use these buttons, including the meaning and systematicity behind sequences of button presses,” Rossano added.

Secrets of canine communication

As our understanding of canine cognition evolves, it is becoming increasingly evident that the ways dogs communicate might be more sophisticated than previously assumed.

This emerging field of study invites researchers to further investigate not just the decoding of individual words, but also the intricacies of how dogs use sequences of sounds to express more complex ideas and emotions.

By examining these patterns, scientists could illuminate the depth of human-dog relationships and enhance our ability to communicate effectively with our furry companions.

Future research promises to delve into how different breeds may vary in their ability to grasp and utilize soundboard buttons, as well as how dogs adapt their communication strategies in response to the unique characteristics of their handlers.

As we continue to decode the language of dogs, we may ultimately uncover a more profound connection between species, transforming the landscape of interspecies communication research.

Future of dogs using soundboards

This study is merely the tip of the iceberg. Future research promises to delve deeper into understanding how dogs spontaneously use soundboard buttons, thereby further illuminating the complexities of dog cognition and communication.

Undoubtedly, the world of interspecies communication is evolving, and the captivating findings of Rossano and his dedicated team will continue to enrich our understanding of it.

Collaboration and citizen science

The first author of the paper was Amalia Bastos, a former postdoc at UC San Diego and currently involved in postdoc work at Johns Hopkins University.

This exciting study was also conducted in collaboration with researchers from UC Davis, the University of St. Andrews, Universitat de València, and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna.

Data for the study was collected in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, with participants graciously opening their homes to researchers, thereby highlighting the growing public interest in citizen science.

The study is published in the journal PLoS ONE.

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