Outside, toilet: research finds the words dogs really want to say to us

A recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports reveals that dogs trained to use soundboards can intentionally form meaningful two-word combinations to communicate with their owners. Conducted by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, the study analyzed over 260,000 button presses made by 152 dogs over a period of 21 months. According to Earth.com, the dogs were trained to press buttons on soundboards that produce human words or phrases, allowing them to convey their needs and desires more precisely.

Data were collected via the FluentPet mobile app, where dog owners logged their pets' button presses in real time, resulting in nearly 195,000 soundboard interactions for analysis. The researchers focused on dogs that had logged more than 200 button presses each to ensure consistent patterns of use. "This is the first scientific study to analyze how dogs actually use soundboards," said Federico Rossano, an associate professor of cognitive science at UC San Diego and director of the Comparative Cognition Lab.

"The results show that dogs intentionally press buttons to express their wishes and needs, and not just to imitate their owners. When dogs combine two buttons, these sequences are not random, but seem to reflect specific requests," Rossano explained.

The study found that the most frequently used buttons by the dogs were related to basic needs, such as "outside," "treat," "play," and "toilet," indicating meaningful communication regarding their needs. Notably, combinations like "outside + toilet" and "food + water" were used meaningfully by dogs to express their wishes and intentions.

Advanced statistical methods, including computer simulations, ruled out randomness and confirmed the intentional nature of the button combinations. The researchers also compared the dogs' button presses to those of their owners and found that the dogs were not simply imitating human behavior. While humans frequently pressed buttons like "I love you," dogs used such expressions far less often, suggesting that the dogs' button presses were intentional and not mere imitation, according to Earth.com.

"While dogs already communicate some of their needs, soundboards could enable more precise communication. Instead of barking or scratching at the door, a dog could be able to tell you exactly what it wants, and even combine terms like 'outside' and 'park' or 'beach'. This could strengthen the bond between dogs and their owners," Rossano said.

The study addresses a long-standing question in canine communication. While dogs have always found unique ways to communicate with humans through gestures and vocalizations, the use of soundboards represents a technological leap in understanding their communication abilities.

Some dogs have become famous on social media for their ability to communicate using soundboards. Speech therapist Christina Hunger's dog Stella often combines multiple words together, communicating in a surprisingly human-like manner. In one video, Stella presses the button labeled "Play," and Christina responds, "Time to play? Do you want to play inside or outside?" After thinking for a few seconds, Stella presses the button programmed with the word "Outside," as reported by Scinexx.

The researchers plan to investigate whether dogs can use the soundboards not only to express their immediate needs but also to refer to past events or future situations. "We want to know if dogs can use these soundboards to express ideas beyond their immediate needs, like absent objects, past experiences, or future events," Rossano said. "If they can, it would drastically change how we think about animal intelligence and communication," he added, according to Earth.com.

The study's co-authors include Amalia P. M. Bastos, now at Johns Hopkins University; Zachary N. Houghton, now at UC Davis; and Lucas Naranjo, an expert with CleverPet, Inc., as reported by Earth.com. The research design and analysis were conducted independently from CleverPet, ensuring unbiased results.

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq