New research shows dogs can comprehend around 200 words, phrases

CANADA: Latest research on interaction with dogs demonstrated that dogs could grasp around 200 human words and phrases.

The dogs replied to between 15 and 215 words and phrases, according to Canadian researchers who investigated 165 canines and their owners. The dogs in the experiment demonstrated that they could understand 89 words on average, which is the same as an 18-month-old baby.

According to the investigators, domestic dogs had evolved to respond to human verbal and nonverbal cues unequalled by other species due to their evolutionary history and close contact with mankind. Further, it showed, dogs were shown to be particularly good at reacting to commands rather than object terms.

Additionally, almost every dog reacted to simple orders such as come, down, stay, wait, no, alright, and leave it. When hearing treat-seeking terms like "good girl" or "good boy," the majority of the dogs would wave their tails, whereas only a tiny percentage would respond to less usual orders like "whisper" or "loud."

Moreover, the research published a list of terms that dogs regularly responded to. It contains a lot of phrases that most of us are familiar with, such as "watch" and "sit," as well as a few more startling terms like "vacuum," "lake," and "peanut butter."
According to researchers, dogs appear to differ widely not just in amount but also in the kind of words to which they ostensibly respond.

While some dog owners may disagree, the researchers admit that the animals may have just learnt to respond appropriately to the words and orders they hear, even if they do not entirely comprehend their context.

The research 'Responses to spoken words by domestic dogs: A new instrument for use with dog owners' has been published in ScienceDirect.