Your Dog Knows Exactly What You’re Saying

Until now, scientists didn't know that the canines understand both our words and the tone in which we say them.

It doesn't take a scientific study for dog owners to believe that their pets know what they're saying. (We cat owners are a little less certain.)

But it’s not always clear exactly what Fido is paying attention to.

When we say “Good dog!” dogs hear both the words we say and how we say them, new brain scans show. For people, both the word and intonation are important, but no one knew—until now—whether that was also the case for dogs. (See "Dogs Are Even More Like Us Than We Thought.")

In a study published August 29 in Science, scientists found the canine brain also processes the information in a similar way as humans.

“I’m quite excited by this finding. It’s really exciting

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