The Effect of Human Command Phonetic Characteristics on Auditory Cognition in Dogs (Canis familiaris)

The Effect of Human Command Phonetic Characteristics on Auditory Cognition in Dogs (Canis familiaris)

M. Fukuzawaa, D.S. Mills, and J.J. Cooper

Revue : Journal of Comparative Psychology

aAnimal Behaviour, Cognition and Welfare Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lincoln, Riseholme Park, Lincoln, LN2 2LG, United Kingdom

Received 8 October 2003; revised 6 August 2004; accepted 9 August 2004. Available online 4 March 2005.

Six dogs (Canis familiaris) were trained to sit and come reliably in response to tape-recorded commands. The phonemes within these commands were then changed, and the dogs' behavior in response to these modified commands was recorded. Performance markedly declined in all cases, with the type of alteration affecting response to the modified sit command but not to the modified come command. The results suggest that dogs do not perceive a tape-recorded command as simply a physical sound but that they recognize a relationship between certain sounds.

Journal of Comparative Psychology Volume 119, Issue 1 , February 2005, Pages 117-120