Study: Dogs Can Associate Words With Objects. Everyone Who Owns a Dog: 'Well, Duh.'
Ward Clark8:25 PM on April 02, 2024Study: Dogs Can Associate Words With Objects. Everyone Who Owns a Dog: 'Well, Duh.'
Ward Clark8:25 PM on April 02, 2024The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.
When I was a young man, I had a buddy who had his dog trained to fetch him beers. No kidding. Of course, when he brought home a 12-pack, he had to put them on the bottom shelf of his refrigerator, out of the carton, spaced out some so his dog could get hold of them. But with that done, he would sit on his couch, say, "Spot, fetch a beer," and the dog, a middling-sized dog-pound mutt, would nose open the refrigerator door, grab a cold one in his jaws, and bring it out to the living room. The first time I saw it, my buddy tossed me the first beer, waved at the dog, "Spot, fetch a beer," and the dog brought him one.
It's amazing what you can teach dogs to do, and they do very well with verbal commands, even when referring to specific objects. So it's a little bemusing to see a group from Budapest's Eotvos Lorand University spending some time confirming what dog people have always known.
At least this time there were no American taxpayer dollars spent in belaboring the obvious.
See Related: Ruh Roh: California Bill Aims to Prohibit Landlords From Denying Renters With Dogs
Las Vegas Police Ask for Prayers for K9 Unit Named Enzo Who Was Stabbed During SWAT Op (Video)
We don't have a dog at the moment, but when I was a young man I trained up a few bird dogs. Training a proficient gun dog is the work of a couple of years, at least, starting when they are pups, and a lot of it is commands: Verbal commands (usually shouted) along with whistle and hand signals. A lot of those involve the dog, yes, knowing what it is you're telling him or her to do.
And dogs are pretty good at that.
Sure they can. And you know why? Because dogs have lived with people for about 15,000 years. Descended from a Eurasian wolf, our lovable mutt's ancestors are recognized in their Latin name, Canis lupus familiaris. Truly Man's Best Friend, these lovable critters have lived with humans and worked with humans for 15 millennia. They know us and we know them, like no other domesticated animal. There is no other relationship like it in nature, no other interaction between two completely different species that is so complete and so, yes, intimate. We domesticated other animals for meat, fur, hides, milk, and as beasts of burden. Cats aren't domesticated; in fact, it's more as though they have domesticated us. Cats just hang around us as co-owners of our homes, kill vermin if it suits them, and if we are very good a cat will reward us by allowing us to pet them and scratch their ears. But dogs and humans came together for mutual advantage; they helped us hunt, guarded our homes, protected our families, and in return gained regular meals and warm places to sleep, not to mention safe places for their pups. Dogs and humans have been living like this for 150 centuries. Maybe longer.
So of course dogs can understand humans when we use words they hear regularly! It would be rather amazing if they couldn't.
We can even teach them to bring us beers. Now that's what I call a best friend.
Ward Clark hails from Alaska’s Susitna Valley, where he maintains his rural household in one of America’s last free places. Ward is a twelve-year veteran of the U.S. Army including service in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Joint Endeavor, and today is a staunch minarchist libertarian, along with being an author, novelist, self-employed small businessman, woods bum, and semi-professional bad influence. You can see some of Ward's fiction writing here.
Follow Ward on Twitter at @TheGreatLander.
Study: Dogs Can Associate Words With Objects. Everyone Who Owns a Dog: 'Well, Duh.'
Ward Clark8:25 PM on April 02, 2024
Study: Dogs Can Associate Words With Objects. Everyone Who Owns a Dog: 'Well, Duh.'
Ward Clark8:25 PM on April 02, 2024
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.
Gypsy enjoying a swim. (Credit: Ward M. Clark)
When I was a young man, I had a buddy who had his dog trained to fetch him beers. No kidding. Of course, when he brought home a 12-pack, he had to put them on the bottom shelf of his refrigerator, out of the carton, spaced out some so his dog could get hold of them. But with that done, he would sit on his couch, say, "Spot, fetch a beer," and the dog, a middling-sized dog-pound mutt, would nose open the refrigerator door, grab a cold one in his jaws, and bring it out to the living room. The first time I saw it, my buddy tossed me the first beer, waved at the dog, "Spot, fetch a beer," and the dog brought him one.
It's amazing what you can teach dogs to do, and they do very well with verbal commands, even when referring to specific objects. So it's a little bemusing to see a group from Budapest's Eotvos Lorand University spending some time confirming what dog people have always known.
At least this time there were no American taxpayer dollars spent in belaboring the obvious.
See Related: Ruh Roh: California Bill Aims to Prohibit Landlords From Denying Renters With Dogs
Las Vegas Police Ask for Prayers for K9 Unit Named Enzo Who Was Stabbed During SWAT Op (Video)
We don't have a dog at the moment, but when I was a young man I trained up a few bird dogs. Training a proficient gun dog is the work of a couple of years, at least, starting when they are pups, and a lot of it is commands: Verbal commands (usually shouted) along with whistle and hand signals. A lot of those involve the dog, yes, knowing what it is you're telling him or her to do.
And dogs are pretty good at that.
Sure they can. And you know why? Because dogs have lived with people for about 15,000 years. Descended from a Eurasian wolf, our lovable mutt's ancestors are recognized in their Latin name, Canis lupus familiaris. Truly Man's Best Friend, these lovable critters have lived with humans and worked with humans for 15 millennia. They know us and we know them, like no other domesticated animal. There is no other relationship like it in nature, no other interaction between two completely different species that is so complete and so, yes, intimate. We domesticated other animals for meat, fur, hides, milk, and as beasts of burden. Cats aren't domesticated; in fact, it's more as though they have domesticated us. Cats just hang around us as co-owners of our homes, kill vermin if it suits them, and if we are very good a cat will reward us by allowing us to pet them and scratch their ears. But dogs and humans came together for mutual advantage; they helped us hunt, guarded our homes, protected our families, and in return gained regular meals and warm places to sleep, not to mention safe places for their pups. Dogs and humans have been living like this for 150 centuries. Maybe longer.
So of course dogs can understand humans when we use words they hear regularly! It would be rather amazing if they couldn't.
We can even teach them to bring us beers. Now that's what I call a best friend.
Ward Clark hails from Alaska’s Susitna Valley, where he maintains his rural household in one of America’s last free places. Ward is a twelve-year veteran of the U.S. Army including service in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Joint Endeavor, and today is a staunch minarchist libertarian, along with being an author, novelist, self-employed small businessman, woods bum, and semi-professional bad influence. You can see some of Ward's fiction writing here.
Follow Ward on Twitter at @TheGreatLander.
Well duh ... Lol
Trained a lot of rabbit and bird dogs over the years.
I’ve seen professional trainers teach poodles to retrieve ducks in shows. Just about any dog can be trained to do what ever the owner wants with enough patience.
I’ve seen professional trainers teach poodles to retrieve ducks in shows. Just about any dog can be trained to do what ever the owner wants with enough patience.
I don5 know if anyone has enough patience for my daughter’s dog. She’s frustrating professional dog trainers at this point…
There is always one……
What kind of dog?? How old is she?? Any aggression problems with other dogs??I'd be willing to give her a go ....
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