Stella is a dog that has learned how to use 29 human words. Her owner has taught her how to understand what the words mean and how to use them in the correct context. People have known that dogs could comprehend certain human words, but the new research has shown even more impressive results. Stella can use words to not only understand what her owner is saying, but Stella can express her own thoughts and feelings by utilizing buttons that are programmed with particular words. Humans have receptive language, the ability to understand words, and expressive language, the ability to express thoughts and ideas. We have known that dogs had receptive language abilities because they can follow commands, but this new research shows that dogs have expressive language capacity.
Key Takeaways:
- A speech pathologist has trained her dog Stella how to use 29 human words.
- Stella will step on a board with buttons, each labeled with a word, to communicate.
- Stella can express her desires, comments, and opinions, and can fluidly string together words.
“pooch language pathologist (SLP) Christina Hunger uses Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices in her job and decided to see if one could give her dog Stella a chance to use her words. The results of her experiment are amazing”
Read more: https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/dog-uses-words