Fido called out to you by barking.
“What’s up buddy?”, you asked.
Your pooch nudges at the ball…
And then rolls over to your feet.
“Oh, wanna play?”
Fido wags their tail and barks back.
But wait a minute…
Did your dog just start a conversation with you?
Continue reading to find out:
- 19 amusing gestures Fidos use to try talking to you.
- 3 interesting answers about dogs trying to talk to humans.
- 5 fun facts about dogs talking to humans (#1 and #3 will surprise you.)
- And many, many more…
Table of contents
Do dogs try to talk to humans?
Dogs do try to talk to humans. Scientists call this, “referential signaling.” It means your dog uses gestures to tell you their message. This typically occurs through body language. Though, if your dog thinks it’s not enough, they’ll switch to vocal communication. That’s when they start barking.
Do dogs like to talk to humans?
Dogs do like to talk to humans.
How so?
Research says that Fidos spend more time with someone who often speaks to them. Especially when you use a high-pitched tone of voice, a.k.a, baby talk.
That said…
How about watching other doggos? You’ll get surprised at how vocal they are.
I mean, have you ever met a Husky?
Most of those Fidos are so talkative. By that, I’m referring to their barking, whining, and howling habits.
In fact, many Husky fur parents would even say:
“My pooch talks so much!”
And do you know what’s more interesting?
It’s the fact that they usually do it around hoomans only. At least, that’s what most people believe.
So this means they seem to enjoy talking to their fur parents alone.
Now, that might bring you to the questions:
“Why do dogs like talking to humans? And how do they do it?”
There are plenty of answers to this.
So let me share them below…
5 fun facts about dogs talking to humans
#1: They know it can get your attention
Does Fido bark when you’re busy? Like when you’re talking to others?
In that case, your dog might be trying to get your attention. And they know how to do it well too.
You see, there’s even a study that says:
Dogs observe the way you react. And they do this by watching your:
- Tone of voice.
- Body language.
- Eye movement.
- Facial expressions.
With these, Fidos knows what to do to get your attention.
Here’s an example:
Let’s say that your furry pal wants to get their toy under the sofa.
At first, they’ll keep looking at you. But you’re busy talking on the phone.
To ask for help, your pooch barks in front of you. And you looked at them with a concerned face.
Plus, you responded in a baby-talk tone of voice.
After that, your fur baby goes back to the sofa. Then they’ll try to show you what their problem is.
So naturally, you’ll give them what they asked for.
With this, Fido learns that they’re successful in telling you what they want.
Thus, they’ll remember this and do it again next time. That’s how they learn that trying to talk to hoomans can get your attention.
#2: Dogs are as smart as a 2-year-old kid
Fun fact: Dogs can learn up to 150 words or even more.
That’s based on Dr. Stanley Coren, says a news journal.
How do dogs achieve this, you asked?
Well, another study reports:
Fidos are as smart as a 2-year-old child. That’s how they can process human words.
You know how babies seem to understand what you’re saying? Even though they don’t know how to talk yet?
Yeah, that’s a lot similar to puppies.
So once your furry pal learns a few words…
They’ll find it easier to try to talk to you. And someone invented an item to help dogs with that.
You’ll find out about it below.
#3: Some Fidos learned how to use speaking buttons
There are many videos of a talking pooch circulating the internet…
Oh, I don’t mean like they’re speaking in real human words.
You see, some pups are using buttons to talk to their fur parents.
Though, it’s not just dogs that tried these tools. Other animals did as well. But Fidos made it more popular than ever.
After all, they seem to be very good at using it.
However, science says it has a flaw:
Your pooch might just press buttons. Even without knowing what the recorded words mean.
Instead, dogs only know 1 thing. And it’s the fact that you’ll give them attention. No matter which button they press.
Still, in the end…
Many fur parents strongly think their Fidos can learn how to speak.
Just take a look at Bunny, the Sheepadoodle. She’s known to talk using these buttons. See her in action:
#4: Dogs talk to you the same ways babies would
If you’ve tried taking care of babies…
Then you’d know how they try to communicate.
For example, hooman babies do that by:
- Crying.
- Pointing at things.
- Using eye contact.
Now, don’t dogs use the same methods?
For example, they’d howl when you leave. Or bark when you arrive home.
Sometimes, Fido would nudge an item with their nose. Almost like they’re pointing something out for you.
Or in other cases…
They’ll stare at places they want to reach. Like they’re saying, “Hooman, I wanna go outside.”
That’s how dogs talk to you just like how babies would.
Find out more: 11 Cute Reasons Why Your Dog Nudges Things With His Nose
#5: 19 referential signaling that dogs use
Remember what I said at the beginning of this article?
When your pooch tries to talk to you, they’re using what experts call:
Referential signaling.
And based on the same study that I linked in fun fact #1…
Dogs use referential gestures. And based on another research, here are 19 signals that Fidos use:
- Licking.
- Nudging.
- Shuffling.
- Jumping.
- Chomping.
- Toy flicking.
- Rolling over.
- Head rubbing.
- Paw reaching.
- Crawling under.
- Raising 1 paw up.
- Turning their head.
- Lifting 1 back leg up.
- Standing on hind legs.
- Touching with their paws.
- Moving their head forward.
- Resting 1 paw on you or a material.
- Resting their front paws on you or an object.
- Placing their head underneath you or an item.
Now, these are all about body language. And your pooch uses them to try and talk to you.
But when they think you’re not responding to these signals…
That’s the time they’ll start barking. It could even sound like they’re demanding from you.
If Fido could actually talk, they might say something like:
“I tried to tell you what I wanted by licking you, but you didn’t listen. So now I’m barking instead.”
Other than that, they might whine, howl, or groan to tell you this.
My, what a vocal fur baby are they.
Check out also: Do Dogs Think In Barks? 5 Things You Need To Know
What do dogs hear when humans talk to them?
Dogs only hear sounds when humans talk to them. That means they don’t always know what you’re saying.
“But you said dogs could learn up to 150 words or more.”
Yes, I did.
Though, Fidos won’t pick up on it right away. So at first, they only hear noises.
You see, there are some skills dogs use to learn some words. This means they don’t actually understand your language.
Instead, what Fidos actually do when you talk to them is:
They pay attention to your actions. And they’ll connect it to the sound they hear.
For example, you said: “It’s time to eat.”
Then you bring out their favorite doggie meals.
With that, your pooch might think:
“Oh. When my hooman said ‘eat,’ they gave me my food.”
That’s how Fido can make the connection. From there, they learn what the sound refers to.
See? It’s similar to how you and I learn languages too.
At first, you won’t understand everything right away. But isn’t it easier to learn words when they’re paired with actions?
That’s why in the beginning…
When you talk to Fido, all they hear are sounds without meanings.
So it’s up to you as their fur parent to teach them about it.
Just like guiding a baby to say their first words.