Learn your dogs langauage

Artificial Intelligence researchers at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary have been able to identify the similarities in barks in certain situation, and can understand them better than humans can!

These findings suggest computers might significantly help people comprehend animal communication. Scientists tested artificially intelligent software on more than 6,000 barks from 14 Hungarian sheepdogs.

Six different kinds of barks were taped:

Barks for strangers were recorded when a researcher approached a dog's owner's home when the owner was away.

Barks during fights were recorded at dog training schools, when a trainer encouraged dogs to bite the glove on the trainer's arms and bark aggressively.

• Barks for walks were recorded when owners behaved as if they were preparing to go for a walk with their dogs.


• Barks for balls were recorded when owners held balls in front of dogs.


• Barks during playtime were recorded when owners played tug-of-war or similar games with dogs.


• Barks made when alone were recorded when owners tied dogs to trees in a park and then walked out of sight.

After analyzing digital versions of the barks, overall the computer program correctly identified the kinds of barks the dogs made 43 percent of the time — about the same as humans' 40 percent, said researcher Csaba Molnár, an ethologist at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary.

The software identified 'walk' and 'ball' barks better than people, although people identified 'play' and 'alone' barks better than the software. The program also could identify which dog made each bark 52 percent of the time. Molnár and his colleagues had previously found that people can not reliably distinguish between individual Hungarian sheepdogs by their barks at all.

"I'm pretty sure this could work with any animal vocal signals," Molnár told LiveScience.
Molnár thinks dogs are ideal for study because humans and canines have spent thousands of years living together. "At least you know what the humans intend in any communication between them and dogs," he explained. "When you have communication just between animals, it's much harder to study what they mean."

In future experiments, the researchers will compare barks from different breeds. Since these dogs were bred for different jobs, this could result in differences in their barks, Molnár said. Molnár and his colleagues detailed their findings on January 15 in the journal Animal Cognition.

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Pet Behavior

Nuisance barking can be a serious problem. It can frustrate families and irritates neighbours. For dogs,barking is communication; they’retrying to tell us something or get our attention.

Dogs bark naturally to alert the pack that something is going on, to communicate discomfort or fear, or to indicate a threat is present. Of course, thatthreat might be the garbage truck rumbling on the street, but the dog doesn’t know that, so he barks to let the pack know that something’s up.

Nuisance barking can be a serious problem. It can frustrate families and irritate neighbours. Nuisance barking occurs for several reasons. Dogs are pack animals; when they are left alone, some become stressed when the pack leaves without them. This is called separation
anxiety and is a common cause of nuisance barking.

A nuisance barker, a dog that barks at birds, noises, the neighbors, passing pedestrians or
other dogs is not a good watchdog. A dog like this is similar to a car alarm that keeps going
off for no reason. People will eventually take no notice, even when he barks for a legitimate
reason. He will only annoy the entire neighbourhood.

A good watchdog is one that barks only when someone attempts to enter your property or when there is imminent danger. Your dog can be trained to exhibit good barking habits, providing you can communicate what is acceptable barking and what is not.

The key is providing clear pack leadership and communicating limitations and reinforcing it.
This is done by using the same instinctual communication method as a dog’s pack – voice tones and body language. When your dog barks at an inappropriate time, stand at your full height and correct the behaviour with a loud, low-toned growl –any guttural tone will suffice.

As soon as the dog obeys, even for a short time, offerpleasant, high-toned praise. Correct the dog in the same manner if he restarts. Monitor the barking and only correct your dog for those things that do not constitute good watchdog barking. Praise your dog when it barks at appropriate times.

Consistently following this process will teach the dog that barking in one situation gets corrected while silence gets praised. Your dog will make the mental connection between not barking in certain circumstances and receiving the desired positive praise. Some puppies show early signs of nuisance barking.

A young pup that barks at people or noises before the age of 8 or 9 months is an indication that you might have a budding nuisance barker. Typically, this is a nervous pup that worries about everything. If you have a pup that is starting to bark at everything that moves, discipline him in the same way – with a low-toned correction the moment he starts to bark. Praise him as soon as he is quiet.

For more difficult cases, clap your hands and at the same time growling your correction. This
should help stop any premature nuisance barking. Some dogs are naturally apprehensive or fearful. These nervous or unconfident dogs at times bark out of fear of the unknown. More confident, dominant dogs bark to indicate territorial dominance. These types of dogs might require professional assistance to remedythe problem.

Dogs need clear, consistent leadership to feel safe and happy, whether within their
packs or with their human families. Most dog owners enjoy gaining a better understanding of
the dog psyche because it strengthens the human-canine connection.

Learning how to communicate effectively with your dog in a language he understands is a critical step in establishing leadership and control, which also provides your canine companion with the
secure feelings he needs – and can eliminate many common behaviour issues, including
nuisance barking.

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