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Dog talk is not barking mad

Terri Judd
Thursday 10 June 2004 00:00 BST
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Scientists believe they have proved that barking dogs are attempting to communicate with their owners.

Scientists believe they have proved that barking dogs are attempting to communicate with their owners.

Research published in New Scientist today concludes a channel of communication has evolved between man and his best friend.Scientists have long suspected that there might be a human-linked meaning to barking because it is a behaviour seen chiefly in domestic dogs.

A team led by Adam Miklosi, of Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, conducted a study involving 10 canines and 90 humans.First the researchers recorded barks produced when the dogs were placed in seven different situations. Then the human volunteers had to match the recordings to the situations to which the dogs were exposed.

The rate of success was about twice what would be expected by chance."People seem to have a feel for certain sounds," Dr Miklosi said.

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