This initial, small study of about 60 dogs found that, yes, dogs seem to understand words like "play" and "outside" regardless of whether those words are spoken by their owner or triggered by a button. Importantly, the dogs did not have any context clues like humans' body language or props as they were tested and processed the words even if their owner wasn't present.
Comprehension should come before production, says Federico Rossano, a cognitive scientist at the University of California, San Diego and the lead author of the paper. It's the same with kids: First, they understand what you mean by ball and milk; and then, they ask for it.
The fact that they can understand any language at all is incredible to me. It's like a testament to their attention, capacity and flexibility as cognitive creatures because they don't have anything like that in their natural system, says Alexandra Horowitz, a professor of animal cognition at Barnard College.
This kind of interaction seems like it could be true communication but before scientists can answer that question, they have to take a step back and answer another question first: Can the dogs even understand the words they hear as each button is pressed?
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