(Picture Credit: Heather Paul/Getty Images)
Sophie Jacques, an Associate Professor at Dalhousie University for Psychology and Neuroscience, is producing vital research on behalf of service dogs.
In a recent study, she determined that some dogs understand more human words than others. Word recognition could predict other abilities that might help in choosing and training service dogs.
With the training of service dogs being quite costly, Jacques hopes to better understand how to train them effectively, reports Evolution News.
Further Study On Dog Cognitive Ability From Sophie Jacques
Yes, your dog can understand what you’re saying — to a point, according to #DalhousieU‘s Dr. Sophie Jacques. https://t.co/e5RaOkfS6d pic.twitter.com/2fnIjCZXSX
— Dalhousie University (@DalhousieU) January 20, 2022
In 2015, Jacques launched her study. She developed “a list of 172 words organized in different categories.” These categories are ones typical of dog life, such as food, commands, toys, and various spaces, or locations, where they dwell or play.
From there, the list was passed on to 165 dog parents. Some were everyday families, and some were individuals who interact with dogs in a more professional capacity.
Both were asked to engage with their dogs using these words and record which ones they responded to consistently.
“We found, on average, service dogs respond to 120 words, whereas family pets respond to about 80 words,” Jacques conveyed in her study, published by Mind Matters News.
“We also found that certain breed groups, such as herding dogs like Border Collies and toy dogs like Chihuahuas, respond to more words and phrases than other breed types…”
Last year, we reported on a study about Border Collies that aligns with Jacques’ findings.
What Does This Mean For Service Dogs?
Part of Jacques’ mission with this study is to provide practical value. “…it is very expensive to train puppies for service work and many do not make the final cut,” she says, which is accurate.
“If early word-based responding abilities predict later behavioral and cognitive abilities” then the expense of training could stretch much further, which would then result in a more affordable training process for those in need.
How many human words do you think your dog understands? Did think word recognition is more important for service dogs? Let us know in the comments below.