San Diego — If you’ve ever wished your dog could tell you exactly what they want instead of barking at the door, science has good news. A study analyzing how dogs use the app “FluentPet” reveals that dogs can learn to “talk” using soundboards — and they’re doing it with remarkable intentionality.
The research, conducted by scientists from the University of California San Diego’s Comparative Cognition Lab and Johns Hopkins University, analyzed data from 152 pet dogs who used the communication devices in their homes. The study found that dogs can press buttons on the soundboards to express their desires and needs, not just imitate their owners.
The researchers examined over 260,000 button presses over 21 months, with 195,000 of those presses made by the dogs themselves. They found that dogs are pressing buttons purposefully, and when they combine two buttons, these sequences are not random but instead reflect specific requests.
The study also compared dogs’ button choices to those of their owners, revealing that dogs aren’t simply copying their humans’ patterns. For instance, while humans frequently pressed the “I love you” button, dogs used it far less often, suggesting they were making their own distinct choices about which buttons to press.
The most commonly used buttons were related to essential needs and desires, such as “outside,” “treat,” “play,” and “potty.” About 29% of the recorded dog button presses were combinations of multiple buttons, indicating that dogs were making more complex requests.
The research suggests that dogs are learning to associate specific buttons with their desired outcomes, rather than just pressing whatever is convenient. The team is now exploring more ambitious questions, such as whether dogs can use these soundboards to express ideas beyond their immediate needs, like absent objects, past experiences, or future events.