A new study hints that we might be closer than ever to decoding what dogs say when they bark, and that’s really cool.
The study looked at different barks dogs give, and it used artificial intelligence to decode them. Here’s what we know so far.
According to Interesting Engineering, researchers at the University of Michigan have been using artificial intelligence to try and learn more about dogs.
Related: 75 of the Doggone Best Dog Jokes That’ll Have You Barking With Laughter
The study aims to learn more about dog barks, hoping to decode what they’re trying to say based on the different sounds. It also hopes to learn a lot more about dog barks through artificial intelligence.
“The researchers believe that a dog’s bark is closely linked to its context, aligning with evidence suggesting that sounds made by other animals, like monkeys and prairie dogs, can be predicted based on situational context,” the publication shares.
Researchers from the University of Michigan AI Laboratory wanted to see if the artificial intelligence could identify specific emotions in dog breeds, including “aggression, normalcy, negative squeals, and negative grunts,” Interesting Engineering explains.
They then trained their artificial intelligence model on two different datasets, one of which had been pre-trained on 1,000 hours of human speech and dog barks, while the other contained dog barks.
“Surprisingly, the model pre-trained on human speech outperformed the one trained exclusively on dog barks,” the publication explains. “This indicates that patterns and structures inherent in human language can serve as a valuable foundation for interpreting animal vocalizations.”
The researchers found that the AI had a 70% accuracy rate in differentiating between playful and angry barking.
“Our research opens a new window into how we can leverage what we built so far in speech processing to start understanding the nuances of dog barks,” Rada Mihalcea, head of the University of Michigan AI Laboratory, said, according to Interesting Engineering.
“Advances in AI can be used to revolutionize our understanding of animal communication, and our findings suggest that we may not have to start from scratch,” added Mihalcea.
Tips to Help Stop Excessive Barking
If you’re having trouble with your dog’s barking, an expert suggests a few things you can do to minimize it.
According to the American Kennel Club, the first thing you want to do if your dog is barking a lot is to try and find out why they’re barking. Are they looking at someone outside? Wandering and barking? Looking at you when they make the noise? Of course, knowing what each bark sound means would be a lot easier; sometimes, you can figure it out when you’ve had time to get to know your pup.
The club says that since dogs are smart, they sometimes bark for attention. “Dogs learn how to get what they want from their humans, and barking usually gets an immediate response,” they explain. Therefore, many dogs bark for attention when they’re lonely or bored.”
They suggest not doing something to stop the noise, like “throwing a ball or providing pats,” because doing that, “your dog is actually training you. Next thing you know, you’ll be unable to talk on the phone or watch TV without your dog interrupting.”
Depending on why your dog is barking, there are a few solutions to curb its barks with patience and gentle training. Of course, if you’re worried or need more specific help, contacting your vet is always a good move.
