Your Dog is Trying to Reach You

While your dog isn’t trying to reach you in regards to your car’s extended warranty, they might be trying to ask for your help. In an effort to understand the complexities of dog vocalization, a new study has suggested that dogs will vocalize, whine, or bark to “ask” their owners for help.

They tested the dogs by putting them in a room with a stranger who had an enticing plate of food. The stranger placed the food on a shelf the dogs could not reach, then left the room. Not long after, the dogs’ owners would enter the room. 

Researchers observed a significant change in behavior in the dogs once their owners had entered. 68 percent of the dogs who started vocalizing directed their barking or whining towards their owners as opposed to the food. 

The dogs directed their communication to their owners as a bid to communicate to them about the food, the researchers believe. They also noticed that some of the dogs changed the acoustic quality of their barks when in the presence of their owners. Researchers suggest that dogs vocalize differently depending on what and with whom they are trying to communicate. As reported by India Times.