We’re One Step Closer to Communicating with Our Dogs

A new study reveals dogs understand words from soundboard buttons.

You might remember those viral videos of dogs using soundboard buttons to communicate with their owners. If you were skeptical back then, you might not be now. A new study has confirmed that dogs really do understand what those buttons mean! They aren’t just reading their owners’ body language—they’re actually processing the words and their meanings, whether they come from a button or their owner. The study was led by cognitive scientist Federico Rossano, who is featured in the Netflix documentary “Inside the Mind of a Dog.” He says they plan to further their research to understand dogs and their abilities.