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Scientists develop dog 'translator'


Still Waters

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A group of inventors in Sweden and Finland claims to be close to developing a dog-to-English translator.

The Nordic Society for Invention and Discovery says its prototype, 'No More Woof,' will analyse animal thought processes and turn them into human language.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...onment-25559116

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So much of canine communication has to do with body language vs just the sound a dog makes. I'm also a bit confused about exactly how these folks claim to "analyse animal thought"? Honestly, one really has to look at dogs in order to understand them. I listened to the interview and still came away uncertain as to what they are doing there.

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Gary Larson

post-143986-0-64106400-1388613221_thumb.

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As well as "hey, hey, hey" I suspect there's a great deal of "pet me, feed me, walk me, play with me" involved in dog to human communication!

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"I want steak!"

There, done.

Edit: Dog's have lived with us for thousands of years, they have their body language. I don't need a translator.

Edited by Likely Guy
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Yeah, I can pretty much always tell what my dogs are saying. I suspect these 'translators' will be useful to only real 'newbie' dog owners.

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I'm picturing a few folk might regret finding out what their dogs have to say about various aspects of the owner/pet relationship :w00t: .

I don't need a translator for my Matilda and she certainly doesn't need one for me or anyone else. Her mind reading skills are legendary.

I bought some flea treatment for her. Made no big deal about it and put it on the kitchen counter at my parents place until the right moment after a family lunch with nephew, his girlfriend and folks. She was fine, right up until my dad got up and decided to use it on her (she was napping at my feet). Now I didn't know where he was going or what he was up to and neither did anyone else in the house - she sure did, made a beeline for the nearest bed and scooted into the farthest corner beneath it she could get knowing full well none of us could fit under there and reach her, all done before he had even made it into the kitchen proper. Sometimes she scares me a little with her insights :unsure2:

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Seems silly to me. Seems there are only a few barks worth knowing.

Give me some

What's that

Who's there

Stop it

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My dog only barks when someone rings that buzzer, that's it. Other than that it is all body language and as pretty much any dog owner can tell you, you learn what your dog is thinking and the dog learns what you are thinking. I do have to admit thought that my dog is better at reading me than I am at reading him.

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I would agree that dogs have become very sensitive to their owner's thoughts with respect to the owner's body language and voice.

And vice-versa.

My dog, which has a spinal injury such that she can't use her rear legs or pee on her own, come's over to me and starts voluntarily shaking. She's giving me a signal we have both learned to know.

I say "Do you want to go out?" and she scampers towards the door.

And other times, when I give her a loving smile she immediatedly becomes relaxed. If I "look" mad she becomes tense.

She can sense when my wife comes home(likely the sound of her car) and does a sweet, gentle barking.

With strangers at the door she has a different, much louder sound, like protectively aggravated.

I love our dog.

Edited by pallidin
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I think allot of it is training.

When I first got my current dog, he couldn't tell if I was angry. However over time he has learned and willscamper to hide in his cage if he can tell I'm angry. Same with wanted to go outside. He'll stand by the door. If I don't notice him, he will scratch at the door. He knows that will get the door open for him.

When it is night time and I turn the TV off before I go to bed, he will go get in his cage. He only started doing that after a couple months of me going over to the cage and saying "cage boy".

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A guy showed up at a talent agent's office with a dog.

"what's with the dog?" asked the agent.

"You're not going to believe this! I have the world's only talking dog. Listen to this: What's on top of a building?"

"WOOF!"

"See, he said 'roof!' Now what's sandpaper feel like?"

"WOOF!"

"See that, he says 'rough!' Who's the greatest baseball player who ever lived?"

"WOOF!"

"See, he said "Ruth!"

The agent gets up from behind his desk and slams the door right in the man and his dog's face.

The dog looks up at the man and says "Maybe I should have said "DiMaggio?"

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I've never needed a translator to understand a dog. They even have eye brows!

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I think it would be more useful if you did this the other way round. My dog always used to act as if she thought I was never coming home again after I'd been to work. I'd like to have been able to explain to her I'd be home soon rather than her spending the time thinking, 'That's it, I've been abandoned.'

Which kind of reminds me of a joke.

Want to know who loves you more out of your wife and your dog?

Lock them both in the car for a couple of hours and see which one is pleased to see you when you let them out.

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I've never needed a translator to understand a dog. They even have eye brows!

That's so true and I've never thought about that.

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Even amongst humans, most of our communication is largely survival-oriented, where two-thirds of communication is non-verbal and upwards to eighty percent is visual. We tend to size-up an individual within a few seconds of meeting. So, a translator might be beneficial, but we likely will benefit more by a better understanding and definition of the non-verbal cues.

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Interesting but there are more important things then researching toys.

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Dexter all ready created this.

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