We knew the talking parrots, now let’s go to the dogs, in any case to a dog. His name is Coco, he is one year old, and he knows 34 words. His mistress Meiyun Xu is a doctoral student in language sciences at the University of Dijon. As part of her thesis, she needs to test theories and therefore learn to “talk” to her dog. For this, she uses a sound mat, with buttons that Coco presses when he wants something. You can find his progress on Instagram: more than 3,000 people follow his account.
How to teach a dog to talk?
Since Coco was three months old, Meiyun Xu has been teaching her dog words. “To teach him the word get out, I tell him orally for a while. Then, as soon as I say the word get out, I click on the button. So he understands that the button says the same thing as me”she explains. Then, he can claim toys or actions himself by pressing the buttons on the mat whenever he wants. She can also ask him questions, which he answers.
The idea is that Coco knows even more words : “for example, words that I already say to him orally like “ok” or other toys” says Meiyun. Problem, the mat does not currently have enough buttons.
A system that is used on a daily basis
The doctoral student admits that there are other ways for a dog to make himself understood, by bringing a toy for example, but with this system, communication is more accurate. “Sometimes when he cries, I don’t understand what he wants, so I ask him with the buttons. He replies ‘go out’ or ‘play’ depending on it”, explains Meiyun. This system can also be useful when Coco is not in the same room as her mistress.
In addition to everyday utility, everything Coco learned will be used in an experiment for Meiyun’s thesis.