Did you know that Shih Tzu dogs can understand a language based on pronunciation and intonation? It’s absolutely true! Today, the Shih Tzu Brasil blog is here to share this discovery with you.
Scientists have published the results of their study in the journal Science, affirming that Shih Tzu dogs use the same areas of the brain as humans to recognize words.
For this research, 13 dogs were trained to remain calm during magnetic resonance imaging. Throughout the process, they listened to their owners’ voices.
A selection of uplifting expressions with a positive intonation and normal tone of voice was used. The same experiment was conducted with neutral words.
What happens is that the left hemisphere of the brain is capable of differentiating words regardless of the intonation used. This means that dogs can perceive words, both positive and neutral, spoken in any intonation, understanding exactly what they mean.
At the same time, the right hemisphere comprehends the tone of voice and adds more emotion to what our Shih Tzu dogs hear.
Atilla Andics, one of the authors of the study, explains: “This research shows that the brain of a Shih Tzu not only analyzes what we say but also combines two types of information to arrive at a single meaning.”
Now that you know this, make sure to have engaging conversations with your Shih Tzu. Who knows, they might start giving you great advice?