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Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: itadiki on 22/12/2017 19:44:07

Title: Are dogs easier to train spoken to in the language of their country of origin?
Post by: itadiki on 22/12/2017 19:44:07: Hello,

You often see police dog trained in different language that the police is speaking.
For example german shepherd are trained in German.
Belgium Malinois in dutch and so on.

Is there any scientific study (if yes could you provide the name or a link to the study) that show that there is an advantage to train the dog (for lack of better word) in their native tongue ?

Thanks
Title: Re: Are dogs easier to train spoken to in the language of their country of origin?
Post by: syhprum on 22/12/2017 21:28:12: I don't see how dogs can be said to have a native language the verbal communication between dogs is very limited.
Title: Re: Are dogs easier to train spoken to in the language of their country of origin?
Post by: itadiki on 22/12/2017 21:53:45: What I mean by native language is the language of their country of origin.
Title: Re: Are dogs easier to train spoken to in the language of their country of origin?
Post by: alancalverd on 22/12/2017 23:35:58: Quite the opposite seems to be the case.

A few years ago I attended a "defence sales seminar", where military scientists were offering various technologies for civilian adaptation. Lots of good materials science, acoustics, etc., but one of the best presentations was from the army animal group. They offered to train dogs to respond to "a hundred molecules of anything" - great for detecting disease, broken sewers, gas leaks.... even water divining... Their particular pride was search and rescue. On one occasion they had a call from the Polish police for SAR assistance after an earthquake. It turned out to be quicker to teach the British dogs* Polish police vocabulary than to teach the local police the English commands.

*mostly German Shepherds or (American) Golden Retrievers - the key qualities for SAR are strength and temperament, not ethnicity.
Title: Re: Are dogs easier to train spoken to in the language of their country of origin?
Post by: Bored chemist on 23/12/2017 10:53:56: Quote from: itadiki on 22/12/2017 19:44:07
You often see police dog trained in different language that the police is speaking.
I have never seen a dog trained in a language that differed from the handler's (or owner's) mother tongue.
Can you cite evidence?
Title: Re: Are dogs easier to train spoken to in the language of their country of origin?
Post by: alancalverd on 23/12/2017 12:31:46: My neighbour speaks Dutch, but only to her very well-trained Anglo-Hungarian dog. No problem, except for the local vet nurses, or when she leaves the dog with a friend or boarding kennel.
Title: Re: Are dogs easier to train spoken to in the language of their country of origin?
Post by: itadiki on 23/12/2017 15:28:49: Quote from: Bored chemist on 23/12/2017 10:53:56
Quote from: itadiki on 22/12/2017 19:44:07
You often see police dog trained in different language that the police is speaking.
I have never seen a dog trained in a language that differed from the handler's (or owner's) mother tongue.
Can you cite evidence?

My evidence are cops show or youtube video :)
Like on LivePD show and thinks like this
For youtube
youtube.com/watch?v=H3uhatQJeTc
youtube.com/watch?v=yOvgyZTJ7zo
Title: Re: Are dogs easier to train spoken to in the language of their country of origin?
Post by: itadiki on 23/12/2017 15:41:53: Quote from: alancalverd on 23/12/2017 12:31:46
My neighbour speaks Dutch, but only to her very well-trained Anglo-Hungarian dog. No problem, except for the local vet nurses, or when she leaves the dog with a friend or boarding kennel.

Guys and Girls, I totally agree that a dog can be trained in any language. They don t understand the words anyway they just recognise a sound that they associate with a behaviour.
I am french speaking i speak french to my dog (a labrador) but I live in a dutch speaking area.
When I go to the park my dog understand also command in dutch an even english (what lab won t do for a treat)

But my question remains. If you looks at video on youtube or cops show (american one). Most of the commands are given in german for german shepherd and dutch for Belgium Malinois.
Title: Re: Are dogs easier to train spoken to in the language of their country of origin?
Post by: Bored chemist on 23/12/2017 16:19:20: It's not clear to me what languages the commands are in, but two videos out of the whole of dog training doesn't seema large sample.
Perhaps they use a "foreign" language to stop the criminals being able to shout commands to the dog.
Title: Re: Are dogs easier to train spoken to in the language of their country of origin?
Post by: alancalverd on 23/12/2017 23:29:53: Ben Elton used this trick in one of his otherwise-forgettable novels. The bad guy ordered the dog to "Kill", and as the beast rushed towards him, the good guy said "Sit".
Title: Re: Are dogs easier to train spoken to in the language of their country of origin?
Post by: evan_au on 24/12/2017 05:27:32: Quote
Belgium Malinois in dutch

Despite the French name (Malinois), this dog breed is from the predominantly Flemish/Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, from the town of Mechelen - I have driven through it many times...

But human languages are learned (by humans and dogs), so there is no genetic link between origin and the language recognised by dogs (or humans).

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malinois_dog
Title: Re: Are dogs easier to train spoken to in the language of their country of origin?
Post by: chris on 24/12/2017 12:20:25: We might need to use some AI techniques to decode "dog" to understand better what they are "saying" as scientists are doing for dolphins:

https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/science-news/using-ai-recognise-dolphins-sound
https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/interviews/scientists-learn-speak-dolphin