Dogs have been found to be very interested in imitating human behavior. I think that there may be something to studying dogs that at least appear to be trying to imitate human language.
Siberian huskies, of course, do make a lot of different noises, so it is hard to say if this dog is actually imitating or not.
i have been following the recent spate of k9-cognition + behavior experiments with great interest – there have been a flood, compared to decades gone by, when DOGS were not interesting-enuf to be worthwhile for scientific study.
i was very disappointed to read in the book **The Meme Machine** that — other species don;t really imitate. —
they are moving the goal-posts again…
only HUMANS imitate, doncha know – we are unique, we are special, yadda-yadda-yadda… ;-)
i think non-humans do a remarkable amount of imitation – and the only one the author recognizes as valid is bird-song or birds mimicking environmental noises or human speech. :-(
thats a really, really low-level of imitation, IMO. what an impoverished scale to measure by, my word – dogs in studies have imitated humans to find the solution when exiting from behind a fence, to operate a food-dispenser, etc.
and she utterly dismissed the signing + machine-language of various primates… i have yet to see her reaction to Alex, the African-grey that *irene pepperburg* partnered with in an over-30-year study of labeling, concepts, learning, etc.
no doubt Alex was just learning via trail and error. :-)
cheers,
— terry
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
My dog can fetch. Sit. And slobber.
Of course that husky imitates!
Dogs can hear and then distinguish consonants, but also vocals. Just compare between a dog baying “ooo -” AND “eee” – the totally different meanings to any dog!
“Eee” is a low-status warning, from a pup or a young bitch, while “ooo” is an adult voice who is longing for his company.
What comes to consonants, naturally has the letter “R” a very important meaning to them.
And it is not only the simple “syllabes”, but also the exact tone and melodyline. Primitive breeds and some houndbreeds (just like wolves) can also change the pitch to “sing in tune”.
this is not a dog, but a mammal –
http://tinyurl.com/2wflvb8
recent research showing social learning in the form of traditions, in a small-brained carnivore… banded mongoose.
i think imitation occurs far-more commonly than most humans, including many scientists, are comfortable with – as this researcher specifically apologizes for their results with a disclaimer to allay our (human) fears of losing our unique status. ;-)
cheers,
— terry