Animal language is far more complex than we can ever imagine

Another day, another cute story about how dogs can grasp elements of human language and use them to communicate with us.

- Helen Pilcher

First, there was Mr Waffles, the Yorkshire terrier that “talks” to his owners by pressing electronic buttons pre-programmed with words and phrases. In one of his videos, the pint-sized pooch stares at the camera and responds to an empty packet of treats by pressing the “I don’t give a damn” button. Followed by the “bitch” button. Bad dog, Mr Waffles.

Then, last month, researchers reported that some dogs can mentally categorise their toys depending on their use. “Fetch toys” can be distinguished from “tug of war toys”, and retrieved appropriately.

I’m a dog owner. At first glance, the study seems to confirm what I already knew - that my dog understands everything I say - but while interactions like this tell us something about how smart dogs are, they barely scrape the surface of their communicative abilities.