When we call our beloved dog by name, it often runs over, wagging its tail in excitement. This leads many people to mistakenly believe that dogs can understand their names.
In reality, pets cannot comprehend human language! So why do they know when their owners call them and react joyfully, or even detect us from a great distance before we appear in front of them?
Dogs Recognize by Repetition of Their Names and Scent
Dogs learn their names because we start calling them by those names when they are young, especially during feeding times or while taking them for walks.
Dogs not only recognize us when called by name but can also smell to identify their owners from afar.
This repetition gradually leads them to form a reasoning process, associating that sound in their minds with the desire to gain their owner’s attention.
This is one of the crucial aspects of dog training, which is why training must begin when they are still young. A dog that responds when called by its name is the foundation of any initial training course.
Many people wonder about wild dogs and how their kin can recognize each other.
Some studies suggest that wild dogs tend to focus more on the howling at night or the scents detected by their powerful noses and body language. Your dog can still communicate effectively with other dogs in these ways.
Additionally, dogs are experts at recognizing humans. A well-trained dog can detect and follow any person from kilometers away, particularly distinguishing between strangers and its owner thanks to its keen sense of smell.
They also have excellent eyesight and have developed the ability to decode human behavior and expressions during interactions. A study conducted by animal scientist Paolo Mongillo at the University of Padua, Italy, in 2010 showed that dogs can recognize their owners in a crowd by identifying their faces.
According to the research, when dogs observe a group of people entering and exiting a room, they pay more attention to their owner than to others.
Cats Recognize Their Owner’s Voice
If you have ever wondered, do cats recognize their owners? The answer is: Yes.
Animal behavior experts and owners have observed that cats quickly learn the habits of those living in their environment.
Cats recognize us through their owner’s voice. (Photo: Wanimo).
They can identify who feeds them each day, and cats are particularly adept at recognizing sounds emitted by their owners.
According to scientists, unlike dogs, human faces are not very important to cats; they do not have the ability to decode human gestures and expressions.
Cats do not distinguish us visually; our faces may look similar to them. Instead, cats can recognize their owner’s voice among strangers.
A study conducted by scientists at the University of Tokyo, Japan, showed that cats ignored the voices of others, as they are smart enough to know which voice belongs to their owner calling them for food or bathing.
Both dogs and cats can recognize affection from their owners when they are petted and fed daily.
Additionally, all mammals, including dogs and cats, possess seven basic emotional systems that allow them to respond to information transmitted to their brains through their senses.
These include a seeking system to detect food, a fear system to cope with danger, and a caregiving system to nurture offspring and form other essential social relationships.
Both cats and dogs can also sense emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, and fear, similar to humans. This is also why your pets sometimes seem sulky or ignore their owners.
