Human & Animal Communication How humans and their pets (cats & dogs) communicate Kaleigh gardner 4.5.18

Dogs And Cats Most people, especially in the United States, have either a dog or cat, or both! Humans and their pets have communicating for a long time. American Animal Hospital Association says: 63% of owners say “I love you” to their pet. 78% Use a special voice when speaking to them. 80% refer to themselves as their pet’s mom or dad.

main Types of Communication between owners and pets Sounds Body Language Odor main Types of Communication between owners and pets

Feline Communication In the wild, feral cats don’t purr or meow. This is a vocal characteristic specific to human communication. In fact, if you have ever seen a mommy-cat talk to her babies, it is a unique and “coo” type sound. Cats generally “talk” to each other with body language and pheromones that they put off. https://youtu.be/cvGCHS7tuPA

Canine communication Dogs in some ways can be more expressive than cats. They use a combination of communication skills to convey their message. They can even imitate human sounds. For example, dogs might learn a modified sound pattern that they can recreate. Of course, they are also treat motivated to learn new sounds.

Rico Knows over 200 words “Fast Maping” technique that we also use with children. Was able to associate an unfamiliar toy with unfamiliar word and retrieve it on the first try.

The History Behind it Explanations for Man’s Best Friend. Does it seem as though dogs have a tighter bond with humans? Well, dogs might be our oldest friend. The current estimate concludes that dogs became domesticated between 15,000 and 16,000 years ago. Dogs likely spilt from wolves anywhere from 18,000 years ago. In 2013, researchers at the Chinese Academies of Science wrote, “In addition to sharing genes that deal with diet and behavior, dogs and humans also share diseases, including obesity, obsessive-compulsive disorder, epilepsy, and some cancers including breast cancer.” Research supports that once dogs derived from wolves, they started following tribes of humans to retrieve food leftovers. As the two species got closer, dogs with less aggressive behavior got to stay within the tribe. They acted as protectors and companions. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

The History Behind It While dogs quickly became useful for humans for hunting and protection, cats took longer to domesticate. Ironically enough, it is believed that cats sort of domesticated themselves. When humans settled down into solid structures and cities, cats came to eat the mice. As humans adjusted to their presence and aloof characteristics, cats continued to invite themselves in. Ancient Egyptians and Romans valued and even treasured cats. A cat cemetery was found in Beni-Hassan with over 300,000 cat mummies. For unknown reasons, cats were demonized in Europe in the Middle Ages. Many cats murdered for being “ the devil’s companion”. Cats didn’t become popular in the West until the 1600s. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

It’s just a dog…….

Citations http://guardianlv.com/2014/05/pets-and-their-owners-can-they-communicate/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2251326/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/survey-of-pet-owners-reveals-how-much-they- love-their-pets/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1464252/Rico-the-collie-that-can- understand-200-words.html https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130514-dogs-domestication- humans-genome-science/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-house-cats- 158390681/