Dog Tranlators
Posted November 1st, 2001
Did you ever wonder what your dog was thinking? Thanks to the Takara toy company in Japan, you may get a chance to find out. Early in 2002, Takara plans to launch
its new toy, the "Bow-lingual," a device to help dog owners better understand their pets.
The Bow-lingual is a small electronic device that receives signals from a microphone underneath a dog’s collar. The microphone records the dog’s barks, growls, whimpers,
and other noises and sends the signal to a handheld device. The display on the device uses words to describe the dog’s feelings based on the sound it makes.
There are six basic emotions measured by the Bow-lingual, but the device uses about 200 words to describe varying degrees of them, including "happy," "fun,"
"annoyed," and "frustrated." Dog owners can also use this device to track the moods of their dogs from day to day.
Dogs communicate using sounds, body language, and scents. Sometimes the sounds can mean different things depending on the body language. For instance, a growling dog
with a tail in pointed up in the air usually indicates aggression. However, a growling dog with its front feet stretched out and its hind legs in the air means it is being playful.
Most dog trainers understand these basic communication tools and implement them when training the animals. For example, direct eye contact is a challenge to a dog
and is often used in scolding and correction. Lowering your voice to a "growl" is another way to get across to your dog that you are upset.
Sometimes people don’t realize that dogs communicate differently than we do. With dogs, the tone of voice is much more important to the message than the actual words.
Saying "bad dog" or "no" in a calm, even tone does not elicit the same response as when the words are said in a harsh, gruff tone.
While the Bow-lingual does not detect body posture or scents, it is the first step to understanding more of what is going on in the minds of dogs. The use of Bow-lingual
by new pet owners may help in deciphering the personality of a dog, making it easier for the owners to know what methods to use in training their dog.
Takara will begin marketing its Bow-lingual toy in Japan in early 2002. While you won’t be able to find it in toy stores in the United States, there are plans to eventually
market it out of the country.
Activity
Use the Internet to learn more about how dogs communicate. Make a "Dog Dictionary" that describes what dogs mean when they make certain sounds or
display a certain body language.
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