This was an odd study.. I just had to share.
Turn Your Computer Into Dr. Doolittle
Source: Fox News
Computer Translates Dog Barks
Can't understand what your dog wants when it barks? A computer may be able to help.
Scientists at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, recorded more than 6,000 barks uttered by 14 individual Mudis, or Hungarian sheepdogs, in six different situations — "stranger," "fight," "walk," "alone," "ball' and "play."
They then fed the sounds to a computer program, which was able to correctly categorize the barks 43 percent of the time — far from perfect, but much better than the 16.7 percent rate that would have arisen by chance.
The computer had the best results with the "fight" and "stranger" contexts, the worst with "play."
It was also able to pick out individual dogs just by the sound of their barks slightly more than half the time — again, much better than chance.
"Since we have no reasons to say that Mudis are special among other dog breeds, I am pretty sure that this method for categorizing barks could work in other dog breeds' barks as well," study leader Csaba Molnár told London's Daily Telegraph.
Shoot... I don't need a computer to tell me those things. My dogs' bark is distinctly different depending on what they're doing. I guess if they are new to your family the computer might help. What do you think?
Oh, my wife is going to love this! I once asked her why one of our dogs was feeling sick and she said, in all seriousness,"He didn't say." ?! :wacko
I call "NO WAY"
I agree with Jen....but the computer thing...C'MON!!! If you need a computer to GUESS what you're dog is barking about and then be correct MAYBE 4 in 10 times.....you shouldn't have a dog. ::)
Is this the same University that came out with a study not too long ago that claimed "Men and Women Think Differently".....Actually that may have been a, sadly, U.S. university......Obvious State University