These 3 Recent Studies Radically Change What We Understand About Dogs

[Judi Lynn]

AYLIN WOODWARD, BUSINESS INSIDER

7 SEPTEMBER 2020

It often seems impossible to know what's going on in Fido's head as he lounges on his dog bed.

But a handful of new studies offer surprising insights about how our canine companions age, perceive human speech, and find their way home.

A study published last month showed that dogs understand verbal communication just like we do: They parse out tone then meaning as separate aspects of human speech.

Dogs may also use Earth's magnetic field like a compass to find their way home, other recent research revealed.

And another study published this summer found that puppies age much faster than older dogs do: which means you're probably underestimating your dog's human-age equivalent.

Taken together, these recent discoveries may change how you understand your pet.

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/three-new-studies-radically-change-what-we-understood-about-dogs

[krispos42]

1. A few years ago I found a better formula for dogs' ages

First year is equal to 14 human years, then 5 years for each subsequent year.

Equivalent age = actual age minus one, times 5, then add 14.

So a 10-year-old dog is human-equivalent to 59. Seems reasonable... and doesn't require a calculator or natural logs.