Could dogs one day speak 'human'?

Pet translator that converts growls and barks into English could be available in just ten years

In just ten years your dog could talk to you instead of barking, according to leading experts. Advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning mean the Dr Dolittle dream of communicating with animals could be a reality.

One researcher is currently collecting thousands of videos of dogs barking, growling and moving around, and is using them to teach an algorithm to understand canine communication.

Professor Con S lo bod chik off from Northern Arizona University is developing new technology that interprets the calls of the prairie dog and says it could eventually be used to interpret other animals.

North American rodents prairie dogs have sophisticated ways of calling group members and alerting them to danger. They warn other members of the pack about potential dangers in great detail – even describing a threat as being a ‘thin, brown coyote approaching quickly’.

'I thought, if we can do this with prairie dogs, we can certainly do it with dogs and cats,' Professor Slobodchikoff, who has been studying the animals for more than 30 years. Back in 2013, Professor Slobodchikoff who is author of Chasing Doctor Dolittle: Learning the Language of Animals, suggested this technology would be available within ten years with extensive research.

(© Daily Mail, London)