Dogs use two-word button combos to communicate, study shows

A new study from UC San Diego’s Comparative Cognition Lab shows that dogs trained to use soundboards to “talk” are capable of making two-word button combinations that go beyond random behavior or simple imitation of their owners. Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the study analyzed data from 152 dogs over 21 months, capturing more than 260,000 button presses—195,000 of which were made by the dogs themselves.

“This is the first scientific study to analyze how dogs actually use soundboards,” said senior researcher Federico Rossano, associate professor of cognitive science at UC San Diego and director of the Comparative Cognition Lab. “The findings reveal that dogs are pressing buttons purposefully to express their desires and needs, not just imitating their owners. When dogs combine two buttons, these sequences are not random but instead seem to reflect specific requests.”

The study observed that the buttons most commonly used were related to essential needs, with words such as “outside,” “treat,” “play,” and “potty.” Notably, combinations like “outside” + “potty” or “food” + “water” were used in meaningful ways, occurring more frequently than expected by chance.

For dog owners, this research offers a new way to better understand their pets’ needs. “While dogs already communicate some of these needs,” Rossano said, “soundboards could allow for more precise communication. Instead of barking or scratching at the door, a dog may be able to tell you exactly what it wants, even combining concepts like ‘outside’ and ‘park’ or ‘beach.’ This could improve companionship and strengthen the bond between dogs and their owners.”

Data was collected via the FluentPet mobile app, where owners logged their dogs’ button presses in real time. The research team selected 152 dogs with over 200 logged button presses each to analyze patterns of use. Advanced statistical methods, including computer simulations, were used to determine whether button combinations were random, imitative, or truly intentional. The results showed that multi-button presses occurred in patterns significantly different from random chance, supporting the idea of deliberate communication.

The researchers also compared dogs’ button presses to those of their owners and found that dogs were not simply imitating human behavior. For instance, buttons like “I love you” were far less frequently pressed by dogs than by their people.

While the study provides evidence of intentional two-button combinations, the researchers aim to go further. Future investigations will explore whether dogs can use buttons to refer to the past or future—such as a missing toy—or combine buttons creatively to communicate concepts for which they lack specific words.

“We want to know if dogs can use these soundboards to express ideas beyond their immediate needs, like absent objects, past experiences, or future events,” Rossano said. “If they can, it would drastically change how we think about animal intelligence and communication.”

Rossano’s co-authors on the study are Amalia P. M. Bastos, now at Johns Hopkins University; Zachary N. Houghton, now at UC Davis; and Lucas Naranjo with CleverPet, Inc. While Bastos and Houghton have previously served as consultants to CleverPet, and Naranjo currently works for the company, which manufactures the FluentPet mobile app and soundboard devices, the research design and analysis were conducted independently.