communicate.

fPat, Flickr To humans, a growl is a growl. But to dogs, all growls are not created equal, it seems. Those growling sounds contain a wealth of important information to other canines, according to new research described in Discovery News. For a recent study, Peter Pongracz, a behavioral biologist at Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary, recorded growls from 20 pet dogs in three different scenarios: watching a threatening stranger approach, playing tug-of-war with their owners and facing off with another dog for a bone. Then he played the recordings to other dogs as they chewed on meaty calf bones (yum!). The dogs that heard tapes of the bone-guarding dogs backed away from their snacks in ...

"So, what are you going to give me for this cup?" Photo: Lance McCord/Flickr If you pride yourself on being able to interpret your pup's every whine and whimper, you might be disappointed to learn the cold, hard truth: Decoding different dog barks is little more than child's play, according to U.S. News & World Report. Researchers at Brigham Young University report that babies can understand the meanings of different dog barks well before they say their first word. BYU psychology researchers showed six-month-old babies two photos of the same dog. In one shot, the dog had a playful, friendly stance, in the other, the dog assumed an aggressive pose. Then the researchers played sound clips ...