In the paper on Monday was an article which had it been on April 1st I would have taken with a (large) pinch of salt. The article mentioned that a team of experts in dog psychology had discovered that dogs had a regional accent like their owners! "Scottish dogs' barks clearly resembled the Scottish accent with a stronger pitch and a rolling pattern. The accent was also obvious in Liverpool, where dogs' barks were higher pitched, mimicking the strong Scouse accent.It seems that dogs are more able to imitate stronger, more distinctive accents than softer ones."-Tracey Gudgeon of the Canine Behaviour Centre in Cumbria. It is thought a dog's mimickery of it's owner's accent is a sign of affection and a way of strengthening the bond between pet and person.
Well, there was me thinking a dachshund for example would obviously have a German accent and a chihuahua Mexican!

That's hilarious, Erik. Do you have a link to the article?

Yo Dawg! I'll have to pay better attention to the dogs down in da hood and see if they sound like dey rappin.

Well, Top Cat definitely had a strong New York accent.

On reflection I'm not too surprised. The dog thinks it's still a wolf- still has a pack mentality- and still wants to please the pack leader, what better way than to imitate the leader, in other words us, by sounding similar?
On another topic I believe that dogs 1.Know the difference between right and wrong. One of the funniest things in the world is a guilty dog who's trying to cover for it! The averting of gaze, shifting of feet and the desire to distract you is a revelation! 2. Dogs have a sense of humour. I've watched dogs creep up on people, let out an almighty "Woof!"- making someone jump!- and watched them run away obviously satisfied at the joke!

Fascinating about the accents. Wonder if dogs recognize "foreign" dogs as having a different accent. Will Scottish dogs accept a Liverpoodle?

(This was intended to be a serious post, but I couldn't resist the pun.)

quote:

Wonder if dogs recognize "foreign" dogs as having a different accent

Yes. American dogs think British dogs sound gay.

quote:

Originally posted by neveu:

quote:

Wonder if dogs recognize "foreign" dogs as having a different accent

Yes. American dogs think British dogs sound gay.

LOL- nice one!

Pardon me for what very well may be the most ridiculous question that has ever been asked here...but do other animals, besides humans, ever have sexual preferences for their own gender? I mean, are there gay dogs?

Kalleh, I've seen same-sex sheep, cattle, dogs, and various other critters humping one another. Even castrated dogs do it, so it's probably an instinctual thing rather than a hormonal one. I'm not sure about people, though.

Biological Exuberance : Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity by Bruce Bagemihl, 1999, St. Martin's Press

Review of Biological Exuberance

The FABULOUS- - - - - - - - kingdom of GAY animals

They're Using Sheep to Study Gay Behaviour

Tinman

Some dogs also seem to have a liking for lamp posts and, unfortunately, my right leg on occasion...

Robin Williams said he was on a street when he met the leader of the dogs. Short, with knobs, and dogs all salute him.

Thanks for those sites, Tinman. I should have known!