You can’t trick your dog by being mean in a happy voice

Dogs really can understand what we’re saying to them, according to a new study that seems to confirm the dearest wish of many a dog-lover. And yes, that does mean if you say a mean thing to a dog in a friendly tone, the dog knows.

Researchers led by Attila Andics at Hungary’s Eötvös Loránd University put dogs in fMRI scanners after training them to sit still, according to a study published today in Science. The scientists recorded how the dogs’ brains reacted to hearing their trainer say different combinations of human words in different tones. The finding should cheer up anyone who regularly tells their Pekingese about their day: dogs can recognize the meaning of different words and intonations. And their brains do so in a way similar...