Questão de Inglês — Conjunções e Conectivos (Conjuctions e Linking Words) — FUNDATEC 2021

Dogs Might Understand Commands without Training

When  you  are  adopting  a senior  pet,  or  any  age  dog  that  isn't  a  puppy,  you  might  beconcerned that your new four-legged friend could be challenging to train.               , contrary topopular belief, you might actually be able to teach an old dog new tricks. New research revealsdogs  understand  commands  far  better  than  previously  thought,  which  is  exciting  news  forowners.

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research wanted to findout if dogs without training could understand signals from a human they had never met before.              , they studied 160 strays in three cities in West Bengal, India. Each person would find adog,  place  two  covered  bowls  in  front  of  the  stray,  and  point  at  one  of  them.  They  recordedwhether  the  dog  approached  the  indicated  bowl  as  well  as  its emotional  condition during  theexperiment.

The study, published in Frontiers  of Psychology, revealed the results. Nearly half of thedogs  did  not  go  to  either  of  the bowls.                ,  the  study indicates  those  animals  wereanxious and might have had poor interactions with humans in the past. About 80% of dogs thatdid go toward either bowl went to the correct one. The researchers also reported that the dogsthat went toward the bowls were much more good-natured.

"We  thought  it  was  quite  amazing  that  the  dogs  could  follow  a  gesture  as  abstract  asmomentary pointing," Dr. Anindita Bhadra, one of the researches, says in a news release. "This means that they closely observe the human, whom they are meeting for the first time, and theyuse  their  understanding  of  humans  to  make  a  decision.  This  shows  their  intelligence  andadaptability.

"The researchers did note that each stray's personality was a major factor as to whetherthe  dogs  obeyed  the  commands,  which  means  more  studies  are  required  to  learn  moreabout how dogs' temperament is related to their ability to follow orders. "We need to understandthat dogs are intelligent animals that can co-exist with us," Dr. Bhadra says.

              , if your pooch, new or old, is struggling with basic commands, take a step backand evaluate their demeanor. They might just need to warm up to you first. As Dr. Bhadra says,"A little empathy and respect for another species can reduce a lot of conflict."

(Available in: https://www.marthastewart.com/syndication/new-study-dogs-understand-commands-without-training – text adapted specially for this test).