BowLingual: Translating the Barks of Numerous Dog Breeds
The developers of BowLingual evaluated thousands of barks and recorded the accompanying body language to develop a means of translating the communications of more than 80 dog breeds. Researchers collected dog owners’ interpretations of their own dogs’ barks and body language. These data were catalogued and analyzed to decode the ‘language of dog.’ The result was BowLingual. For more information on the science behind BowLingual and its development, go to the BowLingual Science page.
In their communication research, BowLingual developers determined that canine emotion breaks down into six different categories: happy, sad, frustrated, needy, on-guard/territorial, and assertive/showing-off. All forms of canine communication, including barks, howls and growls, are an effort to express one of these emotions.
BowLingual assesses the tone and other aspects of the bark, categorizes it into one of the canine emotions and then pairs the emotion with an appropriate phrase, such as “I feel great”, “Let’s go”, “Listen to me”, and “I miss you” to facilitate communication between dogs and humans.
How to use BowLingual:The many faces of the BowLingual Translator
1) Enter your dog’s information into the BowLingual LCD receiver by
selecting the best match to your dog from the pre-programmed list of dog breeds. More than 84 dog
breeds are in the database.
However, if you have a mixed breed you can still use BowLingual. Just select your dog’s weight range and muzzle shape.
2) Type in your dog’s name and gender.
3) Attach the transmitter to your dog’s collar.
4) When your dog barks, the sound is transmitted to your wireless
hand-held receiver. BowLingual
analyzes the bark and matches the sound against the database.
5) The LCD panel on the receiver
displays an icon that matches one of the six canine emotions along with an appropriate translation
phrase, allowing communication between you and your dog like never before.
It is important to note that because a dog’s “voice” changes as he develops, BowLingual is not as accurate with puppy barks as it is with adult dog barks.
BowLingual functions in a variety of different modes, allowing you to interact with your dog in many ways. To find out more about what BowLingual can do for you, check out the BowLingual Modes page.
Curious about what dog breeds are programmed into BowLingual? Check out the following list. And, remember, if you have a mixed breed dog, BowLingual will still work for you!
