Premieres Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream with KPBS+. Can dogs understand what we say—and talk back?

Dogs are great communicators. No, our pups can’t use language in the same way as humans, but we can read a lot from their body language and the sounds they make. And over the last few years, many pet ...

PBS science series examines what dogs’ use of soundboard buttons can reveal about language and cognition ...

Riggie has watched this occur many times, the woman narrating the video explains, and has learned the pattern. So Riggie starts to hit the "play" button on his word mat. "He took it upon himself to ...

PBS’s Wednesday NOVA special “Can Dogs Talk” examines the scientific evidence by exploring the viral social media  phenomenon ...

The Nature of Things explores how dogs might be using human language with the help of buttons on a soundboard.

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Bunny the dog and her button soundboard became a viral hit on ...

Wouldn't it be great to always know what is going on in a dog's mind? Despite the fact that dogs are the oldest domesticated animal (domestication took place roughly between 16,000 and 12,000 years ...

A new study from UC San Diego’s Comparative Cognition Lab shows that dogs trained to use soundboards to “talk” are capable of making two-word button combinations that go beyond random behavior or ...

Christina Hunger spent the morning arguing with her dog. Stella isn’t an ordinary pup. The Blue Heeler/Catahoula mix doesn’t just whine and bark. She uses her words to communicate her frustration to ...