It turns out women are more fluent in "dog" than men.
Most of us like to think we understand our furry friends.
If your pooch is scratching at the door, it wants it to be opened. If it's lying on its back, it might want a belly rub.
But a study's discovered that women are more likely to understand what dogs are trying to say.
And as a result, dogs are more obedient to females than men.
Image Credit: PexelsAnimal behavioural scientists at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary recorded the sound of 18 canines growling in different scenarios - including feeling threatened by an approaching stranger, guarding food from other dogs, and playing tug of war.
The researchers then asked 40 people to attempt to identify the context of the growl.
They found women consistently scored higher in the task.
And the reason why?
Because women are more empathetic.
The study authors wrote:
"Our recent MRI studies suggest dogs and humans use similar brain areas and probably similar processes to assess others’ emotions from vocalisations.
"Women are likely more emphatic and sensitive to others' emotions and this helps them to better associate the contexts with the emotional content of growls."
