With the emergence of AI and machine learning come many questions for gaining a better understanding of the world we live in. Humans have lived with canines for centuries and some researchers believe they were domesticated in “Siberia 26,000 – 19,700 years ago by Ancient North Eurasians.” (“Domestication of the Dog,” 2024) Due to the long-standing intimate bonds humans have developed with canines, communication with the species is a fascinating field of study. By better understanding how and why canines communicate, humans can harness the species for scientific benefits, for example, service animals to help people with emotional or communication disorders.

                         Currently, there are differing opinions as to canine vocalizations and whether there is intelligence behind the sounds, or simply a response to stimuli. Most researchers do agree there is a uniqueness to canine vocalizations, but the debate of intent still exists. Because machine learning is an emerging technology, research in this area is limited, but there have been some studies focusing on breed variations, wolves vs domesticated canines, emotion, and intelligence behind the vocalizations.

                         It is important to expand on this research because of the implications concerning daily interactions as well as medical interventions with canines. Canines are a large part of society and understanding and interacting with them can bring incredible benefits as well as enhanced safety around the species. For example, if vocalizations were understood, humans would be able to better recognize warning signs from aggressive canines, preventing bites or attacks. Another example would be in the case of a person with a communication or emotional disorder being able to employ a service animal to alert to a medical condition they have. By better understanding canine vocalizations, combined with machine learning technology, a device would be able to interpret the canine vocalization back to the person, allowing them to better understand their service animal and potentially save lives. This research is also important for canines. Suppose the owner of a canine is away, and a dog-sitter is unfamiliar with the canine. With the use of a device trained to the specific canine, the care would be greatly increased for the canine.

               Is it possible for a teachable machine to interpret the reason Canis lupus familiari is vocalizing based on a variety of audio files? It is believed that a teachable machine will be able to determine and output the reason for Canis lupus familiari vocalization and provide a percentage indicating the confidence level of the model with its prediction. It may be discovered during the research, that the teachable machine can recognize additional variations in vocalizations for the same events and environments. There is a chance the teachable machine cannot differentiate the sounds depending on the environment or the event.