Behavioural and Acoustics Research for K9 Sounds
@barkslab.bsky.social
Research group at the Department of Ethology, ELTE University, supported by an ERC Consolidator Grant. Our mission is to explore vocal learning in dogs by combining cutting-edge technology with interdisciplinary methods.
| https://barks-lab.elte.hu/ |
| https://barks-lab.elte.hu/ |
The BARKS Lab had a fantastic time at #ECBB2026 #ASAB in Cambridge! 🐕🔊🧠
From dog vocal repertoires and barking & howling to emotion, motivation, head shape and neural responses to conspecific calls ,lots of exciting canine science from our team.
Thanks to the organisers for a wonderful week!
From dog vocal repertoires and barking & howling to emotion, motivation, head shape and neural responses to conspecific calls ,lots of exciting canine science from our team.
Thanks to the organisers for a wonderful week!
September 22, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Check out this article about our research!
Our PI @tamsa42.bsky.social and postdoc Sára Sándor, answered some questions about the evolution of speech and how studying dogs can help us better understand it
projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/horizon-m...
Our PI @tamsa42.bsky.social and postdoc Sára Sándor, answered some questions about the evolution of speech and how studying dogs can help us better understand it
projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/horizon-m...
What dogs can teach us about the origins of speech
For over 14 000 years, dogs have hunted with us, guarded livestock, herded sheep and, more recently, curled up beside us on the sofa. Along the way, they have become remarkably good at reading our ges...
projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu
September 14, 2026 at 12:43 PM
Check out this article about our research!
Our PI @tamsa42.bsky.social and postdoc Sára Sándor, answered some questions about the evolution of speech and how studying dogs can help us better understand it
projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/horizon-m...
Our PI @tamsa42.bsky.social and postdoc Sára Sándor, answered some questions about the evolution of speech and how studying dogs can help us better understand it
projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/horizon-m...
🎉New study!
Our postdoc Melina Cordeau used diffusion MRI in 108 dogs to show how human influence shapes the dog brain across two timescales.
Selective breeding reshapes large-scale networks.
Training fine-tunes pathways.
Brain connectivity predicts trainability.
www.jneurosci.org/content/earl...
Our postdoc Melina Cordeau used diffusion MRI in 108 dogs to show how human influence shapes the dog brain across two timescales.
Selective breeding reshapes large-scale networks.
Training fine-tunes pathways.
Brain connectivity predicts trainability.
www.jneurosci.org/content/earl...
Selection and learning shape communication networks in the dog brain
Over tens of thousands of years of coevolution with humans, dogs have developed exceptional communicative abilities through both inherited adaptations and individual learning. Using diffusion MRI trac...
www.jneurosci.org
August 11, 2026 at 8:07 AM
🎉New study!
Our postdoc Melina Cordeau used diffusion MRI in 108 dogs to show how human influence shapes the dog brain across two timescales.
Selective breeding reshapes large-scale networks.
Training fine-tunes pathways.
Brain connectivity predicts trainability.
www.jneurosci.org/content/earl...
Our postdoc Melina Cordeau used diffusion MRI in 108 dogs to show how human influence shapes the dog brain across two timescales.
Selective breeding reshapes large-scale networks.
Training fine-tunes pathways.
Brain connectivity predicts trainability.
www.jneurosci.org/content/earl...
Big congratulations to our postdoc, Mélina Cordeau, on receiving the Fyssen Foundation Young Researcher Award 2026 in Neurobiology!
🎉 Her research reveals how domestication shaped the neural networks underlying dog–human communication and how dogs' brains respond to the human voice.
🎉 Her research reveals how domestication shaped the neural networks underlying dog–human communication and how dogs' brains respond to the human voice.
July 22, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Big congratulations to our postdoc, Mélina Cordeau, on receiving the Fyssen Foundation Young Researcher Award 2026 in Neurobiology!
🎉 Her research reveals how domestication shaped the neural networks underlying dog–human communication and how dogs' brains respond to the human voice.
🎉 Her research reveals how domestication shaped the neural networks underlying dog–human communication and how dogs' brains respond to the human voice.
Congratulations to our postdoctoral researchers, Paula Pérez Fraga @paulapefraga.bsky.social and Rita Lenkei, who were among the winners of the 8th ELTE Science Communication Competition!
You can read their award-winning articles here:
(EN) elte.hu/paula-perez-...
(HU) elte.hu/lenkei-rita-...
You can read their award-winning articles here:
(EN) elte.hu/paula-perez-...
(HU) elte.hu/lenkei-rita-...
July 14, 2026 at 11:03 AM
Congratulations to our postdoctoral researchers, Paula Pérez Fraga @paulapefraga.bsky.social and Rita Lenkei, who were among the winners of the 8th ELTE Science Communication Competition!
You can read their award-winning articles here:
(EN) elte.hu/paula-perez-...
(HU) elte.hu/lenkei-rita-...
You can read their award-winning articles here:
(EN) elte.hu/paula-perez-...
(HU) elte.hu/lenkei-rita-...
Conference season is here 🎉
Our postdoc @paulapefraga.bsky.social travelled to London to attend #sciFAW where presented her work on play-panting in dogs.
Last week, Csenge Reisinger, former Master's student presented a poster on dog vocalizations and head shape at #ISAZ in Paris.
Our postdoc @paulapefraga.bsky.social travelled to London to attend #sciFAW where presented her work on play-panting in dogs.
Last week, Csenge Reisinger, former Master's student presented a poster on dog vocalizations and head shape at #ISAZ in Paris.
July 6, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Conference season is here 🎉
Our postdoc @paulapefraga.bsky.social travelled to London to attend #sciFAW where presented her work on play-panting in dogs.
Last week, Csenge Reisinger, former Master's student presented a poster on dog vocalizations and head shape at #ISAZ in Paris.
Our postdoc @paulapefraga.bsky.social travelled to London to attend #sciFAW where presented her work on play-panting in dogs.
Last week, Csenge Reisinger, former Master's student presented a poster on dog vocalizations and head shape at #ISAZ in Paris.
🎉Check our new study🎉
We found that:
- dogs respond more strongly to a caller’s social motivation than to their emotional state.
- the processing mechanisms for conspecific vocalizations might not directly generalize to cross-species vocalizations.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We found that:
- dogs respond more strongly to a caller’s social motivation than to their emotional state.
- the processing mechanisms for conspecific vocalizations might not directly generalize to cross-species vocalizations.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Dogs’ reactions to motivations and emotions in conspecific and heterospecific vocalizations - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Dogs’ reactions to motivations and emotions in conspecific and heterospecific vocalizations
www.nature.com
May 22, 2026 at 11:03 AM
🎉Check our new study🎉
We found that:
- dogs respond more strongly to a caller’s social motivation than to their emotional state.
- the processing mechanisms for conspecific vocalizations might not directly generalize to cross-species vocalizations.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We found that:
- dogs respond more strongly to a caller’s social motivation than to their emotional state.
- the processing mechanisms for conspecific vocalizations might not directly generalize to cross-species vocalizations.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Our master’s student, Csenge, was accepted to the ASAB Spring Meeting, where she presented a poster on her research.
She is studying how different internal states and head shape affect dog vocalizations.
#dogbehaviour #bioacoustics #ASAB #cognition
She is studying how different internal states and head shape affect dog vocalizations.
#dogbehaviour #bioacoustics #ASAB #cognition
March 25, 2026 at 12:50 PM
Our master’s student, Csenge, was accepted to the ASAB Spring Meeting, where she presented a poster on her research.
She is studying how different internal states and head shape affect dog vocalizations.
#dogbehaviour #bioacoustics #ASAB #cognition
She is studying how different internal states and head shape affect dog vocalizations.
#dogbehaviour #bioacoustics #ASAB #cognition
Student opportunities (BSc / MSc / Internships)
Interested in dog vocal communication, emotion, or dog–human interaction?
Join our research group for a short research stay in ethology, bioacoustics & neuroscience .
DM us or write us an email to [email protected]
#interships #students
Interested in dog vocal communication, emotion, or dog–human interaction?
Join our research group for a short research stay in ethology, bioacoustics & neuroscience .
DM us or write us an email to [email protected]
#interships #students
January 12, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Student opportunities (BSc / MSc / Internships)
Interested in dog vocal communication, emotion, or dog–human interaction?
Join our research group for a short research stay in ethology, bioacoustics & neuroscience .
DM us or write us an email to [email protected]
#interships #students
Interested in dog vocal communication, emotion, or dog–human interaction?
Join our research group for a short research stay in ethology, bioacoustics & neuroscience .
DM us or write us an email to [email protected]
#interships #students
Thank you for supporting us throughout 2025! Check out our little sum up of it!
We can't wait to see the exciting studies and experiences 2026 has to offers! ✨
We can't wait to see the exciting studies and experiences 2026 has to offers! ✨
January 8, 2026 at 12:06 PM
Thank you for supporting us throughout 2025! Check out our little sum up of it!
We can't wait to see the exciting studies and experiences 2026 has to offers! ✨
We can't wait to see the exciting studies and experiences 2026 has to offers! ✨
Csenge Reisinger, who is doing her master’s thesis with us, participated in the student competition at the Vet Uni of Budapest last week and she absolutely shined!
🥉 3rd place in the Basic Science section
🏅 Award of the Department of Zoology & the Hungarian Natural History Museum
Congratulations🎉👏🌟
🥉 3rd place in the Basic Science section
🏅 Award of the Department of Zoology & the Hungarian Natural History Museum
Congratulations🎉👏🌟
November 25, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Csenge Reisinger, who is doing her master’s thesis with us, participated in the student competition at the Vet Uni of Budapest last week and she absolutely shined!
🥉 3rd place in the Basic Science section
🏅 Award of the Department of Zoology & the Hungarian Natural History Museum
Congratulations🎉👏🌟
🥉 3rd place in the Basic Science section
🏅 Award of the Department of Zoology & the Hungarian Natural History Museum
Congratulations🎉👏🌟
We are spending a fantastic weekend in Szeged at the MET (the Hungarian National Ethology Conference).
We brought many exciting topics with us!
Check out our posters!
#vocalizations #ethology #behaviour
We brought many exciting topics with us!
Check out our posters!
#vocalizations #ethology #behaviour
November 21, 2025 at 2:09 PM
We are spending a fantastic weekend in Szeged at the MET (the Hungarian National Ethology Conference).
We brought many exciting topics with us!
Check out our posters!
#vocalizations #ethology #behaviour
We brought many exciting topics with us!
Check out our posters!
#vocalizations #ethology #behaviour
Our "Talking dogs" review has been featured in @newsweek.com :)
Thank you for the opportunity to share our work with the world .
www.newsweek.com/dogs-etholog...
Thank you for the opportunity to share our work with the world .
www.newsweek.com/dogs-etholog...
Scientists wanted to know if dogs could one day talk—here’s what they found
Tamás Faragó told Newsweek: "We should look at their behavior, how they interact with humans and how they live together with us."
www.newsweek.com
October 22, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Our "Talking dogs" review has been featured in @newsweek.com :)
Thank you for the opportunity to share our work with the world .
www.newsweek.com/dogs-etholog...
Thank you for the opportunity to share our work with the world .
www.newsweek.com/dogs-etholog...
📢Meet us!!
Paula @paulapefraga.bsky.social is a postdoctoral researcher on the behaviour team.
She is interested in animal–human communication and emotions. Her research explores how physiology, vocalizations, and behaviour connect.
You can easily find her hiking in the mountains with her dogs.
Paula @paulapefraga.bsky.social is a postdoctoral researcher on the behaviour team.
She is interested in animal–human communication and emotions. Her research explores how physiology, vocalizations, and behaviour connect.
You can easily find her hiking in the mountains with her dogs.
October 21, 2025 at 9:05 AM
📢Meet us!!
Paula @paulapefraga.bsky.social is a postdoctoral researcher on the behaviour team.
She is interested in animal–human communication and emotions. Her research explores how physiology, vocalizations, and behaviour connect.
You can easily find her hiking in the mountains with her dogs.
Paula @paulapefraga.bsky.social is a postdoctoral researcher on the behaviour team.
She is interested in animal–human communication and emotions. Her research explores how physiology, vocalizations, and behaviour connect.
You can easily find her hiking in the mountains with her dogs.
Do you want to help us with our new study?🐕🎤
A new dog vocalization questionnaire is available! How well can you differentiate dogs based on their growls?
Find out by filling out our new questionnaire!
Click on this link: barks-lab.elte.hu/queries/grow...
A new dog vocalization questionnaire is available! How well can you differentiate dogs based on their growls?
Find out by filling out our new questionnaire!
Click on this link: barks-lab.elte.hu/queries/grow...
October 17, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Do you want to help us with our new study?🐕🎤
A new dog vocalization questionnaire is available! How well can you differentiate dogs based on their growls?
Find out by filling out our new questionnaire!
Click on this link: barks-lab.elte.hu/queries/grow...
A new dog vocalization questionnaire is available! How well can you differentiate dogs based on their growls?
Find out by filling out our new questionnaire!
Click on this link: barks-lab.elte.hu/queries/grow...
📢Meet us!!
We’re kicking off our intro series with our PI, Tamás Faragó, PhD, @tamsa42.bsky.social who founded BARKS Lab.🎉
Fascinated by canine vocal communication, during his career Tamás studied growls, barks, whines...
Now, he is exploring vocal learning in dogs, the core of our research!
We’re kicking off our intro series with our PI, Tamás Faragó, PhD, @tamsa42.bsky.social who founded BARKS Lab.🎉
Fascinated by canine vocal communication, during his career Tamás studied growls, barks, whines...
Now, he is exploring vocal learning in dogs, the core of our research!
October 15, 2025 at 2:25 PM
📢Meet us!!
We’re kicking off our intro series with our PI, Tamás Faragó, PhD, @tamsa42.bsky.social who founded BARKS Lab.🎉
Fascinated by canine vocal communication, during his career Tamás studied growls, barks, whines...
Now, he is exploring vocal learning in dogs, the core of our research!
We’re kicking off our intro series with our PI, Tamás Faragó, PhD, @tamsa42.bsky.social who founded BARKS Lab.🎉
Fascinated by canine vocal communication, during his career Tamás studied growls, barks, whines...
Now, he is exploring vocal learning in dogs, the core of our research!
Last Friday the Dept. of Ethology held the Dog Ethology Conference 🐾 for the owners who volunteer in our studies.
Our postdoc Rita Lenkei spoke about our review of “Talking Dogs,” PhD student Balázs Szigeti volunteered, and PhD student Franceska Furik was in the organizing team.
#DogScience
Our postdoc Rita Lenkei spoke about our review of “Talking Dogs,” PhD student Balázs Szigeti volunteered, and PhD student Franceska Furik was in the organizing team.
#DogScience
September 30, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Last Friday the Dept. of Ethology held the Dog Ethology Conference 🐾 for the owners who volunteer in our studies.
Our postdoc Rita Lenkei spoke about our review of “Talking Dogs,” PhD student Balázs Szigeti volunteered, and PhD student Franceska Furik was in the organizing team.
#DogScience
Our postdoc Rita Lenkei spoke about our review of “Talking Dogs,” PhD student Balázs Szigeti volunteered, and PhD student Franceska Furik was in the organizing team.
#DogScience
Last week at the International Bioacoustics Congress in Kerteminde, the Barks Lab team shared some of our work 🐕🔊
We presented 2 posters and a lively talk :)
We also loved catching up with colleagues, making new connections, and getting inspired by the latest in #bioacoustics!
We presented 2 posters and a lively talk :)
We also loved catching up with colleagues, making new connections, and getting inspired by the latest in #bioacoustics!
September 23, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Last week at the International Bioacoustics Congress in Kerteminde, the Barks Lab team shared some of our work 🐕🔊
We presented 2 posters and a lively talk :)
We also loved catching up with colleagues, making new connections, and getting inspired by the latest in #bioacoustics!
We presented 2 posters and a lively talk :)
We also loved catching up with colleagues, making new connections, and getting inspired by the latest in #bioacoustics!
Reposted by Behavioural and Acoustics Research for K9 Sounds
Bridging Brains and Bioacoustics is back!
Please join us next week for fantastic talks from speakers Rada Mihalcea, Álvaro Vega-Hidalgo, and Tamás Faragó
@barkslab.bsky.social
@radamihalcea.bsky.social
🗓️September 25th 10:00 EST
✅ Register here: braincoustics.com
#bioacoustics
#neuroskyence
Please join us next week for fantastic talks from speakers Rada Mihalcea, Álvaro Vega-Hidalgo, and Tamás Faragó
@barkslab.bsky.social
@radamihalcea.bsky.social
🗓️September 25th 10:00 EST
✅ Register here: braincoustics.com
#bioacoustics
#neuroskyence
September 16, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Bridging Brains and Bioacoustics is back!
Please join us next week for fantastic talks from speakers Rada Mihalcea, Álvaro Vega-Hidalgo, and Tamás Faragó
@barkslab.bsky.social
@radamihalcea.bsky.social
🗓️September 25th 10:00 EST
✅ Register here: braincoustics.com
#bioacoustics
#neuroskyence
Please join us next week for fantastic talks from speakers Rada Mihalcea, Álvaro Vega-Hidalgo, and Tamás Faragó
@barkslab.bsky.social
@radamihalcea.bsky.social
🗓️September 25th 10:00 EST
✅ Register here: braincoustics.com
#bioacoustics
#neuroskyence
Reposted by Behavioural and Acoustics Research for K9 Sounds
This might be my last dog–pig comparative study (or who knows?).
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Companion pigs alternate orientation between humans and snout-inaccessible targets | Royal Society Open Science
Previous research on intensely human-socialized pigs found no evidence for orientation
alternations to direct human attention to an inaccessible target, the benchmark behaviour
that in many other spec...
royalsocietypublishing.org
August 28, 2025 at 7:54 AM
This might be my last dog–pig comparative study (or who knows?).
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Our P.I., and dog vocalization expert @tamsa42.bsky.social gave this nice interview during #CSF2025
Check it out if you are curious about our work on dog vocal communication and vocal learning :)
www.linkedin.com/posts/dogs-a...
Check it out if you are curious about our work on dog vocal communication and vocal learning :)
www.linkedin.com/posts/dogs-a...
#dogethology #dogcommunication #bioacousticsresearch #canineethology | Dogs and Science
What can your dog’s barks and growls really tell you?
At the Canine Science Forum 2025, our Social Media Manager, Jennifer Somers, sat down with canine ethologist and bioacoustician Dr. Tamás Faragó...
www.linkedin.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Our P.I., and dog vocalization expert @tamsa42.bsky.social gave this nice interview during #CSF2025
Check it out if you are curious about our work on dog vocal communication and vocal learning :)
www.linkedin.com/posts/dogs-a...
Check it out if you are curious about our work on dog vocal communication and vocal learning :)
www.linkedin.com/posts/dogs-a...
Our first paper is out!!🐕🎤
Talking dogs? How realistic is it?
We explore the scientific, cultural, and technological aspects of speech-like communication in dogs, and argue that while they excel at human-directed communication, spoken language may not be feasible or even desirable.
#dogscience
Talking dogs? How realistic is it?
We explore the scientific, cultural, and technological aspects of speech-like communication in dogs, and argue that while they excel at human-directed communication, spoken language may not be feasible or even desirable.
#dogscience
July 30, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Our first paper is out!!🐕🎤
Talking dogs? How realistic is it?
We explore the scientific, cultural, and technological aspects of speech-like communication in dogs, and argue that while they excel at human-directed communication, spoken language may not be feasible or even desirable.
#dogscience
Talking dogs? How realistic is it?
We explore the scientific, cultural, and technological aspects of speech-like communication in dogs, and argue that while they excel at human-directed communication, spoken language may not be feasible or even desirable.
#dogscience
We are happy to introduce ourselves to the research community. Who are we? What do we do?
📍 BARKS Lab is a research group at the Department of Ethology, ELTE University.
🐕 We’re exploring vocal learning in dogs, backed by an ERC Consolidator Grant
#ethology #animalbehaviour #caninescience #vocal
📍 BARKS Lab is a research group at the Department of Ethology, ELTE University.
🐕 We’re exploring vocal learning in dogs, backed by an ERC Consolidator Grant
#ethology #animalbehaviour #caninescience #vocal
July 23, 2025 at 3:03 PM
We are happy to introduce ourselves to the research community. Who are we? What do we do?
📍 BARKS Lab is a research group at the Department of Ethology, ELTE University.
🐕 We’re exploring vocal learning in dogs, backed by an ERC Consolidator Grant
#ethology #animalbehaviour #caninescience #vocal
📍 BARKS Lab is a research group at the Department of Ethology, ELTE University.
🐕 We’re exploring vocal learning in dogs, backed by an ERC Consolidator Grant
#ethology #animalbehaviour #caninescience #vocal