Dogs use same parts of brain to process speech as humans, Hungarian study says

Walter, a Golden Retriever, lies in a MRI scanner at a neurology clinic in Budapest, Hungary, February 9, 2014. Picture taken February 9, 2014. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

"Super, well done," her trainer says, and Maya, a Hungarian golden retriever, happily holds up her left paw, responding to the praise.

Maya works with a group of Hungarian researchers at the Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, who have scanned the brains of 13 dogs, finding that dogs process words and intonation to work out messages similarly to humans.