Dogs are well adapted to a life close to humans and are capable of understanding several human social cues. Turn-taking is a fundamental phenomenon in human conversations, yet no research of turn-taking in interspecies vocal communication has been done. This pilot study therefore aimed to develop a test method in order to analyze if turn-taking occurs in interspecies vocal communication between dogs and humans and if turn-taking can be correlated with specific behaviors in dogs. By analyzing a vocal conversation between seven dogs and their owners during a request situation in their home environment, this study found support for turn-taking existence in dog-human vocal communications. In general, owner-dog vocal communication could be linked to positive events, such as tail wagging and eye contact. Meanwhile, a lower frequency of vocal turn- taking could be linked to stress related behaviors, such as lip licking. Owner in dyads where more vocal overlap occurred tended to score the owner-dog relationship and communication abilities with lower grades, suggesting the absence of turn-taking was experienced as unpleasant for the owner as well. In conclusion, findings from current study highlight the unique coevolution of dogs and humans and opens up for future research of turn-taking in interspecies vocal communication.

Dogs and humans have through domestication and co-evolution established a close relationship and can communicate and understand each other. The objective of the present study was to deepen the understanding of the communication between dogs and humans, with focus on the vocalized communication. The study was based on video and audio recordings of dog-human communications from a total of 36 dogs in their home environment. The mean gap size in the communication ranged from 0.651.16 seconds and the overlap in communication had a percentage range of 14-50 %. These results are within the frame of other species communication with turn-taking. With these considerations, it clearly indicates that turn-taking occurs in interspecies communication between dogs and humans. The present study suggests that dogs intentionally communicate through vocalisation with their owners to gain the attention of the owner. In addition, age and sex of the dog influence their communication with their owners.