For a baby, saying “Mama” is a big step in their life. Not only does it signal a baby’s affection for the most important person in their young existence, but it is also a sign that they are developing as they should. Most babies can say “mama” by the time they are 12 months old. One mom, however, named Andrea Diaz-Giovanini, got quite a surprise while trying to get her son, Sam, to say mama.

Andrea tried to get her baby to say ‘mama’

In a video of the incident, Andrea is sitting in a chair with some food. At her knees are Sam and the family’s miniature Australian shepherd, Patch. As Andrea sits there; she asks Sam to say “mama.” Sam seems reluctant and just stares at her, focused on her face and the fork she is holding.

Patch starts to get excited when he sees Andrea’s food

Standing beside Sam, Patch shifts around, obviously wanting a bite of the food Andrea has in a container. As Andrea tries to get Sam to say “mama,” she pulls out a bite to eat in an attempt to reward Sam for doing as she asks. Meanwhile, Patch, who is trained, is getting more and more animated, trying to vocalize that he wants the food for himself.

Andrea was shocked

Finally, Patch gets out a distinct sounding “mama,” which causes Andrea to gasp in surprise. Patch continues to say “mama” while looking hungrily at the food on the end of the fork. Eventually, Sam realizes that Patch is trying to take his reward and pushes the dog away, which causes everyone in the video to laugh.

Can dogs talk?

But can dogs talk? According to Scientific American, a dog’s ability to talk is more of a form of imitation. The dog hears the sounds their owner or someone else makes and then tries to reproduce them using their bark, or voice as the case may be. The main problem with this is that a dog’s vocal cords are not as developed as our own, so they are truly limited in what they can say.

The ability to speak would also seem to indicate a level of intelligence that we usually don’t attribute to most animals. And while a dog can be smart, they are still limited in their abilities to think like we do. More than likely, when a dog does something smart, they are acting on their basic instincts, such as hunger, safety, and survival, and are only imitating the words we say to get what they want.

Patch was rewarded with a treat for his efforts

As for Patch, some who saw the video worried that he didn’t get rewarded for his amazing vocal abilities. His owner was quick to ensure everybody that Patch is always getting the treats he deserves and even posted a follow-up video to show this. You can watch the video of Patch’s amazing feat below.

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Source: Sam Giovanini