The next time someone criticizes you for using a peppy, high-pitched tone while speaking to dogs, you can tell them that your puppy voice could have benefits for both you and your pupper.
The next time someone criticizes you for using a peppy, high-pitched tone while speaking to dogs, you can tell them that your puppy voice could have benefits for both you and your pupper.
According to a study published in the May issue of Animal Cognition, the exaggerated style of speech adopted by many pet owners can improve animals’ attention skills and strengthen the bond between dogs and their people. Researchers at the University of York conducted the study in hopes of gaining a better understanding of why humans speak differently to animals and whether such speech is actually beneficial to dogs. As co-author Katie Slocombe explains in a press release: “This high-pitched rhythmic speech is common in human interactions with dogs in western cultures, but there isn’t a great deal known about whether it benefits a dog in the same way that it does a baby. We wanted to look at this question and see whether social bonding between animals and humans was influenced by the type and content of the communication.”
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