That is why we talk to cute puppies in baby talk
As soon as the back door creaks open slowly in the morning and a golden brown fluffy little creature wags its tail around the corner, you know the party has started. A day in the office with Monti, the editorial puppy, equals cuddle sessions, blocks of (SUDDENLY everyone wants to to catch that bus. Your colleague with size 36 may naturally be much more active without spending hours in the gym.) and conversations that spontaneously go up ten octaves. And speaking of that last point... Why do we go hysterically high in pitch when we get a baby shoved into our arms or squat down to give that cute, fluffy puppy a pet? High voices and exaggerated emotions – is there a reason for that? Oh yes... Lil, Annabelle, hi! Are you reading along?
Research shows that our loyal four-legged friends prefer to be in the presence of their owner when communicating this way and are more likely to listen. According to research from the University of York, speaking in a high voice and with exaggerated emotion, as people often do with babies and toddlers, can improve communication between humans and their dog friends. The scientists discovered that humans and dogs can communicate better this way. Dogs are also more likely to cling to their owners and pay more attention to commands.
“In the past, research has already shown that little ones learn to talk faster through baby talk. There is also a better bond between baby and parent than when parents only use adult voices. This way of speaking has many similarities with how owners communicate with their dogs, also known as dog-directed speech,” explains Professor Katie Slocombe from the University of York.
The researchers took thirty adult dogs for this study. The animals listened to people using dog-directed speech, employing phrases like ‘Good boy!’ and ‘Shall we go for a walk?’, on one hand, and to people using adult speech without dog-related content, such as ‘I went out to dinner last night’. You can guess which speakers the little creatures listened to better... Then the owners used a mix of dog-directed speech without dog-related words and adult speech with dog-related content to determine whether it was the pitch and emotions that captured the dog's attention, or the words used. But when both ways of speaking and content were mixed, the dogs did not prefer one speaker over the other. This suggests, according to researchers, that adult dogs need to hear dog-related words in combination with a high voice to find it relevant.
So the next time you lure your little loyal friend to you with a cookie and a ‘Come here, mama’ including a high note, you don't have to feel embarrassed about it at all. You know how to raise the little creature... That little brat from the neighbor could learn something from it. Ha.
