Dogs’ brains are sensitive to the familiar high-pitched “cute” voice tone that adult humans, especially women, use to talk to babies, according to a new study.
The research, published recently in the journal Communications Biology, found “exciting similarities” between infant and dog brains during the processing of speech with such a high-pitched tone feature.
Humans tend to speak with a specific speech style characterised by exaggerated prosody, or patterns of stress and intonation in a language, when communicating with individuals having limited language competence.
Such speech has previously been found to be very important for the healthy cognitive, social and language development of children, who are also tuned to such a high-pitched voice.
But researchers, including those from the Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary, hoped to assess whether dog brains are also sensitive to this way of communication.
In the study, conscious family dogs were made to listen to dog, infant and adult-directed speech recorded from 12 women and men in real-life interactions.
As the dogs listened, their brain activities were measured using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan.
The study found the sound-processing regions of the dogs’ brains responded more to dog- and infant-directed than adult-directed speech.
This marked the first neurological evidence that dog brains are tuned to speech directed specifically at them.
“Studying how dog brains process dog-directed speech is exciting, because it can help us understand how exaggerated prosody contributes to efficient speech processing in a nonhuman species skilled at relying on different speech cues,” explained Anna Gergely, co-first author of the study.
Scientists also found dog- and infant-directed speech sensitivity of dog brains was more pronounced when the speakers were women, and was affected by voice pitch and its variation.
These findings suggest the way we speak to dogs matters, and that their brain is specifically sensitive to the higher-pitched voice tone typical to the female voice.
“Remarkably, the voice tone patterns characterizing women’s dog-directed speech are not typically used in dog-dog communication – our results may thus serve evidence for a neural preference that dogs developed during their domestication,” said Anna Gábor, co-first author of the study.
“Dog brains’ increased sensitivity to dog-directed speech spoken by women specifically may be due to the fact that women more often speak to dogs with exaggerated prosody than men,” Dr Gabor said.
Echoes of Suffering: A Dog’s Tale of Exhaustion, Tears, and Hope Amidst the Agony of an Iron Bar Attack
It is heartbreaking to hear that a dog was impaled by a stick. The animal had to go through tremendous agony and suffering before being saved. However, the road to recovery can be beautiful, and the dog can recover completely with proper care and attention.
When a dog gets impaled by a rod, the first goal is to get the item out of the dog’s way as soon and safely as possible. This may need surgery or other medical intervention, and it is critical to seek emergency veterinarian care to maintain the animal’s stability and safety.
After the dog’s immediate medical needs have been met, it is critical to concentrate on his long-term recovery. This may include giving patients pain relievers, wound care, and other medical treatments as required.
Additionally, to help the dog cope with the trauma of the experience, it is critical to provide emotional support and care. Following such a traumatic event, dogs may experience anxiety, fear, and other emotional distress, and it is critical to provide them with a calm and nurturing environment to help them feel safe and secure.
Professional assistance from a trained dog trainer or behaviorist may also be required to assist the dog in overcoming emotional trauma and rebuilding trust in people. Positive reinforcement training approaches might make the dog feel more secure and comfortable.
It’s essential to note that recovering from such a traumatic incident takes time and patience, but with the right care and attention, dogs like the one that was poked may make a full recovery. They may rediscover the ability to trust and love, and live happy and full lives with their new families.
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