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.
After finding a caring home, a dog who lost part of his face can’t stop grinning.
A call that left Brittany Faske, a volunteer with the rescue organisation ADORE (All Dogs Official Rescue Enterprise of Houston), anxious came in January. A construction worker in Houston, Texas, noticed an injured Pit Bull with half of its face missing. According to the man, the dog hid in the bush and refused to allow anyone approach too close.
The woman was taken aback by the call and rushed to the spot. When she discovered the dog beside a ditch among the bags of food leftovers and old tyres, she realised he was in far worse condition than she had anticipated. The dog was in such horrible shape that she thought the best she could do was relieve his agony.
“This once-beautiful, big, and strong dog had been reduced to almost nothing.” He was so skinny that his ribs, hip bones, and backbone were clearly visible beneath his skin, in addition to his injuries. “He was covered in dirt and very weak,” Brittany explained to The Dodo.
The dog made a warning growl as she approached, but it didn’t startle her. She didn’t expect a different reaction from him, given the situation he was in and everything he had to go through and suffer through to remain that way.
After a while, the dog let Brittany to approach close enough to examine her injuries. The animal’s nose and snout were missing, and what was left hung in front of her face.
Brittany instantly realised it couldn’t have been an accident because the cut was so straight it could only have been made with a sharp instrument. So, that dog scenario was most likely the act of a human being, possibly the same one who left him lying there. In addition to the horrific sight of the wounds, the dog reeked of infection.
Brittany took Apollo, the dog she named, to the veterinarian after gaining his trust. Despite appearing to be in excruciating pain, the dog managed to relax and even fall asleep in the woman’s car. However, he was not yet fully safe.
The dog required immediate medical attention, and Brittany was unsure if he could handle the therapies that were to follow. However, when Apollo arrived at the clinic, he trotted around the waiting area, sniffing people and interacting with the other dogs.
Apollo had heartworm, a disorder that arises when parasitic worms move through a dog’s tissues to its heart and can lead to death if left untreated, in addition to his facial injuries.
Brittany and the vet placed food and water in front of Apollo to determine his quality of life and ability to eat properly. He could have a shot if he can do it.
Apollo ate two bowls of food and water without hesitation. Then Apollo approached the woman who had saved him and rested his head on her leg. “From that moment on, we knew he wasn’t just any dog,” Brittany explained.
Apollo eventually underwent reconstructive surgery. The dog’s exterior nose had been removed, but he still had a nasal cavity through which he could breathe. During the procedure, the veterinarian wrapped a skin graft around the exposed bone in Apollo’s nasal cavity to protect what was left of his nose. While the vet had to remove part of the dog’s top jaw and some teeth, he was still able to maintain enough of his mouth for him to eat and drink regularly.
Meanwhile, Brittany had not considered adopting the dog; she was simply concerned with the surgery and the dog’s recovery. She knew, though, that she and Apollo had formed a special link that was growing stronger by the day.
Brittany introduced Apollo to her other dogs, two males over the age of ten. “They were powerful breeds with volatile temperaments.” Two old men who are grumpy. I wasn’t sure if they could take another dog. “They were used to being just the two of them and were very protective of me,” she explained.
Once again, Apollo outperformed Brittany’s expectations. Apollo not only accepted the new dog, but he also adored the elder dogs. Another surprise element about Apollo was that he enjoyed being among others, which was unexpected given what he had been through. After that, Brittany made the obvious decision to officially adopt Apollo.
Apollo now lives a full life despite his facial injuries. His repaired nose functioned like any other dog’s nose, allowing him to breathe, smell, and sneeze normally. His reconstructed jaw does not prevent him from eating or playing.
Apollo enjoys cuddling up in the recliner with Brittany and watching TV, playing with his dog brothers, eating, and sunbathing. Furthermore, the dog received personalised training sessions at a Total Control K9 College K9 course, where he attends classes every Saturday and appears to like it.
Apollo was able to overcome his emotional traumas thanks to Brittany’s devotion, which also made him a very caring and affectionate dog. “I’ve never met a happier dog.” “You can see their trust and love in their eyes,” Brittany says.
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