Yelling or raising your voice This means that yelling or even raising your voice at your dog is not only unnecessary, but it can have unintended negative outcomes. For example, a puppy that is yelled at for having an accident on the rug may look for a time when you aren't around to have their next accident.
The realisation that “yelling – like spanking – does not teach the child anything about how to behave appropriately”1, applies just as much to dogs. A raised voice does not teach your dog what you want them to do. It simply leaves your dog with a negative emotional memory.
During a series of tests, dogs were spoken to in a high-pitched voice and again in a normal adult voice. Researchers then monitored which speaker the dogs responded to and wanted to interact with. PhD student Alex Benjamin said it seemed dogs were more likely to favour the speaker who used a high pitch.
When you talk to your dog, it shows them that you care and want to engage with them. It helps build trust and establishes a strong emotional connection. Talking to your dog can also help them feel more secure, especially when they are feeling anxious or scared.
The connection, described in a new paper published in the journal NeuroImage, means that dogs don't only benefit from interactions with their owner, they get a reward from just listening to their voice too.
Do Dogs Like When You Talk to Them? Yes! Research published in Animal Cognition found that both puppies and adult dogs are attentive to the high-pitch voice we use with babies and the more even-toned language used with adults.
As silly as it might make us sound, that high pitch is a cue that dogs listen for. Scientists have found again and again that how people say things to dogs is just as important as what they say.
A little more surprising is that the dogs liked hearing their favorite words and the baby talk voice together best of all. Especially puppies! So the next time you feel a little silly talking to your favorite four-legged family member like they're a baby, be proud instead. It's science.
Experts in dog behavior believe that, in general, dogs do not like being embraced. However, every dog has a unique personality. Some may dislike hugs more strongly than others, and some may actually adore them. The closest thing our furry family members do to a hug is something referred to as 'standing over'.
Yelling or raising your voice
Dogs are very sensitive to human tone of voice; it doesn't take a lot to effectively communicate that you are unhappy with their actions. This means that yelling or even raising your voice at your dog is not only unnecessary, but it can have unintended negative outcomes.
Dogs respond to certain intonations and volumes, regardless of what is being said. For example, if you speak at a regular volume, then suddenly shout, your dog will know that something is up and he should pay attention. Similarly, your dog detects tonal changes from happy to demanding, or sad to cheerful.
As mentioned, pet-directed speech and baby talk have a lot in common. They both are slower, more melodic and of a higher pitch than adult-directed speech. What this means is that humans might naturally adjust their way of talking when they know that the person or animal they're talking to doesn't speak your language.
He's Scared or Stressed Out
Dogs occasionally get scared too. Fireworks, trips to the vet, raised voices and other triggers can make your pooch feel unsafe, causing him to tremble with fear or stress.
We know that even if we are frazzled or agitated or raise our voice on a bad day, our dogs will faithfully cuddle up against us that evening, content just to be by our side, forgetting the stress of the day. Dogs forgive us quickly, and recently, it was found that they forgive one another as well.
Overall, dogs are complex creatures that think about a wide range of things, including social relationships, their physical environment, daily routine, physical needs, and health and well-being.
Dogs are good at reading us, and they usually know when we are being affectionate, such as when we kiss them. Because they love affection from us, most dogs do like being kissed. However, they don't like the act of being kissed but rather that we give them attention and show affection.
Studies show that dogs recognize individual voices, and are far more responsive to tone of voice than specific words. So if you call your dog on the phone, remember to use a calm, positive voice. However, as with images on a smartphone or tablet, sound through these devices is compressed.
Now, scientists have shown that puppies find our pooch-directed speech exciting, whereas older dogs are somewhat indifferent. The findings show, for the first time, that young dogs respond to this way of talking, and that it may help them learn words—as such talk does with human babies.
Well, turns out, dogs love that! Studies show that dogs bond easily with humans who form high-pitched speech patterns. Just like babies, pups respond to easy and positive language interactions.
Dogs read more into our tone and body language than our actual words. They focus on us and observe our physical clues to determine what we want them to do or not do. They watch our facial expressions, posture, and body movements. They listen to the tone of our voice.
There is nothing wrong with using the word “no” properly when training your dog. “No” should be said calmly and should mean, “That is not a behavior that I want.” “No” can also be a “no reward marker.” It can just mean that the dog will not get a reward for that behavior.
Your dog has inadvertently been trained to bark, because when he barks you reward him by looking at him and talking to him. The best way to change behavior that is done to get your attention, particularly disruptive behavior like barking, is to ignore it rather than reward it.
In other words, what you can hear at 20 feet your dog can hear at 80 feet. A mutter or whisper to us is normal conversation tone to a dog. A pounding rock concert where we are shouting to hear each other but otherwise bopping along with the music can send a dog into a hearing overdose.