Dogs listen and respond to tone of voice, regardless of gender
When it comes to communicating with your dog, remember that how you talk to your dog is equally as important as what cue you’re using.
Julia Jenkins, a certified dog trainer at Pet Dog Training Today, told The Dodo, “The tone of your voice does matter when it comes to how well your dog listens to you, so its not just about being male or female. The way you sound to your dog is based on a variety of factors, including the pitch, tone and volume of your voice.”
She adds, “Generally speaking, dogs do tend to respond more favorably to people with a higher pitch and softer tone, but there are always exceptions. Be positive and upbeat, and use lots of encouragement when training your pup.”
Research appears to confirm this theory, particularly a UK study in 2018 that demonstrated dogs were more responsive to high-pitched “baby talk” when combined with “dog-related” speech, similar to how adults often talk to babies.
Do dogs respond to deeper voices?
By playing different sounds while scanning a dog’s brain, researchers found that dogs respond more strongly to positive emotions than to negative emotions. … Contrastingly, a low pitched or sharp sounding voice might make your dog cower or duck his tail.
Dogs like women’s softer voices and smaller figures. They may be intimidated by a man’s larger frame, deeper voice, and facial hair. Most veterinarians and primary caregivers are female, meaning dogs are more frequently exposed to women throughout their lives.
Here are some noises that may frighten your dog:
In Audible’s own study with 100 dogs, in partnership with the Cesar Millan Dog Psychology Center, 76% of owners who played audiobooks over a four-week period saw an increase in calm, relaxed behavior for their pooches.
How to Tell if a Fearful Dog Has Been Abused
If a dogâs fearfulness toward specific types of people or certain everyday items doesnât necessarily mean that the dog has been abused, how can you tell if your dog suffered from abuse in the past? The honest answer is that â unless you have the dogâs full backstory â you can never know for certain. However, some clues may help you make an educated guess. Abuse is less likely as an explanation for a dogâs fearfulness if the dogâs reactions fit the pattern associated with dogs who are naturally fearful.
The most common pattern is for such dogs to be cautious around strangers, especially men, and to be worse around tall, deep-voiced men with beards, or anyone carrying things â garden tools, brooms or mops, a clipboard â or wearing sunglasses, a backpack, or a hat. Dogs with a generally fearful approach to the world often react most vigorously when unfamiliar people approach, look directly at them, stand up from a sitting position or reach down to pet them.
If the dog has sustained multiple injuries, such as broken bones or teeth, or has scars on its face and body, abuse is more likely. Of course, those injuries could be a result of accidents, and some forms of abuse leave no scars. Still, a dog with unexplained evidence of physical trauma is more likely to have been a victim of abuse than a dog without it.
If a dog is fearful of highly specific attributes, it is more likely to be based on trauma, which could have come in the form of abuse. So, if a dog is afraid of freckled, redheaded children with glasses in the age range of 10 to 12 years, but fine with all other kids, itâs more likely that a negative experience with a child of that description caused the fear. On the other hand, if a dog is only okay with children who are older than about 16, my bet would be that the dog lacks experience with a wide range of children and is only comfortable with children who are more adult-like in size and behavior. Similarly, if the dog is okay with men unless they are wearing loafers with a buckle, I would be inclined to suspect abuse. Specificity of fears is more likely to indicate abuse, because dogs who are generally fearful are usually set off by a wider range of triggers.Related article
Easy ways to calm your pupâs nerves.
Giant man with Insanely deep voice
âShe must have been abused,â is a comment I hear with alarming regularity. When a dog cowers and shakes or barks and growls at a person wearing a hat, itâs natural to think that the strong reaction is proof of previous harsh treatment by someone wearing a hat. Itâs easy to conclude that a dog whoâs scared of children was teased by the neighborhood bully. Similarly, itâs logical to assume that a dog would only react aversely to a broom after having had terrifying experiences with one.
Without a doubt, far too many dogs suffer abuse, but not all dogs who appear to have been abused have necessarily been treated badly. Some are fearful because they were inadequately socialized, or have a genetic tendency to be fearful, or both. As often as not, a history of abuse is actually not a factor.