On occasion, we share tidbits that are more generic in nature than purebred dog specific, largely because it’s interesting stuff. Of late, more research is being done into how we talk to our dogs, and it’s fascinating.
We dog owners are twenty five times more likely to repeat, partially repeat, or rephrase and repeat things with our dogs than we would with another person. We might say, “You are a good dog. What a good dog you are!” or, “Well done, good job, what a good job you did, well done!” Researchers, Hirshvpasek and Treiman have dubbed the way we talk to our dogs is a lot like, “motherese,” but they’ve dubbed our manner of speaking, “doggerel.” Other researchers call it, “dog directed speech.”
In “doggerel,” or “dog directed speech,” we change the structure of our sentences, shortening and simplifying them. The average length of an utterance to a dog is around four word, as compared to the ten or eleven words we use with another adult. We use more tag questions (an observation that turns into a question) when we talk to dogs, like, “You’re thirsty, aren’t you.” Around 90% of how we speak to our dogs is in the present tense, half again as much as our normal speech to other humans, and we use a higher tone with our dogs that emphasizes our intonations and emotional phrasings (something also do when talking to very young infants). We use a lot of diminutives, referring to a walk as a “walkie,” or a dog’s plush toy as “Mousie,” or its equivalent. Put another way, we use speech we wouldn’t be caught dead using in front of witnesses. Still, the research (published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B), showed using dog-directed speech when we talk with puppies actually makes them react more to us than if we used regular speech.
Bottom line: What we say to our dogs is important, but how we say it is critical. Different tones distinguish between commands, corrections, and praise, and our dogs know it! We’re reminded of a couple of Gary Larson cartoons (who else misses him as much as we do?):
Basset Hound image found on Pinterest and happily credited upon receipt of information