How to talk to your dog: voice, words and body language

Most of us talk to our dogs, and many of us slip into a sing-song voice to do it. It turns out that isn't as silly as it sounds. This guide looks at what research says about how dogs process our speech, how to make your words easier for your dog to understand, and how to "listen" to your dog in return.

Does talking to your dog in a baby voice help?

People in many Western cultures speak to dogs in a special way, often called dog-directed speech. It is higher in pitch, more varied and more emotional than the way we speak to adults.

In a 2018 study at the University of York, researchers tested whether adult dogs care about this. Dogs were placed in a room with two people. Each person had a speaker on their lap that played their own recorded voice. One recording was dog-directed speech with dog-related phrases, such as "you're a good dog" and "shall we go for a walk?". The other was ordinary adult speech with no dog-related content, such as "I went to the cinema last night". Dogs looked more at, and afterwards spent more time near, the person whose recording used dog-directed speech.

In a second experiment the researchers mixed things up. They played the high-pitched voice with adult content, and the normal voice with dog-related words. This time the dogs showed no preference. The authors concluded that adult dogs respond best when the excited tone and the dog-relevant words come together, and that this way of talking may help build the bond between people and their dogs.

The voices belonged to researchers rather than the dogs' owners, and each experiment involved around 30 dogs. It is a useful clue, not a rule, but it suggests your natural, happy "who's a good dog?" voice is doing something.

Do dogs understand what we say?

Dogs don't understand language the way people do, but they do pay attention to both words and tone.

• Words and tone are processed separately. A brain-scanning study published in 2016 found that dogs processed meaningful words separately from intonation. Reward areas of the brain responded most strongly when praise words were spoken in a praising tone.
• Dogs can tell happy from angry. Researchers at the University of Lincoln showed dogs pictures of happy or angry faces alongside a matching or mismatched voice. Dogs looked longer at the face that matched the emotion in the voice, for both human and dog faces.

In practice, this means your dog notices how you say something as well as what you say. A friendly word in a harsh voice sends a mixed message.

How to talk to your dog so they understand you

Keep cues short and consistent

Choose one word for each thing you want, such as "sit", "down" or "wait", and make sure everyone in the household uses the same word. Using "down" to mean both "lie down" and "get off the sofa" is confusing.

Pair words with rewards

Dogs learn what a word means when it is followed by something good. Dogs Trust explains that reward-based training, using treats, praise, play or a fuss, makes a dog more likely to repeat the behaviour. PDSA advises giving the reward during the behaviour or within half a second after it, so your dog makes the link.

Use your happy voice for praise

Praise in a warm, upbeat tone. For calm moments, such as when your dog is settling, a quiet word or gentle stroke works better than an excited voice that gets them wound up again.

Don't shout or tell off

PDSA lists shouting and smacking as forms of punishment that cause anxiety and fear and make animals learn more slowly. If your dog gets something wrong, make it easier and try again, or show them what you'd like them to do instead.

Use your body too

Dogs read our faces and body language as well as our voices. Keep your posture relaxed when you give cues, and add a simple, consistent hand signal if it helps your dog.

How to listen to your dog: reading body language

Talking to your dog is only half the conversation. Dogs Trust explains that dogs use their whole body, their face and their voice to communicate, and that it's important to look at the whole dog and the situation rather than one signal.

Signs your dog is relaxed

• soft eyes and a loose, "wiggly" body
• ears and tail in their normal position
• mouth relaxed, perhaps open with the tongue lolling
• a play bow, with the front end down and back end up, to invite play

Early signs your dog is uncomfortable

• lip licking when there's no food about
• yawning when not tired
• turning the head or body away
• ears pulled back, or whites of the eyes showing
• tail lowered or tucked
• freezing or a sudden stillness

Dogs often "whisper" their worry with these subtle signals first. If they're ignored, some dogs feel they have to "shout" by growling, snapping or biting. When you spot early signs, stop what you're doing, work out what's worrying your dog and give them space.

A common mix-up

A dog rolling onto their back with a tucked tail, ears back and a tense body is often asking for space, not a tummy rub. Dogs Trust calls this an appeasement roll.