Women with Dogs: a Study of a Specific Bond 👩‍🦰🐶

Why Women Love Dogs So Much

Dogs have long been considered "man's best friend," but recent research shows that the bond between women and dogs may be even stronger. Studies have found that dogs respond more to women's voices and are more attentive to female owners. This phenomenon likely stems from dogs' domestication over thousands of years.

The Bond Women with Dogs

Dogs and humans have co-evolved together over thousands of years, leading to strong social bonds between our two species. One study found that dogs show a preference for women's voices and are more likely to respond to commands from women. Researchers believe this may be because female voices tend to have higher pitch variation, similar to "dog-directed speech" people use with puppies.

New Insights from Pet Brain Scans

A recent study by researchers at Eötvös Loránd University provides further evidence that dogs are attuned to women's voices (women with dogs, single girls). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, the study found greater activity in dogs' brains when listening to women speaking in "dog-directed speech" versus normal adult-directed speech.

This shows dogs have a neural preference for the type of speech women typically use with them — dog-directed speech spoken by women. According to Anna Gergely, co-first author of the study, "This suggests dogs developed neural tuning to interact with humans as they were domesticated." The results indicate dogs are exceptionally good at picking up on the cues in women's voices.

The study had 12 women and 12 men speak to conscious family dogs in real-life interactions. Researchers found the dogs responded more to dog-directed speech spoken by the women, indicating they have a neural preference that dogs developed during their domestication. Dogs are actually more sensitive to the speech patterns women use.

Why Dogs Listen to Women Better than to Men

Researchers believe there are several reasons why dogs may be more responsive to women. Women's voices tend to be higher-pitched, similar to young puppies. Dogs also seem to relate better to the nurturing qualities in women's speech.

Additionally, dog-directed speech spoken by women uses exaggerated tone patterns that aren't typical in adult human interactions but resemble dog-to-dog communication.

The lead researcher, Anna Gábor, said: "The female voice triggers greater brain sensitivity in dogs compared to the male voice." This confirms dogs listen more attentively and are more sensitive to cues from women as opposed to men or infants.

Further Evidence

The results from this study provide further evidence for a neural preference in dogs that developed as they evolved alongside humans. Dogs appear to be more responsive to women, as opposed to infants. This may be because women use vocal patterns that dogs are sensitive to, like high-pitched excited tones and repetition of words.

For instance, a previous study by Hungarian researchers at the Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd Research Network found dogs listened better when women spoke to them using dog-directed speech with exaggerated tone and limited vocabulary.

Two women speaking to dogs using speech typically used in dog-dog communication elicited greater brain activity on fMRI than men using normal adult-directed speech. The study shows dogs have specialized neural tuning to interact with humans, particularly women.

Strengthening the Dogs and Humans Bond

The results from this new study help us better understand the special relationship between dogs and humans. They also emphasize the importance of women in building strong bonds with our canine companions. As dog owners, paying attention to the way we speak and interact with our dogs can help strengthen our relationship. Dogs may see women as natural caregivers due to our nurturing speech patterns. Continuing to communicate with our dogs this way will help reinforce the human-canine connection that's been built up over centuries.

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