Adopting a baby-like tone when talking to a dog can help owners bond with their pets, scientists have found.

Most owners can be found changing their voice when talking to their pets, often mirroring the same exaggerated high-pitched sounds that parents use with their children.

Now scientists at the University of York have found that so-called ‘dog speak’ is important for helping owners bond with their animals.

Dr Katie Slocombe from the University of York’s Department of Psychology said: “This high-pitched rhythmic speech is common in human interactions with dogs in western cultures, but there isn’t a great deal known about whether it benefits a dog in the same way that it does a baby.”

Researchers carried out a series of speech tests with adult dogs, where they were given the chance to listen to one person using dog-directed speech containing phrases such as ‘you’re a good dog’, and ‘shall we go for a walk?’, and then another person using adult-directed speech with no dog-related content, such as ‘I went to the cinema last night.’

Attention during the speech was measured, and following the speech, the dogs were allowed to choose which speaker they wanted to physically interact with.