Puppies' response to speech could shed light on baby-talk, suggests study

Baby-talk and pet-talk might have a common purpose in attempting to engage with a non-speaking listener, say researchers

Puppies prick up their ears to human cooing but adult dogs are unmoved by it, according to a new study.

Scientists have found that humans use a sing-song cadence, similar to that used towards babies, when talking to dogs - regardless of the age of the animal. But the tone only draws the attention of puppies: older dogs showed no preference over normal human speech.