"Why Does My Dog Listen to My Husband...and Not Me??"

The answer: Something called "overtones." Human voices contain vocalizations called ‘overtones’, or high pitched sounds which provide clues to the vocalizer’s intent. Dogs can distinguish these very well. Women’s voices are already high in pitch, so have fewer overtones than men’s voices; dogs will usually interpret this as less aggressive and more friendly than a man’s voice. Men’s voices are generally lower in pitch, so they need and contain more overtones, which are perceived by the dog to be more aggressive. As a result, dogs tend to submit more easily to the voice of man. But take heart, ladies! The upside for women is that they have an easier time getting a dog to respond to positive training techniques with their ‘friendlier’ voices. Bottom line: while an untrained dog will naturally respond better to a man, a dog in training will likely respond much better to a woman, and a trained dog will respond well to both!