We all do it — use baby talk with our pooches. But do our dogs get anything out of it?

Scientists call it infant-directed speech — that’s speech with a higher pitch and exaggerated facial expressions meant to get a baby’s attention and encourage bonding. That’s why we use dog-directed speech too. Dogs seem to take to it by paying closer attention to the person speaking and approaching them when they’re finished.

We aren’t sure why that is, but researchers have some ideas. Many mammals associate high-pitched sounds with bonding. Maybe as they were being domesticated, dogs felt safer with people using dog-directed speech. It also doesn’t hurt that we often use doggie talk when toys, treats or play are in the picture.

But be careful that you don’t wear it out. Saving doggie talk for special times is likely to create the strongest bond.