HOW A PUPPY WHINES AFFECTS THEIR MOTHER’S BEHAVIOR

Can a canine mother distinguish her own puppies solely by the sound of their whimpering and whining? Moreover, can she discern if her offspring require aid based solely on the quality of their vocalizations?

These intriguing questions were explored by an international team of researchers led by Mathilde Massenet at the University of Saint-Etienne in France, utilizing 220 Beagle puppies and their attentive mothers.

A Human Illustration

Let me illustrate this concept with a human anecdote. A few years ago, I attended a community event where organizers had set up an alcove at the back of the hall for mothers with young infants to park their prams. Although these carriages were still visible, the area was quieter, creating an environment conducive to the infants drifting off to sleep. Upon my arrival, I noticed three prams in the alcove.

Meanwhile, the three mothers had gathered near the coffee urn. Suddenly, crying emanated from one of the prams. One of the mothers glanced over and remarked, “That’s just Reggie. I don’t think there’s an issue, and he’ll likely stop crying shortly.” True to her prediction, the crying ceased after a minute or two.

Shortly after, another cry echoed from the alcove. Another mother turned towards the sound and commented, “That’s my Edward, and I believe he needs some attention.” With that, she left the group and tended to her child.

Although I have experience raising children from infancy, both cries sounded identical to my untrained ears. I marveled at how these mothers not only recognized their own child’s crying but also gauged whether or not their child required attention, as neither cry seemed particularly distressed to me.

Expanding these questions to encompass dogs, the inquiry arises: can canine mothers, nurturing multiple offspring, distinguish between them and evaluate their well-being based on their vocalizations?

Sounds That Young Puppies Make

In this recent study, researchers hypothesized that the sounds emitted by puppies may provide cues regarding the identity of individual pups and their current condition or need for attention. To investigate, they conducted a thorough acoustic analysis of 4,400 whines recorded from 220 Beagle puppies originating from 40 distinct litters. These whines were selected to reflect varying levels of distress and were captured during brief separations of the puppies from their mothers and littermates.

The initial discovery revealed that each litter of puppies possessed a distinctive average acoustic identity, setting them apart from other litters. This differentiation stemmed partly from the fundamental frequency of their vocalizations, determining the pitch of the sound blend (whether high or low). Another aspect was a measure linked to timbre, the combination of harmonics, providing a sound quality akin to recognizing a C note played on a trumpet versus the same note played on a clarinet.

Furthermore, individual puppies exhibited unique sound signatures, largely influenced by their size. Across most litters, smaller puppies tended to emit higher-pitched whines due to their shorter vocal cords and smaller voice boxes. This correlation between size and pitch is ingrained in our perception—hence, when encountering characters like Mickey Mouse and a giant from Jack and the Beanstalk, we naturally expect Mickey’s voice to be high-pitched and squeaky, and the giant’s to be deep and resonant.

How Canine Mothers Respond to Puppy Whines

The initial recordings of puppy whines were electronically manipulated and played back using a wireless speaker enclosed in a fleece container approximately the size of a large hot dog bun. Positioned behind a low wooden screen, the speaker remained easily accessible to the mother.

Different whining sounds from puppies were played back, and the responses of the mothers were observed. Crucially, it was discovered that the mothers unmistakably identified the auditory traits of their own litter’s whining behavior. In fact, they exhibited caregiving responses 93 percent of the time when the sounds resembled those produced by their own litter.

Mothers exhibited fewer caregiving responses when the sounds originated from litters of puppies that were not their own or if the sounds from their own litter had been altered to modify the pitch or timbre slightly, deviating from the natural sounds of their biological offspring.

Through manipulation of the recorded sounds, it was observed that mothers provided the highest level of care in response to high-pitched whines resembling those of relatively small puppies from their own litter. This behavior aligns with biological logic, as smaller puppies are typically more delicate and require increased care and nourishment for survival.

This research underscores the notion that young individuals, particularly puppies (and potentially even humans), possess distinct vocalization patterns. Likely without conscious effort, mothers of such young creatures develop the ability to recognize their own offspring and discern how certain sounds made by their offspring may indicate a need for additional maternal attention.

The impact of these vocalizations on a canine mother is remarkably potent. The authors remark, “We were indeed surprised to witness that in roughly a fifth of the playbacks (and notably more in reaction to whines from their own puppies), the mothers transported the loudspeaker into the nest, treating it as if it were their actual puppy. This indicates that the whine acoustic stimulus alone was potent enough to elicit this crucial maternal response in the absence of specific visual or olfactory cues.”