[yorkietalkjilly]

In my experience with my dogs or dogs in my care, one that is really fighting-scared is only further excited by a high-pitched, sweet-talk voice, but that is just my experience working with rescues and other scared dogs who were ready to fight and bite they were so terrified. Usually that squeaky little fun voice means excitement to a dog and is used by most humans to communicate with them when the dog has done something good and dogs usually recognize that tone and manner of talking(kind of what we call "baby talk") to it as one of praise or fun-loving and react in kind. Most dogs wiggle all over and jump or wriggle around when you talk like that to them. I don't like to coddle or nurture the fear response in a dog as that type of talking can do but rather offer it quiet and gentle support as it learns the fear is false and nothing painful or life-threatening is really happening to them.

If you watch a mother dog with a scared puppy running squealing from its fear source, she just grabs it with a paw and nuzzles it back out of harm's way and uses no verbal communication or undue fondling. Once I began to handle frightened and fighting dogs in a similar manner - quiet, supporting but not indulging its fear with sweet talk, I noticed they began to respond and calm more quickly. And whatever fearful experience we were having, from toenail clipping, tooth brushing, bathing, whatever, I would just quietly go on about the task, occasionally stopping briefly to just hold it quietly and gently with my hands, but keep the session extremely brief and frequent until the dog became desensitized to the experience.

Still, each person who works with fearful dogs should use what is most healthy and effective for them and their dog(s). If baby talk or sweet talk does it best, use that by all means!