Frank Simansky and his dog Casey

Frank Simansky and his dog Casey (Matt Button | Aegis Staff)

You know how when someone compares dealing with their dog to dealing with a baby and all the parents in the room give them the stink eye?

Well, the comparison might hold water.

According to a study by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, published in the journal Current Biology, when people talk to their dogs, the reaction of the pup is similar to that of a baby.

József Topál, of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, told U.K.'s The Telegraph that increasing evidence shows that humans and dogs share social skills -- and that the cognitive function of dogs resembles babies ranging from six months to two years old.

The researcher also told the paper that dogs appear to react to eye contact -- as do babies.

During the study, researchers presented dogs with video recordings of a person turning toward one of two identical plastic pots while an eye tracker captured information on the dogs' reactions, The Telegraph reported. In one instance, the person looked directly at the dog, addressing it in a high-pitched voice, saying "Hi dog!" Next, someone, speaking low and avoiding eye contact, said, "Hi dog."

The upshot? Dogs were more inclined to follow the person and look at the pot when the person was more engaging.

"Our findings reveal that dogs are receptive to human communication in a manner that was previously attributed only to human infants," Topál told The Telegraph.

This probably makes a lot of sense to anyone with a dog.