A Calming Canine Concerto

Calming Canine Concerto

It’s often said that music soothes the savage beast. This misquote of William Congreve (who actually wrote, “Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast”, is more than just a cliche, it’s true, at least when it comes to the domesticated dog, and certain styles of music.

Just as humans find specific kinds of music calming, so, too, do our dogs. Luckily, according to psychoacoutstics expert Joshua Leeds and veterinary neurologist Susan Wagner “the same type of music soothes both people and their pooches.” Leeds and Wagner have teamed up to write Through a Dog’s Ear: Using Sound to Improve the Health & Behavior of Your Canine Companion. Not only does their book provide evidence for their conclusions, and detail how music can address such behavioral issues as separation anxiety, over-excitation, thunderstorm stress, and aggression, it also includes a CD of relaxing music to help soothe your pooch as well as more uplifting compositions for use in the home and car. The authors worked with concert pianist Lisa Spector to reengineer classical works by the likes of Bach, Schumann, Chopin, and Schubert, slowing the tempo and simplifying the scores to create arrangements that help settle Spot. These composers were chosen when the authors found that dogs responded more favorably to classical works than any other type of music.

Much has been written about the health benefits of having a canine companion. And we do all we can to return the favor by providing a good home, healthful food, plenty of exercise, fun toys, and, of course, plenty of love. Isn’t it good to know that we can also improve their health by sharing a soothing auditory environment with our pets? For more information visit www.throughadogsear.com