Through a dog's ear...

There's a new book out (on March 1, 2008) that's worth looking into. Joshua Leeds and Susan Wagner, DVM have created Through a Dog's Ear, Using Sound to Improve the Health & Behavior of Your Canine Companion. I haven't read it yet, but I've read Leeds' earlier book The Power of Sound, and he has a lot of good information to share. And if you want to go to the website directly, here it is: http://www.throughadogsear.com/

But just reading the previews of Through a Dog's Ear makes me say "hey, why didn't I get it together sooner, and write that?!" With 'better late than never' as our motto, here's what I do know (and could have written, if I'd just stopped proscrastinating... easier said than done..) about dogs and music.

Not all dogs love music! Can you believe it? They're so similar to people. Sometimes, they develop a real liking after several listenings. I have 4 greyhounds, and each has particular musical tastes but, overall, each loves the clarinet. Gabby, who's since passed away, liked the clarinet but Loved the piano.

Though this is about 'dog's ears,' many years of experience with turtles convinced me that they're more developed connoiseurs of music than most dogs. Turtles seem to be able to hear subtler sounds and harmonics than dogs. They live in a giant (to them) resonator~their shells. And their ears are constructed differently. Remind me to tell you some good turtle/music stories another time...

We humans put dogs into lots of situations and circumstances that aren't at all natural for them.
Being our companions, dogs are willing to do just about anything we ask of them. They have empathy, sensitivity, and so they absorb a lot of our anxiety and worries, along with our worldly stress.

The noise of daily life can be (is) stressful. It's effects on blood pressure, heart rate and muscle tension is measurable and obvious.

Think about what you might do to put yourself into a calm, relaxed state of mind. If you meditate or pray, you'll turn off the tv, the cellphone, the radio, and be in a quiet room or in a quiet place outdoors.
Swimming, running, yoga, all are meditative ways to attain that state of mind, too.

Interestingly, you won't be able to find a place that's devoid of sound. But notice the sound that is around you... It's rhythmic, slow, uncomplicated. It may feature the rhythm of your breathing, birdsong, quiet housenoises, the ocean's surf, chanting. It's a simple melody that repeats itself. The rhythm is predictable but gentle. Lots of space for breathing.

Clarinet music (or Clarinet Therapy) is rhythmic, slow, evocative, uncomplicated melody. The tones themselves contain the subltest harmonics that the imagination can tune into.

Last year, I made a cd ("Sweet Dreams") to give to the attendees of Weekend of Hope in Stowe, Vt. during a two-day presentation.
StoweHope (www.stowehope.org) is a therapeutic/relaxation weekend for cancer patients and cancer survivors. The cd was a mix of solo clarinet and nature sounds. (The greyhounds felt it was just what the 'dogtor' ordered.)
Greyhounds can never resist the relaxation of the music. Rumford, just last night, was lounging on one off the dog beds as I played "Beautiful Dreamer." Before the end of the tune I heard a 'clunk' and he was stretched out on his side, breathing deeply and slowly, eyes closed.

Dogs, as we all know, don't intellectualize. (And if they are critiqueing us, they're certainly very forgiving.) For the most part they live in 'the here and now.'
If we're attentive to giving them a good, less-stressful life, they'll lead us to something better for ourselves. After all, isn't that why we choose the company of dogs?