Dog laughter
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=1370911 Here's text of it: Sound of Dog's 'Laugh' Calms Other Pooches Researchers: Canine Laugh Is Long Loud Panting Sound Dec. 4, 2005 — - Researchers at the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service in Washington state say sometimes a bark is just a bark -- but a long, loud panting sound has real meaning. They say the long, loud pant is the sound of a dog laughing, and it has a direct impact on the behavior of other dogs. "What we found is that it had a calming or soothing effect on the dogs," said Patricia Simonet, an animal behaviorist in Spokane who has studied everything from hamster culture to elephant self-recognition. "Now, we actually really weren't expecting that." Nancy Hill, director of Spokane County Animal Protection, admits she was skeptical at first that this noise would affect the other dogs. "I thought: Laughing dogs?" Hill said. "A sound that we're gonna isolate and play in the shelter? I was a real skeptic … until we played the recording here at the shelter." When they played the sound of a dog panting over the loudspeaker, the gaggle of dogs at the shelter kept right on barking. But when they played the dog version of laughing, all 15 barking dogs went quiet within about a minute. "It was a night-and-day difference," Hill said. "It was absolutely phenomenal." Officials say it works every time, and researchers across the country are taking note. "The laughing sound that they make is something that was not even considered a vocalization until this study was done," Simonet said. Those who study dog behavior have varying opinions about exactly what Patricia Simonet's "dog laughing" sound really is. What they do agree on, however, is that to other dogs, it is at least a sound worth keeping quiet to listen to. |
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| I need a recording of that for my house... |
| I caught the tail end of this on the news the other nite and was sorry I had missed it. Thanks for the post - I want a copy too! |
| Me too! I was hoping they would have a link to it. . . |
| Interesting... but is it really laughter, or are we just anthromorphizing again? |
I definitely need a recording if it shuts dogs up. Is there something to quiet the kids?!?  lol |
| Sounds have a great effect on all of us. The coo of a mother to baby, nails on a chalkboard, the squeal of a braking car. I think they all cause some kind of physical reaction, either good or bad.
I worked with severely handicapped children for 13 years. Several children that suffered from a lot of muscle spasticity, found basic sounds, verses words, very soothing. One child in particular was calmed almost immediately by a panting sound. The article didn’t say under what circumstances does a dog make this sound, only that other dogs respond to it. I am curious to know that before I would call it a laugh. I know a lot of experts say that we are the ones that impose human emotions of our animals. But I do believe at a primitive level, they have several. That is probably another topic for “food for thought” though! Mojo can be very pushy in the mornings when he wants me to get up. Just for fun this morning I panted at him. He looked at me kind of funny and then went and lay down! Will be interesting to follow "both" studies! |
A. Yager wrote: Mojo can be very pushy in the mornings when he wants me to get up. Just for fun this morning I panted at him. He looked at me kind of funny and then went and lay down! Will be interesting to follow "both" studies! When I read this this morning I thought it was interesting. Well today, Louie was riled up and barking and I decided to see if panting would have any effect on him. When I started he stopped barking, gave me an odd look, and now he is calmly chewing on a bone. Must've done something right... |
| What interesting information!! I'm going to have to try the panting noise with my crew and seems as if the shelter has a pontial goldmind in the wings should they ever decide to make a recording available to the public.
Something they should think about. Marianne |
A. Yager wrote: Sounds have a great effect on all of us. The coo of a mother to baby, nails on a chalkboard, the squeal of a braking car.
Not on the subject at all, but I wonder if kids these days even understand the 'nails on the chalkboard' phrase since don't they pretty much use whiteboards now instead of chalkboards? |
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