Am I Torturing My Dog...

jhatpro · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 2:24 pm Post subject: Am I Torturing My Dog...

...or just playing high notes? Anyone enough of a veterinarian to know if my terrier is in pain when she howls at anything I play above high E, or is she just commenting on the sound?

She doesn't leave the room when I play, as I've noticed human members of the audience do from time to time. On the other hand, I've not driven any humans to howl, so far as I know.
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jcmacman · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 2:31 pm Post subject:

Funny.....my Dalmation does the same thing when I play high, but he's outside. He also howls when a siren goes by.

John
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_Don Herman · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 2:42 pm Post subject:

Maybe the humans are actually howling, but at a frequency too high for us to hear. The dogs can hear this, thus they howl in response.

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ROGERIO · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 2:45 pm Post subject: Dogs

I posted that same question weeks ago and no one, I mean no one responded... I was quite bummed...

We have 3 dogs... the one that gives me practicing problems is my Blue Tick Coon Hound. She is such a lover but when it comes to my playing she sits outside the door and just bitches (no pun intended here).

It's quite interesting because it's only when I play with authority... not loud... but when I really try to create a broad full sound... my non music wife thinks that I must be playing more of "those overtonies" that only the dog can hear.... man, those "overtonies" must really be out of tunie.

I often worry that it's hurting her ears... I know it's killing my wife's ears ...

Lets all call our vets and ask the question and meet back here with answers...

Tootsall · Heavyweight Member Joined: 05 May 2002 Posts: 2952

See? You CAN play that quintuple high C... you just needed affirmation.

ROGERIO · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 2:55 pm Post subject: ears

Yeah, that's the ticket......

I'll just play all my gigs at the Humane Society (Dog Pound) from now on....

camelbrass · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 7:22 pm Post subject:

I kid myself that my Dalmatians are singing along....don't think so though!!

Regards,

Trevor

JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR · Heavyweight Member Joined: 21 Aug 2004 Posts: 1154

Oh, but they ARE singing along. We may call it howling, but in dogspeak
it is really just a group singalong. They aren't in any pain. Do they ever
run away, or do they just stand there and sing their hearts out? They feel
honored that we think enough of them to join in and even lead the choir.

And what's even more important is that they are willing to sing along
with us. It's a kind of group bonding thing when you get down to it. It
is really us that are being honored and accepted into their society. My
chihuahua, Rosa, explained all this to me one time. My pug, Frankie
can't carry a tune in a bucket. He's not much of a singer, so he just
enjoys listening, but Rosa is an artist! She hears me playing indoors
from her usual place out in the back yard, and always joins in even
from that distance. After Rosa and I harmonize, she always gives
me the biggest kisses, and that little wagging tail is the clincher.
They truly are man's best friend!

Your Friend, Tom in Texas
JAZZ-PLAYER-COLLECTOR

murph66 · Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:27 am Post subject:

My last two dogs, peekapoos, always barked their heads off when I practiced. If they were outside, they almost tore the door down to get back to the bedroom where I was playing. The current dog, a pekinese, always comes back to the bedroom and lays on the bed while I play with no comment at all. Sometimes, I dont even like the sound, but it doesn't seem to faze her. I guess she doesn't have any music critic genes in her.
I can't believe she thinks Caruso and Arban's is good music to nap to- especially the way I play it.
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ustacouldplay · Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:13 am Post subject:

I think J-P-C has it right. We used to have a mutt that would howl his little head off anytime I played. He would sit right in front of me and wait for me to start playing just like he was begging for a treat. As soon as I started, he would howl. The higher I played, the louder he'd howl. When I stopped, he'd stop. Sometimes, he would get on my nerves and I'd kick him out of the room. Not that that did any good. Then he'd just go nuts scratching on the door andhowling his head off.

So I decided that he liked it. I think to him it was some sort of game that we were playing together or something. He'd get just as happy when he saw me getting setup to play as he did when I grabbed the leash. Nothing like when I tried to get him into the car. Man, he hated riding in the car...but he loved my trumpet playing. He was probably the only one, too. Man, I miss that dog

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Mikeytrpt · Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:17 am Post subject:

My dog does not howl much when I play, but he does hump my leg when I play "Bolero"........

pair of kings · Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:30 am Post subject:

I dunno, but, if it hurts them, you'd think they would leave the room.
My last dog just wanted to be wherever I was, including the practice room, and she would sing along, mostly with scale practice. She sort of imitated me ascending and descending, which I found very amusing. She also became deaf in her later years.
I am trying to avoid doing that to my new dog.
Unfurtunately since we've had him, I seem to spend less time practicing... (which isn't going to work long term)

trumpetteacher1 · Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:52 am Post subject:

ROGERIO · Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 9:32 am Post subject: Dog days

Wow, thanks everyone...

J-P-C,
I knew there was something else about you that I liked, you're a dog person.... even if it's a chihuahua!!

Now, I am a little concerned about these "conversations" you are having with Rosa. Does she make recommendations about certain jazz "licks"? This reminds me of another trumpeter / manufacturer that takes advise from his cat... (no names)... I talk to my dogs too... but I never have conversations. Stop smelling all that valve oil JPC.

Mike,
You need to find a playmate for your dog. Unless of course, it something that motivates you to practice everyday. Hey, everybody has their thing... I just hope you are wearing long pants most of the time....

pairofkings,
I don't know about the running away part. As I'm sure you guys will agree, unless you beat them they really don't run away from us. They love us way to much to do that. So sometimes (if it really does hurt them) I think they stay and howl to kinda like say, "stop it man, those overtones are killing my ears"

For someone who has more time on their hands, (JPC) oops, did I say that... sorry... lets see if someone can find one of those scope dodads and lets do a study.... play certain notes that you know gets your dog going and see if there is a match... I would think their hearing "range" is the same regardless of breed... so we might be able to come up with a better theory on certain notes / overtones pushing their buttons....

This is sounding more like something our wonderful government would fund... "$1 million was allocated by congress last month to find out why dogs howl when trumpets are played..."

Asian Man · Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:49 pm Post subject:

play a sax or harmonica and listen for your dogs response
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trumpetnerd7 · Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2004 10:31 pm Post subject:

I have a 2 year old Black Lab and a 6 year old Chocolate Lab. The black lab always hangs around when I play and howls and howls and howls, but the chocolate does not like it at all. She stars to whine and slinks off into another room of the house. Maybe its a male/female thing? (The black lab is a male)

-scott

StewMuse · Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 4:55 am Post subject:

I think we DEFINITELY have the answer as suspected in the previous post. In college, the girls ALWAYS left the room when the guys would try to do do the high note thing. Other guys would just come in and say they could do it better... (okay, so that's all made up, but it is a pretty funny scenario).

Maybe there should be a sitcom featuring dumb guy (this seems to consistently produce hits nowadays) trumpeters and their infinitely patient, and always much more attractive, wives who must endure the "dumb guy trumpetations" of their daily life.

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Mikeytrpt · Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 5:12 am Post subject:

flugle-me-elmo · Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 6:18 am Post subject:

One of my cats will actually swat at me when I practice...so now he goes to a different room, and the other cats just run out the second they hear the case latch "clink"!

Chris

johnski25 · Veteran Member Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Posts: 108

Yeh, I have a lab/shepard mix and she always lies at my feet when I practice at home and she always sings along at some point. I too think that it is when I play in the higher range. Man, she has a great range, her glissandos from down low to real high are amazing. I wish I had that flexibility.

John Fraser