Harley does not like our singing or humming

Discussion in 'Labrador Behavior' started by Harley Quinn, Feb 16, 2017.

  1. Harley Quinn

    Harley Quinn Registered Users

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    I know what you are thinking...maybe I just have an awful voice that can't carry a tune and that distresses all animals and humans... and in part, you would be correct. I have a horrible voice, but I love singing so I do it anyway. But my DH has a lovely voice. Harley gets "the frown", cocks her head and comes to us to see " what is wrong". And we sing and hum often and she does this every time. DH has a theory that perhaps she thinks we are in pain? But as I mentioned that may ring true for me, but not for him but her ears hear different things.

    We are always playing music in the house, quite loudly sometimes and she will calmly lay around or sleep through it. She only responds with her "Little Timmy is down the well" expression if we personally sing or hum.

    Does anyone else have this? Or can someone offer an alternate or expanded theory?
     
  2. SwampDonkey

    SwampDonkey Registered Users

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    Depends Moo is a fan of blues and loves Johnson, muddy waters and frutland. She likes field hollers too. My oh does a few bars and she really interested. Shes deaf now so she can't get involved now. Rory gets too excited and jumps around if we sing he likes old led zep . He likes the arrr aaar bits in the Viking one but he gets too silly so we sing less with him. He's used to me singing when we are walking and doesn't get so interested because hes busy or maybe he doesn't like Christy Moore much. One of my old cats used to go crazy if heard a banjo, when I hear the opening bars if Sing I always think of him and smile.

    They seem to find it interesting the more they hear you sing the more likely they care to ignore you unless you are singing and dancing about. The dogs love it in the car when we've got Foo fighters on and are all singing away. They get that daft relaxed face on then go to sleep.
    are you in the suicide squad or just a fan?
     
  3. FayRose

    FayRose Registered Users

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    Ah well, I wonder what their super sensitive ears are hearing.

    I play the piano and our old lab BJ used to give an incredible tortured wolf impression every time I struck up - whatever the music and he would continue as long as I did, just getting louder and louder :p
    As soon as I stopped, he would run over to me wagging merrily as if to say, thank goodness for that. I've yet to try Molly with the piano :penguin:
     
  4. Lara

    Lara Registered Users

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    Our old cross breed we had when I was a teenager used to howl when I played my violin. Mum said it was hurting his ears (how rude!) but we did some experiments and he would actually run in from outside when he heard it to sit at my feet and howl. He was very shy about it though - if I looked at him or anyone else came to watch, he would stop and slink off. I liked the feeling of him responding to it like some pack call to the wild :) I haven't tried the violin with Indie but she gets very interested in my husband's ukulele - but in a slightly alarmed excited might-bark kind of way.
     
  5. Lara

    Lara Registered Users

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    He's pretty rubbish at the ukulele though to be fair :rolleyes:
     
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  6. Harley Quinn

    Harley Quinn Registered Users

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    Just a fan.
     
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  7. Snowshoe

    Snowshoe Registered Users

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    Well first of all, you really need to provide a video. :)

    LOL, my Mum had a dog who would howl when she practiced her piano lessons. Sis had one who would howl if someone played the mouth organ. Not the piano or the guitar or singing, just the mouth organ. One of our cats would attack OH when he played the piano, first jumping up on the keyboard to bite and grab his hands and then when he put her down she'd go for his feet on the pedals. And no, we were dumb, we didn't get videos.

    A theory for the howling with the music is that it might be like a group howl that wolves and coyotes do. It's mating season for coyotes here, there is some howling at night. There's more in late summer, early fall when the pups are getting bigger.
     
  8. edzbird

    edzbird Registered Users

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    I've always sung to my dogs. They have never batted an eyelid at my not-so-angelic caterwauling. Possibly my dogs are also tone-deaf.
     
  9. Rosie

    Rosie Registered Users

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    I was doing a lot of singing just before Christmas because I was getting ready to sit an exam. I don't know if Pongo likes it or not, but he will always come over and sit down by (or on) my feet. I have a feeling he thinks I'm in pain. He comes and sits closest when I'm singing some sort of tragic operatic aria where the heroine is facing death and despair.
     
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  10. SwampDonkey

    SwampDonkey Registered Users

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    I used to sing to one of my horses he definately thought it was funny. I yhink they maybe humouring us
     
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  11. Chandler&Co

    Chandler&Co Registered Users

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    They probably get freaked out hearing us sing lol, it's like how intense birds and their mating calls sound to us haha. I am sure they will get to used to it though!
     
  12. FinnOfSoCal

    FinnOfSoCal Registered Users

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    My family's Corgi used to go absolutely BALLISTIC when we would sing happy birthday. I swear it was the funniest damn thing ever. I think she got it from when we would do birthday celebrations and parade out with a cake and candles. She would turn into a barking machine. Then eventually whenever we would sing "Haa..." (aka the first note of the song) she would come charging in barking and jumping at us. Hysterical.
     
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  13. Plum's mum

    Plum's mum Registered Users

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    When my girl first came home she was sitting on my lap and I started humming along to something and she looked at me with a start, got quite discombobulated, a bit fidgety, like she just didn't know what was going on. That went on for a few weeks and now she doesn't take much notice (she's 22 weeks) and I have music on a lot as well as the radio and I'm always singing about the house.
    Occasionally, if she's sitting close to me, she'll give me a little look if I hum, but that's it.

    Harley'll get used to it I'm sure :cool:
     
  14. Snowshoe

    Snowshoe Registered Users

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    Have you seen the video of corgis singing Happy Birthday to the Queen? It's great.

     
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  15. Saba's Boss

    Saba's Boss Registered Users

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    Saba doesn't mind singing, but he will sometimes object during my saxophone lessons! If he's in his crate, he's not bothered by anything. :p
     
  16. AnnaBanana

    AnnaBanana Registered Users

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    Lola has had no choice but to be ok with music and singing from the off (we're a family of musicians), but she's never really paid much attention to any of it. She will leave the room if my opera singer boyfriend starts singing, but that may just be a volume thing :rolleyes:
    The spaniel we've been looking after would come and lie by me when I played the piano, which way really lovely :)
     
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  17. FinnOfSoCal

    FinnOfSoCal Registered Users

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    Haha that is great!

    One of my favorite pastimes is making weird noises to get silly/confused reactions from dogs
     
  18. Ski-Patroller

    Ski-Patroller Cooper, Terminally Cute

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    Our first Lab, Ginger, would howl when someone played a harmonica. With a little practice we got her to howl with us. We could sound like a pack of wolves, much to our teenage son's embarrassment.

    Tilly and Cooper don't seem to have the howling gene. Tilly barks when she wants something. Cooper mostly barks when she is play fighting with Tilly.
     
  19. edzbird

    edzbird Registered Users

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    When I was a child, our lovable mongrel, Joe, would howl like a wolf at the chorus of Chas & Dave's "Ossie's Dream"...all together now "Come on you Spurs". I've yet to find Coco's weak spot....I'll keep at it.
     

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