Does playing pipes hurt a dog's ears?

[Lisa]

HI again :)

This is maybe off topic, but I don't know the answer, neither does my vet.
I have a quiet 4 yr old terri-poo. He doesn't even bark when someone comes to the door. Now that I have my set of pipes and when I practice in the house, he howls like crazy. I've even put him in the basement while I practice. He still howls. He doesn't run away though.
Is he singing along with me? Is it hurting his ears? Is he telling me I sound horrible? Hehe I think it's kind of hilarious, but then again, I don't want to hurt him in any way.
Any advice?
Thanks
Lisa

[brad]

Our dog used to almost always howl when the city would test their "emergency" sirens. Not very loud (at least not loud enough to do damage from where we were).

Although it's pretty rare, she will occasionally howl when pipes are played. What is interesting is that the siren tone was very similar to the note from the drones.

I was watching an old piping video, and a piper from one of the World Wars made the comment: "cows and sheep love the bagpipe, but dogs, dogs HATE the bagpipe"

Kinda comical.

Brad

[Bob]

I'm moving this to the beer tent.. I have no problem with the topic, but it seems to me to be more of something we'd hear (?) in a beer tent?

We had a related experience last week... over the Christmas week we went to visit my sister who lives near Chicago - Alison & Liz brought their pipes (or course), and during one of their practise sessions, their cousin's dog heard the pipes for the first time in its life.. his reaction was to howl / sing along.. After a couple more times hearing the pipes he just started ignoring them, but the first reaction was nearly priceless.. (the dog is a 9 month old Rat Terrier)

BTW - Our dog(s) over the years of piping: Labs, Bull Dog, and Shelty - have all had absolutely no reaction to the pipes, they don't seem to even care much at all.. And the Lab that went deaf was 13 years old before that happened.. (Liz's first words were her attempt to say "St. John" - that dog's name)

Now I'm wondering.. am I off the topic? :D

Bob

[Rick James]

I've played for several dogs over the years, most have pretty much ignored the pipes. We have a dog door that allows the dog to leave the house at any time. Our current dog, always leaves the room and goes to his bed when I practice. One dog would always come into the same room with me and howl. I finally had to lock her up in her room (the one with the dog door) so I could practice without her distracting me. Like the others, she could have left on her own if she wanted to.

My best guess would be that it doesn't hurt their ears.

[Mary]

Lisa, I had to reply to this one. Growing up my family had a Bassett Hound. When my dad practised the dog was his 4th drone. The dog actually did quite well harmonizing... It is really the pitch of the pipes that bothers the dog's ears.. I have a Beagle now and the pipes (at least recordings) don't bother her too much. Mary

[Alison]

Hi all,

I have played "for" a lot of dogs in the time I've been playing. As my dad, Bob, mentioned, our current dog does not react, neither did our last one. However, also as he said, my cousin's dog did react strongly. My thought is that it caused something in his little brain to think that we were going to be singing (or the doggy equivilant) together. Because while he was howling, he was also running TOWARDS the pipes, not away. In fact, he was out in the hall and came into the room I was in to sing along. So, I think it probably depends on the dog, but my thought is that they are adding their talent more than voicing pain. I could be completly wrong, however :) .

Just my two cents,

Alison :cool:

[Dennis McCarthy]

Well...my dog Ginger (golden retriever) runs whenever I pull out the pipes (I don't even have to strike in - she just runs). If I am downstairs, she runs upstairs. If I am upstairs, she runs downstairs. Last week I was in the back yard and she ran to the front yard! I yelled to her that she was just an "disloyal mutt"! :p

I am a new piper and at least I can say one thing for my dog...she doesn't lie!!! :eek:

[ January 05, 2002: Message edited by: Dennis McCarthy ]

[GreenPiper]

My dog a German Shepard / Husky (9 months old), wags her tail and comes right over. She gives me that cock-eyed, curious look...ya know, like the RCA dog looking at the Victrola.
I usually lock her out of the room cuz I don't know how bad this could be for her ears.

[Taoralurath]

I practice in a back room with the door closed. My cats run when I pick up the pipes, and go as far away as they can. (Hopefully this is not a comment on my playing abiliity?) My dog, a Malamute/wolf mix, doesnt seem to be bothered, but since I wear ear plugs when playing indoors, I just wish there were some sort of an ear plug or ear muff for dogs cuz I dont want to harm his hearing. So, most of the time I try to have him outside when I'm playing indoors.

[Eric M]

I don't think they are expressing pain just because they howl. We had a yellow lab named Sam who never howled for anything unless he was singing with you. I used to softly sing "oowwwww" and he'd sit up/down and start singing with me. It was great.

Eric

[Gene]

My indoor practice area is in our bedroom (nice high ceiling). I normally shut the door when I play. Our English Springer Spaniel, Barley will come up, sit outside door and just sing to his heart's content. I can sometimes get him to howl just by howling myself but he sure likes to sing along with the pipes. He could care less about the PC or the Native American flutes that I play. :D

Gene

[Jean]

Hi all,

I have 3 dogs, who all react differently to pipes. The funniest thing that happened was the first time I ever took out the pipes. I started trying to play, my female gordon setter had every hair standing on end (fearsome for a gordon!) backed way up and started growling and barking up a storm. I died laughing. Now she comes into the living room and goes to sleep on the sofa. The male gordon goes outside, and the yellow lab gives me a long suffering look and lays down, always in my marching path, so that I have to step around her. Not sure if it hurts their ears or not, I imagine it's about the same for theirs as ours, maybe someone should invent doggy earplugs for us pipers with dogs. :wink:

Cheers, Jean

[Kenton Adler]

I have a Dalmatian and she also "sings" along with the pipe every time I blow them up. She goes along for about five minutes and thens tired of it and goes on about here business.

When I first started to play I thought she was being critical, or that it was hurting her ears, but if I went elsewhere she would follow me to the other end of the house and sit there and howl along.

I think it's the same thing that causes them to howl at passing sirens. Pack participation behavior. If it hurt her, she would run away.

A Little Rock TV station did a news feature on me a couple of years back and had me playing some pipe at my house, and when she started howling along they had to get her in the picture too. Letterman is our next gig together.

[Rick Damon]

Originally posted by Lisa:
HI again :)

This is maybe off topic, but I don't know the answer, neither does my vet.
I have a quiet 4 yr old terri-poo. He doesn't even bark when someone comes to the door. Now that I have my set of pipes and when I practice in the house, he howls like crazy. I've even put him in the basement while I practice. He still howls. He doesn't run away though.
Is he singing along with me? Is it hurting his ears? Is he telling me I sound horrible? Hehe I think it's kind of hilarious, but then again, I don't want to hurt him in any way.
Any advice?
Thanks
Lisa


When I began piping I expected it would bother the dogs. But instead they seem to like it. I'll blow on the chanter as I set the pipes up, and when I get to the front door both dogs (goldies) are waiting for me, and walk with me to the grassy knoll where I practice. They tend to either lie at my feet as I play or just romp around close. And in the Winter, when I play indoors, they stay in the same room.

I didn't say Golden Retrievers are smart, mind you...

[michael gunn]

from what i'd conjecture, dogs, being essentially "pack" animals, howling dogs are just joining in the sing-song (a lot of the responses seem to bear this out.)
our old p/m had a westie who would waddle into the middle of the practise circle, plop his butt down and just grin...well, he'd sing a little occasionally. i think he was just happy to be part of the party. :cool:

[Chris Hamilton]

I kid you not ...

Roddy MacLellan (the pipemaker) has a dog that can tune drones. Well, at least he knows when drones are in tune.

If you get your pipe out in Roddy's shop, strike in and play, he'll come stand in front of you and howl until the drones are in perfect tune ... then and only then he stops.

Fascinating! More useful than those Soviet "mine dogs" of WW2.

Chris

[Thom Moore]

Uh, Chris...that's no dog. That's Roddy down on all fours. And he bites, too. :wink:

[Scott McClellan]

My dog, a 2-year-old Shetland Sheepdog, also "complains" when my students are out of tune. Not vocally, but he is very anxious and jumpy around untuned pipes, and will give me a pleaful look as if to say "don't just stand there... DO something!" With tuned pipes, he can (and does) sleep in the same room.

I think this might possibly be attributed to the fact that early on, he was exposed only to well-tuned pipes, and he recognizes that sound as "normal."

[Kevin Kerchaert]

Your dog's reaction sounds much like what I get from our Drum Sergeant - perhaps you should buy him a side and some sticks so he can play along!

[Ringo]

Let me try this again.

I had a doberman/shepherd cross that loved the pipes! I'd used to take her with me when Clan MacFarlane practiced up at Brock University. She'd march with the band and then lay down in the circle. Damnest thing you ever saw. When I practiced at home, she had to be in the room with me.

She took off once with a stray and disappeared for more than an hour. I searched everywhere for her and finally I had a thought. I went home, opened the windows in the front room, and got out the pipes. Within a couple minutes, ears flapping in the wind, she came tearing down the street. That dog loved the pipes.

Women come and go, but a good dog is hard to find.

Ringo

[Michael New]

Hmmm...my professional curiosity is piqued. I've been a practicing veterinarian for the past 15 years, and I've seen older dogs become deaf, but never from exposure to noisy environments.

A common sense approach seems warranted: if your dog appears to be in pain (agitated, cringing, running off and hiding) then by all means don't practice near the dog. On the other hand, if the dog appears to enjoy your playing, consider yourself lucky - you'll know that at least one "person" does! :D

Occasionally, when the pipes are really humming, my dog (who typically sleeps through my sessions) will scratch with her back leg, the way dogs will when you scratch their bellies. I consider that the supreme compliment.

Cheers,

Michael

[Matt]

We actually have 4 dogs right now and they don't seem to mind when I play. At first my beagle would howl and bark at me when I played, but she was a puppy then. Now she and the others just act as if they don't even hear me. And I'm usually in the same room as them.

[Lisa]

Thanks to everyone for their imput.

Buddy, my dog has been quieting down a bit this week. I've been playing in the basement with the door closed. He'll howl for about 5-10 minutes then he'll stop.

Since he hasn't been running away, I'll assume it's not bothering him.

Thanks
Lisa

[redhairedpiper]

I have three dalmatians (cheers, Kenton!) They were not happy at first, but seem completely unaffected by my playing. Funny thing is, when my husband picks up my pipes(he's a side drummer) they scatter!! He doesn't even have to blow them!
One of them will even lie right up against the drum when it is being set up or tuned!

[outback]

Reading the discussion, I am glad that the response from working vets came in. I have had some fun with our cats and pipes. Michael New that replied, is our vet, and has heard these stories. Our former cat was a breed: Scottish Ginger Tabby, yet ran from the sound of pipes. Then my wife got an Egyptian Mau. Practice chanters are ok, but if I pick up a real chanter or the pipes, the cat's eyes get as large as dinner plates and finds a place as far away as possible.

Cat three, Kurfuffle, (look it up in Scottish dictionary), will wander away to allow the volume to diminish, then listen.

Both cats will listen to me if I am outside, hence diminishing the volume. In fact, we use my Piobreachaird CD's to settle the cats down. The lay down and will fall asleep listening. The way their ears move to the rythum verifies they are paying attention. Even If I play, (poorly) they will go to sleep if the volume is not obtrusive.

[kellypiper]

A number of years ago Jock Duncan (Ian and Gordons Dad) had a dalmation. Whenever we played in a circle good old 'Captain' moved into the centre and howled as long as we played. I'm sure the dog was performing. A curious sight for the tourists in Pitlochry and many a time I struggled to keep playing.

Sharon