Now that the New York Post has reported it, it's official: Dogs go insane for the Law & Order theme music. Whether it's the wailing of the electric guitar, the clean slurring of the clarinet or the anticipation of yet another murder-to-be-solved, when that theme starts a-playin', those dogs start a-howlin'.
While the experts interviewed by the Post don't really know why the dogs howl (one says "When the music hits a certain note, it . . . hits a signal in their auditory nerve and makes them howl," and another says "It's probably due to the staccato sound of the music, which is very jarring"), what everyone can agree on is that it is a fascinating phenomenon, and maybe dogs are more interested in sending criminals to the slammer than we previously thought.
So was TV-theme giant Mike Post sent to Earth to secretly torture/entertain our canines with his music? Scientists will soon begin experiments with some of his other themes from "Quantum Leap," "Wiseguy," and "Doogie Howser, M.D." to find out more.
And we just couldn't help but include this last one:
While the experts interviewed by the Post don't really know why the dogs howl (one says "When the music hits a certain note, it . . . hits a signal in their auditory nerve and makes them howl," and another says "It's probably due to the staccato sound of the music, which is very jarring"), what everyone can agree on is that it is a fascinating phenomenon, and maybe dogs are more interested in sending criminals to the slammer than we previously thought.
So was TV-theme giant Mike Post sent to Earth to secretly torture/entertain our canines with his music? Scientists will soon begin experiments with some of his other themes from "Quantum Leap," "Wiseguy," and "Doogie Howser, M.D." to find out more.
And we just couldn't help but include this last one:
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Poor babies!!! Not the reaction Mr. Post had in mind, I'm sure!......or was it????
Maybe it's like cats and catnip. Some cats have the gene that reacts to it. Some do not. Maybe for some dogs, the song has notes that it can hear/bothers it. But other dogs can't, for whatever reason, can't hear/don't care.
Oh, and you're sure it's the Law & Order theme and not SVU or CI? The spinoff themes are slightly different than that of the original. A little higher pitch.
You are torturing these poor dogs. The reason these dogs are howling is because the sound hurts their ears. When I started playing my harmonica, that's when I realized the sound was hurting my dog's ears.
Nobody is torturing these dogs. I watch Law & Order all the time and none of our three dogs even raises an ear. Dogs are attracted to different sounds. I have a notifier on my cell phone that brings one of my dogs running from wherever she is in the house, while the other two just ignore it. Certain sounds intrigue different dogs, it doesn't mean it's hurting them.
I never really comment about these stories but I have to say that my German shepherd gets excited whenever the Law and Order them song comes on. She will get off her bed and try to convince me to play with her. I also like the Law and Order theme song. I don't know what it is but it makes me more energetic when I hear it.
I had a Lhasa who would do that on certain notes played on the piano or sung. Never did figure it out, though eventually it also looked as if he was doing it because it pleased me. Could it be the clarinet notes? My Lhasa was the only dog I ever had to do this so it could be only certain dogs. It facinated me that he, like the dogs in the videos, didn't run from the sound so I figured it didn't hurt him. Some in the videos actually run towards it.
It maybe like a dog whistle, there could be a high sympathetic note in there that we can't hear that dogs do. That would help explain why it is only certain dogs, as some dogs problably have lost some of the range of hearing as they age, just as humans do . Anyone tested this on human babies? Maybe they can still hear it.
My two male greyhounds are oblivious to music, but the female greyhound "yodels" along to the Boston Legal theme.
Special Victims Unit. Oh yeah.. whats so special about those victims? Pull the plug on them already.
Funny, but for the last 3 years, my African Grey bird goes nuts over both the show & the music of Law & Order - it's the only show she watches!!
My sister's three rat terriers don't howl but one of them really likes to watch while the song plays. I had a cat who also got intensely interested during the song. For some strange reason, she also liked the song and opening credits for Stargate SG-1. Didn't care about the rest of the show, just the opening. Maybe it's all the fast movement AND the music.
Had a cockatoo that went crazy in his cage & started dancing & bobbing his head every time Law & Order theme came on tv.
My dog never howled but he did come to the television and watch the screen each time one of the shows came on. As soon as the theme song was off, he would go lay back down.
I think your last dog did react, It woke up and listened, it just didn't howl.
I believe parts of the music remind the dogs of a doorbell and like a good dog
they let their owners know someone is at the door - da-doink
my dog loves all the CSI themes. He wakes from a sound sleep to hear them and we think it's a riot. He tilts his head wags his tail and looks at us like he loves them. Glad there is no howling!
As a zoologist I can tell you why they howl; it sounds like someone's knocking on the door. Next time listen closely and strip away the music a little, the beat sounds just like someone rapping on the door.
Our dog howls like crazy to this music!
My dog loves the theim to L&O as well as Jeopardy. Jeopardy ends at five and L&O starts at five. What else happens at five? Just like Pavlovs Dog my I beleve is responding to the food that comes at five.
My shihtzu goes NUTS when he hears the gavel sound effect during the show. I don't even watch it anymore due to his reaction. The tail INSTANTLY goes down and he runs into another room scared. Poor little guy. It's the strangest thing!