Why Do Dogs Sing Along to Music?

When I was 12, I began to play the oboe. Like any beginner, I was not good. And every time I held a long, out-of-tune note, my dog would instantly begin howling like some deranged four-legged backup singer. Dogs, of course, howl along to all sorts of music: the Law and Order theme song, “Let It Go,” and most ubiquitously these days, Adele's “Hello” among them.


Researchers have long been interested in this question. A student wrote in a January 1906 issue of Nature Studies on the subject of “Why Do Dogs Howl to Music” that writers for nature publications, “being mind-bound by the fetish of ‘evolution’ theories,” often look to the “primeval Dog” for answers. But evolution theory is actually a useful guide in this case: When dogs hear a human voice belting out a tune, their pack instincts kick in; they want to participate in the chorus. “It’s like a family singing,” animal behaviorist Peter Borchelt has said.

We can only wish we'd look this cute when someone comes into the room with a plate of cupcakes. Photographer Christian Vieler has captured the looks of wonder, anticipation, and determination on his subjects' faces as they're tossed scrumptious treats. And it's okay that their mouths go wobbly and their eyes all bulgy in the process, because his subjects are dogs.