The bark

[RobinG]

I have a new family member: Lucy the dog - PBGV for those who know about tese things. She comes from a shelter and is still very shy - probably abused in her previous home - and has never made a sound - no howls or noises of any kind. I have been too busy for much practice recently and also had the mando in the shop, but today had time for a good practice and did it with the dog present. Suddenly, from under the sideboard came a throaty bark, starting low and moving through the upper registers. This continued until I stopped... the question is:

a) is the mandolin a way to cure dogs of their past trauma?
b) was she trying to sing 'True life blues'?
c) was this a sound of pleasure at finally being at a home with a mandolin player?
d) did the lonesome sound remind her of her genetic past hunting rabbit over the mountains?
e) Could 10 minutes of Aonzo scales at varying speeds possibly have irritated her to the point of protest?
f) I have a banjo. If I get it out, would she respond well to this, or would this be considered abuse?

Whatever the reason, I quickly moved off to the kitchen!!

Best
Robin
(I have a dawg, and my mandolin is worth more than my car. Do I qualify?)

[mandroid]

perhaps g)... the missing verses of Homer [Haynes] and Jethro [Burns's]
"How Come There's No Dog Days" surfaces.

written, By and for Dogs, to be sung in their own language.

[SternART]

Shouldn't this be in that High Lonesome sound thread?

[Alex Fields]

I have a fairly serious answer to your question actually....anecdotal though.

I used to have a greyhound who stayed inside, and when I played the fiddle he would often howl much as you described. I wondered if it were because it hurts his ears or if he were just having fun or something...it seemed strange because he could have left the room if it were really unpleasant for him, but instead he would come near to me and stand there looking at me and howling. Then one day I noticed that when I started playing and he started howling, he would start wagging his tail! I don't know much about dog psychology but if I'm not mistaken that means he warnt too upset about it.

[Bill Snyder]

You have to look at more than a dog's tail to know how they are feeling. A wagging tail by itself does not always mean the dog is happy, friendly, or safe. Look at other clues. I have seen dogs with wagging tails just before they lunged at something/someone.
It does seem resonable though that if your playing were hurting the dog in any way he would make a hasty retreat.

[RobinG]

Are there any statistics about dog attacks on mandolin/fiddle/banjo players? Actually I was wondering about the high harmonics - when I play quietly there is no barking, just concentrated attention. I think she has a I, IV, V progression down now. At what point should I start introducing chord substitutions?

[seththedude]

A bandmates dog always howls when we play some of our gypsy tunes. Those minor keys really get him going. Especially Am.

[CollingsPicker]

When people say that mandolin barks all it means is that is has a deep sound when playing chops

[RobinG]

and when a dog barks, it is a deep sound after eating chops
sorry!

[homeslice]

My dog loves to sleep in the room where my mandolin hangs on the wall. Everytime I reach for it she lets out the most anxiety filled sigh you've ever heard. Then she slowly gets up and heads for the door, looking over her shoulder at me once before she leaves with a look of total disgust. I think she's just jealous because she can't pick as good as I can.

[f5loar]

I've heard it said that certain Lloyd Loar F5s could "peel bark off a tree". Also known as "Bone" crushers or "Mastertone" crushers.

[Chad Thorne]

Who can know what goes on in a dog's head? But it does sound as if your mando playing was distressing the dog. High harmonics also occurred to me. I know that if I reach for my solid-body guitar my dog beats a hasty retreat out of the room. (I may have played it a bit loud one time when she was present.)

[MandoBen]

I thought it was common knowledge that dogs love to sing along with their masters' instruments, especially harmonicas

[bennyb]

Howdy, Robin
Googling ... dog howl siren ... (you're not a siren, are you?) Got the usual unreliable sources: first and second Seems like a mystical bonding thing.
My best, bennyb

[Philphool]

Everytime I reach for it she lets out the most anxiety filled sigh you've ever heard. Then she slowly gets up and heads for the door, looking over her shoulder at me once before she leaves with a look of total disgust.

=========================================
Hey, come to think of it, that's exactly what my wife does,.... and she's no dog.

Phil

[Milan Christi]

and when a dog barks, it is a deep sound after eating chops
sorry!

ROFL

The dog in my avatar actually likes when I play the mandolin - he comes from wherever he is lounging and gets as close as possible to me to continue his lounging. He's not much good for anything else but he is, after all, encouraging! (he really likes 'Old Dangerfield, btw)

[swampstomper]

My dog loves to sleep in the room where my mandolin hangs on the wall. Everytime I reach for it she lets out the most anxiety filled sigh you've ever heard. Then she slowly gets up and heads for the door, looking over her shoulder at me once before she leaves with a look of total disgust. I think she's just jealous because she can't pick as good as I can.

Oh... for a minute there I thought you were talking about my wife... :-)

Dogs will usually leave the scene of things they don't like if they can. In your case, under the sideboard may be Lucy's current safe spot. Leaving that safe spot may not be an acceptable option for her at this time so her only choice is to try to make the thing that is bothering her go somewhere else.

At least until she is more settled it is probably a good idea to keep the bad noises away from her safe spot. And BE SURE not to leave the mandolin anywhere that she might be able to sneak up on it and do away with the evil noise maker.