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Interesting. It would be interesting to see what a study of this same thing in highly experienced Freestyle dogs would be since we Freestylers balance everything out between the left and right throughout the dog's entire life.

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Yes - I know. But the two sports are very different and I would be interested to see if the results of such a study remain the same, or differ, between dogs experienced in Freestyle.

 

Freestyle requires a different skills et. It is rare in Agility that the dog is asked to get in close to the handler and work for a long duration in either the right or left position, carrying out a lot of highly precise and varied behaviors in that position specifically. In Agility, more often than not, the dog ought to be running or interacting with a piece of equipment. The dog is not being asked to go forward, backwards, sideways, etc. In Agility the dog is not typically asked to maintain a particular position in relationship to the handler - not in exactly the same way.

 

I know there is a type of precision in Agility, but there is a big difference between the two sports. I don't have a scientific study to prove this, but I would say the dog is likely utilizing different areas of the brain in one vs. the other.

 

Add in the music and the fact that the dog is processing the music at the same time he is working, and there is another brain-chemistry factor in the mix.

 

Having experience in both sports, I can honestly say, that I spend a lot of time - probably the majority of it - in Freestyle working specifically on position based skills. In Agility . . . I'm not even thinking "position". In Agility, the more my dog is "out of position" the better most of the time!! Getting "out of position" is key to being able to send, or have the dog doing something while setting up for the next sequence. I will call my dog into position if I don't have the handling skills to do something and I need a Band-Aid!!!

 

That's why I would be interested in seeing if the same results are found with a highly experienced Freestyle dog who has spent a sizeable chunk of his or her training doing position work. Will the brain chemistry adapt and alter based on that experience?

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Interesting. It would be interesting to see what a study of this same thing in highly experienced Freestyle dogs would be since we Freestylers balance everything out between the left and right throughout the dog's entire life.

 

 

The suggestion that dogs with a preference for the right or left paw differ temperamentally isn't particularly new but I don't know how strong the evidence is.

 

I think you probably have a point. Introducing right and left hand working in a study to a dog that is unfamiliar with working on the right is a different matter from doing the same with a dog that has been trained to be more ambidextrous in its movements.

 

Unfamiliarity is bound to affect a dog's performance.

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Add in the music and the fact that the dog is processing the music at the same time he is working, and there is another brain-chemistry factor in the mix.

 

There was a small dog at Crufts this year in the finals of the Freestyle competition who was completely deaf.

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I've never really considered that the dog might respond to the music. I thought that was just for the performer and the audience.

 

Handler responds to the music, dog responds to the handler.

 

But what do I know?

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I work with a handler with a deaf dog in my online classes. She has observed, and we have found at least anecdotal indications in addition, that in spite of not being able to hear at all, her dog can perceive music in some fashion. It may be that the dog can physically feel something, or perhaps there is another reason. The dog does work better to some music than he does to other music.

 

She has found that the dog works differently to different music, so it seems that even in that case, the music may factor into the dog's overall Freestyle experience.

 

It has been very interesting working with this team.

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I've never really considered that the dog might respond to the music. I thought that was just for the performer and the audience.

 

Handler responds to the music, dog responds to the handler.

 

But what do I know?

 

Most dogs absolutely respond to the music.

 

The kind of Freestyle that I do most involves a lot of moving to music that the dog matches on the beat with his or her gait. The dogs very clearly move with more enthusiasm and precision to certain pieces and less to others, regardless of the movement of the handler.

 

It might not be as obvious to the viewer in "tricks to music" style Freestyle (which I also appreciate and enjoy, but not quite as much), but the more you work with dogs to music, the more obvious their music preferences, and the difference music can make in their movement becomes.

 

There was actually a book written by a canine chiropractor called "Why Dogs Should Dance" and she explored the ways that dogs respond to music, and the benefits of working with dogs to music, in some depth. It has been a while since I read the book, but I believe she did address the topic from a physiological perspective, as well as an observational one.

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Can't find a link to a great description, but this is the book. It is quite substantial.

 

http://books.google.com/books/about/Why_Dogs_Should_Dance.html?id=IMM_QwAACAAJ

 

I based a lot of my work with Speedy on it because I used Freestyle as much with him as therapy for his fear and stimulation issues as I did for fun and entertainment when he was in his heyday.

 

I have also used music to a great extent to help Dean with his noise phobia, but more with the music itself than movement to it.

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I do not believe that animals work to music. I do believe they respond to music. As in simple like or dislike. Probably more based on the difference between annoying (painful possibly) and soothing.

 

The appearance of working for music to me comes strictly from the human. No single person that I know likes all music. So any choice of piece we make carries emotion. Any time we work that certain piece of music it carries emotion.

 

But again, I can't prove it. It is observance and largely with horses and freestyle.

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I do not believe that animals work to music. I do believe they respond to music. As in simple like or dislike. Probably more based on the difference between annoying (painful possibly) and soothing.

 

The appearance of working for music to me comes strictly from the human. No single person that I know likes all music. So any choice of piece we make carries emotion. Any time we work that certain piece of music it carries emotion.

 

But again, I can't prove it. It is observance and largely with horses and freestyle.

 

I can't prove it, either, but I have experienced it enough that I do take into account heavily in my work with dogs to music. It is something that is actually considered heavily in scoring in the Freestyle venue that I judge for!

 

As far as the dog responding only to the emotion of the handler, it doesn't quite hold up.

 

I've seen time and time again, dogs working with great enthusiasm to music that the handler strongly dislikes. And I've seen handlers who have their heart set on a piece of music find that the dog just doesn't respond well to it. (Some persist in using that music and struggle. There isn't much performance appeal to a half hearted dog).

 

It is a very interesting aspect of this particular sport to explore.

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