Nothing makes me smile bigger that watching the little bulldog in the latest viral video sing his heart out. It is so amazing that he is singing, instead of howling like my dog does.
Buffy is a long haired Chihuahua. Her big trick is to sing “Happy Birthday”. It isn’t recognizable by anyone that doesn’t know what she is doing, and she won’t sing alone. She does lift up her chin and sing (ok, howl) in the loudest voice she can muster with anyone that starts to sing the Happy Birthday song.
After watching this little bulldog actually sing, I wondered if we could tame Buffy’s song a little so she actually fits in instead of taking over.
Liza Blau of Demand Media says that there are four steps to getting your dog to sing. First, identify a song that inspires them. Once they start singing to a song, reward their vocals with a treat or lots of love. Second, pay attention to the instruments they respond to and, again, reward and praise them for their attempts to sing. Make sure you associate the word “sing” to the behavior. Third, sing along. No one likes to sing alone, even your dog and Forth, Practice. You need to practice rewarding and identify the “singing” behavior. Your dog needs to practice his songs.
What song would you like your dog to sing?
Source: Read Full Article