# Do animals "like" music? Do any "understand" it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 16, 2016, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-like-music-do-any-understand-it/752342 "2016-04-16T10:22:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-like-music-do-any-understand-it/752342/21 "2016-04-18T03:56:02Z")
There is an actual sport called Dancing with dogs, and the dogs obviously completely ignore the music and cue entirely off their human partner’s body language. I’ve never met any animal who thought people music was even remotely interesting. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-like-music-do-any-understand-it/752342/22 "2016-04-18T10:59:37Z")
> [@purplehearingaid](#): > > There is a video called " Happy Dancing Dog Cannot Contain Himself When Crossing Paths With Street Musicians. " It show a dog dancing to the music , I can’t post the link b/c it on facebook . Someone send this to me in an email and > the dog really has ‘happy paws’ ! While the video of this is making a lot of people happy, the real reason the dog is “dancing” is because of distemper. ---
**Author:** ![Barrett\_Bonden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@Barrett\_Bonden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrett_Bonden)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-like-music-do-any-understand-it/752342/23 "2016-04-18T18:11:25Z")
My budgie loved the second movement of Beethoven’s Ninth (specifically the timpani) and **hated** “1999” by Prince. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-like-music-do-any-understand-it/752342/24 "2016-04-18T18:41:36Z")
My dog will curl up next to me listening while I’m playing guitar, and will whine and paw at the guitar when I stop playing. She likes fingerpicking and slow strumming, but doesn’t like solo notes or fast chord strumming. More of a Neil Young girl instead of a Ramones girl. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-like-music-do-any-understand-it/752342/25 "2016-04-18T18:55:54Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > While the video of this is making a lot of people happy, the real reason the dog is “dancing” is because of distemper. Yeah right ! The dog isn’t coughing or sneezing or acting sick in any way ! You have distemper ! > **[Canine Distemper](https://www.webmd.com/pets/dogs/canine-distemper)** > > Learn about common causes and symptoms of distemper in dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-like-music-do-any-understand-it/752342/26 "2016-04-18T19:05:56Z")
> [@purplehearingaid](#): > > Yeah right ! The dog isn’t coughing or sneezing or acting sick in any way ! You have distemper ! I think you have been whooshed. In any case, I suspect it’s actually rabies.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-like-music-do-any-understand-it/752342/27 "2016-04-18T19:07:22Z")
I saw a study some time ago about the fact that parrots really do dance: > **[The List Of Animals Who Can Truly, Really Dance Is Very Short. Who's On It?](https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2014/04/01/297686709/the-list-of-animals-who-can-truly-really-dance-is-very-short-who-s-on-it)** > > YouTube is chock full of cats, gophers, dogs and chimps who are supposed to be dancing. But they're not. Biologists say the list of "true" dancers is extremely small. We're on it. But guess who else? As it says, the list of animals that actually can dance is extremely short. Stinky, smelly, hairy dogs are not on it. (Yes, I’m a bird fan. :)) Elephants are on it. Humans. And that’s it. Doggy is not dancing in that video, cute as it is, he’s just super excited. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-like-music-do-any-understand-it/752342/28 "2016-04-18T20:39:53Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I saw a study some time ago about the fact that parrots really do dance: > > [The List Of Animals Who Can Truly, Really Dance Is Very Short. Who's On It? : Krulwich Wonders... : NPR](http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2014/04/01/297686709/the-list-of-animals-who-can-truly-really-dance-is-very-short-who-s-on-it) > > As it says, the list of animals that actually can dance is extremely short. Stinky, smelly, hairy dogs are not on it. (Yes, I’m a bird fan. :)) Elephants are on it. Humans. And that’s it. > > Doggy is not dancing in that video, cute as it is, he’s just super excited. Yeah, I’d agree. The dog is happy, but I get no sense that it is from the music. It is just happy and excited to be there doing stuff with its people. It twirls a bit, then stops, then twirls, then stops. You can see it repeatedly checking in with the musicians, maybe simply for approval. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-animals-like-music-do-any-understand-it/752342.md?page=1)