Drumming for Dogs
Turns out, my dog loves drum circles too!
After I received a drum as a gift, as soon as I started drumming, I was shocked when rather than running away scared, my dog Thor, who is very sound sensitive, didn’t budge. In fact, his tail wagged and he rested his head down in between his paws.
This wasn’t just beginners luck, every time I drum he is drawn over to it, lays down and wants in on the drumming. Most of the time, he even dozes off while I drum! This is shocking considering that with any noise- dropping a book on the floor, the fall of a broom, hitting my COQ10 bottle on the counter to get the pills to unstick, etc., Thor is sent running to a different room.
So I decided to do some research, and it appears, drumming is an excellent sound therapy for dogs, and from a cellular health perspective!
The vibration of the sound penetrates through the entire energy system of the dog, through the skin, tissues and organs, the skeleton and bones. The vibration synchronizes the animal’s brain faculties, provides deep relaxation, releases emotional stress and traumas and boosts the immune system. It is actually improving the cellular health of the dog! (Fishburn, I., Oct 2019).
If your dog by chance still does not seem like the drum for some reason, do not force it upon your dog. In general, and especially when it comes to therapies, don’t ever force anything on your dog. The exact definition of therapy is a “treatment intended to relief or heal”; so if a therapy is recommended to you and it’s not offering your dog relief, then stop, because at that point it is not therapy.
It is important you listen to what your dog wants and give them a choice. Ultimately, dogs know what is best for them.
With that said, I have yet to meet a dog who doesn’t like drumming. You will be amazed at how drumming attracts all kinds of dogs, even those noise sensitive!
The types of drums I am referring to here include congas, bongos, goblet drums (darbuka), djembe (any and all other African drums), and paddle drums.
Even if I take just a five minute break to bang some beats on my drum, my dog and I feel a huge sense of relief!
Drumming is an ancient approach traced way back in human history used for mental, physical and spiritual health. With humans drumming for centuries now, I am sure it is a sound which resonates well with most all creatures here on Earth. After all, we are all one.
So find yourself a drum, and start connecting with your dog in a new fun way- “to the beat of your drum”!
Sources
Fishburn, I. (October 2019). Creating a Resilient Canine [Video File]. (00:57:00-00:58:20). https://rawandnaturaldogsummit.com/rnds-2019-recordings/.