I was watching the "Dog Town" show about the Vick dogs, and one of the techniques that they used with an extremely shy dog was a playback of dog laughter. This is a sound that dogs make to initiate play. The affect that it had on the dogs in the show was dramatic. Has anyone else tried this? The person who researched it (and has made a CD of the laughter) thinks it would be good for use in shelters, since it makes the dogs calmer and more social, and thus more adoptable. But I'm wondering what an unbiased person has experienced.

I haven't seen that. Where can it be found?

http://www.animalsheltering.org/resource_library/magazine_articles/may_jun_2006/quieter_shelter_dogs_laughing_matter.html


2 seconds of searching: LaughingDog (http://www.petalk.org/LaughingDog.html)

Neat! The clip I heard was very short, but I got the idea. I'm going to keep an ear on my pup the next time we're at the park.

I think it might work. I'll bet it wouldn't hurt to try it.

Thanks for posting this intriguing topic!