Ever found yourself tapping your fingers or nodding your head to a catchy tune while driving? Car dancing is a fun way to enjoy music on the go—you just have to adapt your moves to the limited space.
Surprisingly, it seems that dogs might enjoy car dancing too!
A viral YouTube video features a German Shepherd having a great time with music during a car ride. Her “dance moves” are subtle, involving only her ears—a perfect fit for the confined space of a car. She moves her ears perfectly in time with the beat, making for a hilarious and adorable sight. But according to Psychology Today, this pup might not actually be dancing.
An article explains that, despite what we might think from cartoons, very few animals besides humans move their bodies in sync with music. Even our close relatives like chimpanzees don’t dance. Animals like cows, horses, and zebras don’t dance either.
It’s interesting that dogs don’t dance, especially since they’ve evolved alongside humans. While they’re meant to please us, evolution didn’t make them our dance partners.
The article mentions that some research suggests birds might sway to music. In the case of the dog in the video, she might just be reacting to the vibrations from the music, causing her ears to move. Dogs have over a dozen muscles in their ears, allowing them to tilt, turn, raise, and lower them independently. According to CareCredit, dogs move their ears to hear better and to express how they’re feeling.
They explain that breeds like Collies and German Shepherds were developed to watch for trouble. These breeds might choose to listen more carefully than others, even if their hearing isn’t actually different.
This act highlights critical gaps in our support systems for people in crisis and animal welfare. Urge authorities to provide those in crisis with the help they need to prevent animal abuse!
This dog’s adorable reaction to the music has captured the hearts of many online.
One YouTuber commented, “Very funny. Probably too loud for the dog, and it’s adjusting its ears to avoid that loud part of the song. Heck, if I can hear your car music as you drive by my house and my doors and windows are closed, then it’s too loud as well.”