Audible has launched a new initiative called Audible for Dogs. This is exactly what you'd expect it to be: a place for your canine friends to listen to audiobooks. Which sounds crazy, but actually makes a lot of sense once you delve deeper. And Audible has the science to back it up.
It turns out that audiobooks can keep dogs calm when their owners are away from home. A study conducted in 2015 showed that audiobooks outperformed music in reducing stress in dogs. A subsequent study has backed up these claims, leading inevitably to Audible for Dogs.
Audible for Dogs Keeps Canines Content
Audible for Dogs is Audible's attempt at helping dog owners keep their pets happy when they're away from home. It has been developed in collaboration with Cesar Millan, a well-known dog behavior expert who you can see discussing Audible for Dogs in the video embedded below.
In the press release for Audible for Dogs, Millan said, "Dogs are social animals, so they need to engage with someone and the purpose of Audible for Dogs is to make dogs feel there is someone with them. The person performing the audiobook is actually keeping your dog calm and taking the dog to a resting state, acting as an extension of you. I’m excited to work with Audible to continue my mission of educating people on how to foster a calm, happy dog the right way.”
To do this, Millan has written and narrated Cesar Millan's Guide to Audiobooks for Dogs, an entirely original piece of work created just for this project. He has also curated a rotating list of audiobooks which he thinks will appeal to canines, complete with personalized introductions.
The audiobooks Millan has handpicked for dogs include Pride and Prejudice as performed by Rosamund Pike, A Dog’s Purpose performed by William Dufris, The Art of Racing in the Rain as performed by Christopher Evan Welch, and The Wind in the Willows as performed by Shelly Frasier.
Talk Radio Will Do the Same Job
Audible for Dogs isn't a charitable effort. After all, Audible isn't free, so Audible is really just hoping to persuade some dog owners to stump up for a subscription. Our advice? Leave the radio on and tuned into a talk station. Just choose wisely if you don't want your dog to get too political.
Do you subscribe to Audible? If so, will you be making use of Audible for Dogs? Are you a dog owner intrigued by the idea of Audible for Dogs? How do you keep your dog entertained while you're out of the house? Please let us know in the comments below!