Pop-Rocker Scores Song To Soothe Anxious Canines

DogTV, the 2-year-old television network for dogs, asked Grammy-winning musician Andrew Dost of the pop-rock band fun. to write some psychoacoustic music for the network.

The unnamed result, nearly four minutes of harp, piano and repetitive electronic undertones, debuted Monday during a relaxation segment.

“I approached this composition project differently than I would for human ears. I made sure the range of frequencies and instrumentation were tailored to a dog’s unique sense of hearing and kept things musically more level and linear,” Dost said in a statement.

The music accompanies video recorded in Yosemite and together are designed to reduce the stress and anxiety dogs experience when they are home alone.

Dost is donate his pay to A Rejoyceful Animal Rescue, a shelter in his hometown of Detroit.

Members of fun. are singer Nate Ruess, guitarist Jack Antonoff and the multi-instrumentalist Dost. The group had a breakthrough year in 2012, topping charts with “We Are Young” and “Some Nights.” Last year, they won Grammys for song of the year and best new artist.

DogTV debuted in April of 2012 with three kinds of programming: relaxation, stimulation and exposure.

Relaxation segments, like the Yosemite video with Dost’s music, are for canines that might be home alone and a little too zealous and overactive. At times dogs might lack stimulation, so they will need segments showing action and animation to add pep. And through the exposure segments, dogs will be taught to feel more comfortable in their environment when they are exposed to everyday sights and sounds they might find on the street.

DogTV is a pay channel. Prices vary depending on the provider. DirecTV charges $4.99 a month and online streaming service is $9.99.