Language not a precursor for music

"'It’s possible there’s some genetic variation within ancient breeds, making some more predisposed to howling,' Patel hypothesises —though he admits he might have found more musicality in a larger sample.

"The findings might offer some insights into the origins of human music. 

"Some theorists have argued that singing evolved from the fine motor control that comes with speech, which allows us to mimic complex sounds, but the fact that dogs can also control pitch without any other forms of vocal learning suggests that language would not have been a necessary precursor. 

"'It’s possible that our ability and desire to coordinate pitch with others when we sing has very ancient evolutionary roots, and may not just be a byproduct of our ability to imitate complex sounds,' says Patel.

"Exactly why dogs feel the need to join in is another question. 

"'From the videos that we watched, it seems like the dogs are really quite engaged with the music,' he says. They weren’t simply looking at their owner for a reward, but gazing intently into the distance. 'So I think [the music] is sort of a surrogate howl-like signal to them, and gets them in this social mode of wanting to join in'."