We begin today -- a lazy Sunday -- with a selection from Brahms, Intermezzo in E.

Click here to let it load, minimize your music player, call your dog into the room (if he’s not already there, staring at you, like mine is) and then continue reading.

Are we a full service multimedia outlet here at Mutts, or what?

What you and the dog are listening to is from Through a Dog's Ear: Using Sound to Improve the Health & Behavior of Your Canine Companion (Sounds True, $18.95), a book and starter CD that offers sounds to soothe and please your pooch – even though they might put you to sleep.

Judging from the samples on throughadogsear.com, nine out of 10 dogs must prefer classical music – specifically, that with a slow, steady, simple beat. This Brahms number was the liveliest of those sampled on the web site.

Veterinary neurologist Susan Wagner, who co-wrote the book with Joshua Leeds, an expert in psychoacoustics, contends the world is getting too loud and chaotic for dogs (and likely many people as well), what with leaf blowers, blaring TVs and cell phones – and they say that could be leading to an increase in canine physical and psychological problems.

As Newsday columnist Denise Flaim reports here, the authors say "intentional" music – generally slow tempo classical solos – can benefit them by causing heart rates to drop, brain waves to calm and stress levels to plummet.

Flaim also discusses a 2002 study by animal behaviorist Deborah Wells that found dogs in animal shelters exposed to classical music spent more time resting than any other group and barked less. Heavy metal, meanwhile, agitated the dogs. Human voices and pop music had no effect at all – because they are so common.

Wagner says clinical trials showed that 70 percent of dogs in kennels and 85 percent of those in households exposed to such modified music showed reduced stress behavior, including thunderstorm trembling, excitement with visitors and separation anxiety.

How big a role individual tastes might play hasn’t been researched (and to me, blanket statements on what music dogs will like seem a little presumptuous).

My dog Ace, for instance, is partial to Alison Krauss and Emmylou Harris, but he also likes the more rough-around-the-edges sound of Wilco, including the theme song to his movie, available here ("What Light" is used in the closing montage, at the end of part 7.)

How about your dog? What are his or her musical tastes? Send us a comment and let us know.