Featuring Free Original Audio Content by
Renowned Dog Behavior Expert Millan and His Curated Audiobook
Selections with Man’s Best Friend in Mind
Borne out of Studies Showing That Listening
to Audiobooks Makes Dogs Left Alone in the House Calmer and
Happier
Audible.com today announced the release of Audible for Dogs, an
audio content destination designed to foster calm, relaxed behavior
in dogs. Developed in collaboration with Cesar Millan, Audible for
Dogs provides dog owners and caregivers peace of mind when leaving
their dogs at home alone, knowing the dog will have the comfort of
a human voice. Featuring Cesar Millan’s Guide to Audiobooks for
Dogs, an original piece of content written and narrated by
Millan—available free at launch—in addition to a curated rotating
selection of audiobook titles with personalized introductions from
Millan about their canine appeal, Audible for Dogs is available at
audible.com/dogs.
Inspired by a 2015 independent academic study showing that
listening to audiobooks outperformed music in reducing stress in
canines, Audible teamed up with Millan to further examine the
benefits of listening to audiobooks for dogs. In subsequent
research with 100 dog participants, conducted in partnership with
Cesar Millan’s Dog Psychology Center, 76% of dog owners who played
audiobooks for their dogs reported an increase in calm, relaxed
behavior in their pets over a four-week period. Dogs responded best
to narrators of the same gender as their primary owner, played at
average volume on an in-home listening device. Moreover, owners who
keep their dog enclosed in one room or in a crate while they are
away from home observed the same behavior and energy levels in
their dogs as did owners whose dogs had free roam of the house or
in an enclosed yard.
“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,” said Millan. “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.”
“I would always feel guilty about leaving my dog, Buddy, alone,
but with Audible for Dogs, I felt like I was leaving him with a
friend,” said Leslie, a study participant. “I learned from Cesar
that our energy is important to the way a dog responds, so if I’m
agitated because I’m feeling guilty about leaving, he’s going to
feel that. Leaving Buddy at home with an audiobook to keep him
company relieves my guilt and gives me peace of mind.”
“There are dozens of ways in which our customers use
Audible—they listen while commuting, running, gardening, cooking,
doing house work. We believe we have found another fun and
important use case for Audible, addressing anxiety of dogs and
their owners when they are separated,” said Audible Chief Content
Officer Andy Gaies. “Your dog will never wax poetic about Rosamund
Pike’s nuanced performance of Pride and Prejudice, but you will
return home to a calmer, happier best friend.”
Each curated title by Millan features a special video
introduction from Cesar himself. The titles at launch are: Trevor
Noah’s Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
performed by Trevor Noah, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
performed by Rosamund Pike, W. Bruce Cameron’s A Dog’s Purpose
performed by William Dufris, Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the
Rain performed by Christopher Evan Welch, Maria Goodavage’s Soldier
Dogs: The Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes performed by
Nicole Vilencia, and Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows
performed by Shelly Frasier.
Millan is also emphasizing the benefits of audiobooks to dogs
recently adopted from animal shelters. Audible for Dogs includes an
additional Millan audio original, Cesar Millan’s Guide to Bringing
Home a Shelter Dog, also available as a free download. Through
2017, Audible will donate a dime per download of Cesar Millan’s
Guide to Bringing Home a Shelter Dog to North Shore Animal League
America, the world's largest no-kill rescue and adoption
organization, up to a total donation of $250,000.
Millan, widely known for his internationally acclaimed hit
series, “Cesar Millan’s Dog Nation,” and as host of both “Cesar
911” and Emmy-nominated “Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan,” has
worked with rescue and animal welfare organizations around the
world and has been recognized for his commitment to the betterment
of animals and their relationships with people.
With a 30-day membership trial at Audible, new listeners can
enjoy one free audiobook, including any one of Cesar Millan’s
picks, specially curated for Audible for Dogs.
Among the acclaimed performers who have narrated works of
literature for Audible are Sean Penn, Nick Offerman, Zachary
Quinto, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lily Collins, Emma Thompson, James
Franco, and Jesse Eisenberg. Audible Studios has won a Grammy
Award, for its production of Janis Ian’s memoir Society’s Child,
and has also been recognized with the Audie Award for Audiobook of
the Year, most recently for Colin Firth’s performance of Graham
Greene’s The End of the Affair. Audible invented and commercialized
the first digital audio player in 1997, and has since been at the
forefront of the explosively growing audiobook download segment. In
2016, Audible members downloaded an average of 17 books over the
course of the year. More than half of new Audible members are
first-time audiobook buyers.
ABOUT AUDIBLE, INC.
Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is
the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information
and entertainment, offering customers a new way to enhance and
enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the
emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of
verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 350,000 audio
programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters,
entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business
information providers. Audible is also the provider of spoken-word
audio products for Apple’s iTunes Store.
About Cesar Millan
New York Times best-selling author and twice Emmy-nominated
television personality Cesar Millan has earned a trusted reputation
as the preeminent authority in the field of dog
rehabilitation. With more than 25 years of experience working
with canines, Millan uses a philosophy of trust, respect and love
to rehabilitate aggressive, frightened and neurotic dogs while
educating owners on how their own behavior affects their
pets. Millan extends his reputation in dog training and care
through retail and home entertainment products, books and
Cesarsway.com, which have become top resources for dog help and
advice; through the ongoing work of the Cesar Millan Pack Project;
and through connecting with TV audiences via his television series,
Cesar Millan’s Dog Nation and Dog Whisperer with Cesar
Millan. For more information, visit www.cesarsway.com. Follow
Cesar on Facebook (cesar.millan), Twitter (@cesarmillan) and
YouTube (CesarMillan).
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170807005219/en/
Audible.comRosa Oh, 973-877-8597rosaoh@audible.com
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