Dancing Red Fox Labrador Trying to Keep the Beat Melts Hearts: 'So Smooth'
A video of a dog attempting to "keep up" with the beat of a song has gone viral on TikTok, where it has received over 30 million views.
The clip was posted by user @redlabricky, the TikTok account of a red fox Labrador called Ricky. Footage showed the dog looking into the camera while tapping his feet to an upbeat dance tune.
The pup was seen wagging his tail and hopping up and down as the song lyrics "left, right, left, right" played in the background. The clip was posted with a caption that read: "He's trying his hardest to keep up."
But do all dogs have some form of rhythm? Or is there something about this song that could have made this pup want to get up on his feet?
According to a March 2017 study in the peer-reviewed journal Physiology & Behavior, dogs respond to different types of music in various ways. Researchers found that the heart rate variability (HRV) of kenneled dogs was "significantly higher, indicative of decreased stress," when dogs were played soft rock and reggae music. A "lesser effect" was seen when Motown, pop and classical genres were on.
The study stated that, regardless of the music genre, "dogs were found to spend significantly more time lying and significantly less time standing when music was played."
In a reply to a TikTok user's request for the "full version" of the red fox Labrador's dance routine, the original poster shared another viral clip. This showed the dog getting his groove on with some additional moves.
The dog appeared to do a shuffle to the left and right as well as a standstill, holding one paw up and catching the beat by bopping his head. The clip was posted with a caption simply saying: "We tried."
As musically inclined as the pup in the latest video might appear to be, the dog apparently does this dance when he's waiting to go chase a ball.
The original poster told Newsweek: "He only does these moves when we are about to throw his tennis ball! He loves to chase his ball so much that is the only thing that gets him this excited.
"We didn't teach it to him. He has been doing it ever since he was a puppy when we play fetch with his tennis ball. He doesn't respond to music," the poster added.
The latest video has warmed the hearts of users on TikTok. In a comment that received 57,500 likes, Heart_4_you_ posted: "This dog deserves an Oscar," while @_air_up_123 wrote: "aww he deserves a medal."
User milo_so_hot simply commented: "How he do is so smooth," while @j____oe____y wrote: "The tail wags make it so much better."
User katherine posted: "He's such a cutie pie," while vsvshshjsjsjsjjsjjqjq simply put: "awwwwww."
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