What type of music do dogs like?
We are sure you must have asked yourself the same question. But the first question must be, do dogs like music ? And the answer is yes, they not only like but love music.
And since they like it, they must have a preference as well. So, what do you think? To which genre will your dog shake its booty to?
Curious? Let’s dig in some dirt or facts.
Do Dogs Like Listening To Music
If you are addicted to watching dog videos, you must know that dogs love music. There are endless videos on the internet that show dogs howling to specific songs. They would leap and jump and open their mouths as if they were singing along.
Did you know? Dogs have a higher hearing frequency than humans and can hear four times better than humans.
Also, every dog reacts differently to music. While some may display calm behavior, others may seem more agitated, with increased barking and howling.
However, every dog reacts differently, and these behaviors may just be a display of excitement and nothing to be worried about.
But what about other animals? Do animals enjoy music?
Yes. Dogs are not the only animals who enjoy music. Studies have found music to be relaxing not only for dogs but for baboons and cats as well. Slow music increased milk production in cows and had the same effect on the nervous system of birds as humans.
Did you know? The Beatles song, “A day in the life” has a frequency that only dogs can hear.
Now that we have established that dogs like music, what type of music do dogs like?
Here is the research that helped researchers determine dogs’ favorite genre.
Research
Numerous studies have tested whether dogs are a fan of music and, if so, how it affects them.
The University of Glasgow conducted one such study. The study “Four Seasons in an Animal Rescue Centre: Classical Music Reduces Environmental Stress in Kennelled Dogs’, found that music had a calming effect on dogs.
The researchers divided the dogs from a rehoming center into two groups for the study and observed their behavior for two consecutive weeks.
The study aimed to find if the kennel stay of rescued dogs could be made more comfortable by using music. Rescued dogs face a new environment and new challenges. It may be their first time interacting with so many dogs, and they may have to face social restrictions and increased noise levels.
In the first week, the researchers played classical music to one group while the other group was left in silence. In the second week, the scenarios were reversed.
Both groups showed positive effects to music. The dogs showed decreased stress levels and better behavior.
However, there was one setback. The dogs seemed to get used to the music and showed a reversal in stress and behavior. This prompted the researchers to wonder if dogs, too, needed a variety of music, and this called for further research.
Can dogs understand music? Well, maybe not in the same way we do, but they certainly have favorites and seem to remember tunes too!
Apart from listening to music, dogs have another favorite hobby—eating.
And no, we are not kidding. Dogs love eating; thus, finding nutritious, well-balanced food is high on the search list of dog parents. However, this becomes bothersome if you have a picky eater.
However, both dogs and their parents seem to love this new brand of food—Sundays for dogs. It is an all-natural, human-grade product that is air-dried to kill bacteria while retaining nutrition.
Read our review to know if the product is worth the hype.
Follow-up Research
To take the study a step further, researchers wanted to find out if introducing different types of music would reduce the dogs’ habituation to auditory enrichment.
They wanted to study the behavioral and physiological response of the dogs to 5 different types of auditory enrichment—classical, pop, soft rock, reggae, and motown.
They did find promising results, and in the process, they also answered the question, “What type of music do dogs like?”
For their study titled “The effect of different genres of music on the stress levels of kennelled dogs”, researchers tested the effect of different types of music on the stress, behavior, and heart rate of 38 dogs in an animal shelter.
So, every day for 6 hours, the team would play one of the five genres and note their response by monitoring their stress levels. The study lasted for five days, and by the end of it, researchers concluded that all five genres were relaxing for the dogs.
Positive behavioral patterns included reduced barking and quietly standing or lying down while playing music. The researchers also observed that the dogs barked immediately after the music stopped, indicating they wanted more.
Also, the dogs showed positive physiological responses like longer time intervals (calculated by Heart Rate Variability) between heartbeats, meaning decreased stress.
The Heart Rate Variability of the dog was highest when they were listening to soft rock and reggae, proving the two to be most relaxing and loved by the dogs.
And just like how slow-tempo music like soft rock and reggae was relaxing, playing genres with higher beats per minute, like heavy metal and hard rock, caused more anxiety and excitement.
However, the last part was not a new observation. In a 2012 study titled, “Behavioral effects of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs”, researchers found that heavy metal increased body shaking, stress, and agitation in dogs.
So, dogs love soothing music like reggae, soft rock, and classical. These genres can calm dogs in kennels and help them adjust to their new environment.
Conclusion
Just like humans, dogs, too, love listening to music. Music has a soothing effect on dogs, decreasing their stress levels and promoting positive behavior.
However, not all music has such positive effects. Research has found that dogs become calm when listening to Reggae and Soft Rock but show the opposite results when listening to hard rock.
