What Music Do Dogs Really Prefer?

Have you ever pondered what type of music your pooch enjoys? In a recent four month survey, Lori Kogan, a Colorado State University professor, decided to find the answer to this interesting inquiry. During this study which was printed in a recent issue of the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, she played music selections for 117 dogs residing in an animal shelter including classical, heavy metal, and a psychoacoustic selection sold to calm and relax dogs Each music selection was played for 45 minutes and behavioral observations were marked every 5 minutes. Each music selection was then succeeded by a 15 minute period of silence and this acted as the control group of the experiment.

 Out of the selections presented, classical music won by far. Classical music seemed to soothe dogs more than the other options played, even more so than no music at all. The dogs responded to the classical music by sleeping more, which tells us that this type of music has a calming effect on dogs and boosts restful behavior. By contrast, heavy metal seemed to amplify dog’s anxiety and promoted sleeplessness, increased barking, and increased shaking. Surprisingly, the psychoactive music marketed specifically to calm dogs had only a very small calming effect.

 While this may seem like an unnecessary study to some, the results could be very beneficial to dogs living in animal shelters. Relaxed, quiet dogs are far more likely to be adopted than nervous, shaking dogs. Playing classical music is a very cost efficient, feasible method to changing a dog’s environment and to decreasing stressful factors. Kogan plans to do follow up studies exploring the potential for music as a means to soothe animals in veterinary clinics and for surgery recovery.