“Pay attention to your dog’s reaction when you’re around. When choosing music for your dog, Bukovza also says to keep in mind that, since an adult dog has approximately the intelligence of a human toddler, a good rule of thumb is to consider whether you would play this music for a baby. “Also, remember that dogs’ ears are much more sensitive than humans’, so be sure not to play any music too loudly.”

“Music can soothe, upset, or put your dog in a playful mood, depending on the type of music and the volume,” she explains. The music that had been specially designed for them had no significant effect on their behavior.īukovza adds that, just like with humans, it’s not only genre that matters for dogs, but volume. Classical music was found to relax them and caused them to sleep more, while the heavy metal caused them to tremble and increased their agitation and stress levels. They observed 117 dogs over a four-month period to see how they responded to heavy metal, classical, and another type of classical music that was designed specifically to soothe dogs. Ochoa notes that in an earlier study, from 2012, a team of researchers from Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine researched the effect of certain types of music on kenneled dogs’ stress levels, including heavy metal. “This also explains why songs with more beats per minute - like hard rock, heavy metal, or anything with a heavy bass or too many digital noises - tend to cause more excitement or anxiety.” “Genres such as reggae and soft rock usually have a slower tempo, which some dogs may find more relaxing,” he says. Li-ran Bukovza, found of PuppyTip, a dog advice website, has personally seen the positive benefit of certain types of music on dogs. Then, slowly increase the number of times that specific type of music is played in the mix until your dog is okay with it. Ochoa, making sure to include the type of music you want your dog to like throughout. In other words, if your dog seems stressed by a certain type of music, you might want to play a mixture of different genres, says Dr. The study also found that the effect of habituation - acclimation to a new stimulus, like a certain genre of music - on dogs may be reduced by increasing the variety of music. Although the dogs’ barking habits didn’t change while the music played, the dogs were more likely to bark when the music would end. Sara Ochoa, a veterinarian and veterinary consultant for DogLab, a website that suggests the best gear and treats to buy for your dog, tells Mic.

When dogs heard soft rock and reggae, their Heart Rate Variability (HRV) - the time intervals between heartbeats - was higher, which meant decreased stress.Īnd, during all five types of music, the dogs spent much less time standing and much more time lying down, indicating they were more relaxed, Dr. To do so, they looked at the physiological and behavioral response of 38 dogs over five days and played five genres of music for them: soft rock, Motown, pop, reggae, and classical. It found that two genres, soft rock and reggae, caused dogs to be more relaxed and less stressed than others.įor the study, researchers examined the effect of various genres of music on the stress levels of kenneled dogs. One 2017 study from Psychology & Behavior even reported which types of of music dogs love most.

(“Moonlight Sonata” was his favorite - he’d go lie down in his bed for it - and I can’t listen to it now without thinking about him.) When Beethoven would end, Jimmy would bark, and we’d listen to it again.Īs it turns out, Jimmy’s not the only dog who likes to relax by listening to music. But when I turned the music on, he stopped and laid on the couch. As soon as she left, Jimmy indeed barked. As an owner left me with her poodle, Jimmy, she asked me to play Beethoven for him, especially if he started to bark or pace back and forth. I truly never knew that dogs listening to music was a thing until I started dog-sitting in L.A.

Dog listening to music meme