You’ve likely heard of CDs and music playlists designed for babies—there are even prenatal tracks available for moms-to-be to hold against their belly in hopes of it having the so-called Mozart effect, helping their kids grow to be more intelligent adults. (Some researchers find this theory to be a load of baloney.)
Family Dog columnist Stanley Coren broached this topic a few years ago, when he reported on research by psychologist Deborah Wells of Queens University in Belfast for a Psychology Today article. Wells examined dogs’ reactions to hearing modern pop music, classical music, and heavy metal while living in a shelter environment. She found that they might actually enjoy the music—depending on what kind it is.
But how about dogs? Could our canine companions benefit from listening to music? And do they even enjoy it?
So if Wells’ research is to be believed, perhaps the Spotify playlist, which features various classical works, is a hit after all. You can let your dogs be the judge by
Other GenresBowman and the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in collaboration with the University of Glasgow researched that reggae and soft rock were actually more calming than classical music to dogs. They also found that music, such as rock, increased anxious agitated behaviors, including accelerated body shaking, and physical signs of nervousness. In all cases documented, pop music seemed to have the least effect on dogs concerning behavior. Sorry Ed Sheeran but dogs do not appear to think your songs are as “perfect” as us humans. Just a quick google search and one can find many delightful videos of our doggy pals singing, talking, barking and more. Even though many of today’s domestic dog breeds have little resemblance or characteristics of their ancient wolf ancestors they do still retain some traits. One of which is the use of sound for communication. What is even more interesting is how many of these videos are accompanied by music. It appears as though music creates some kind of response in dogs that encourages them to “speak”. Perhaps music really does sooth the doggy soul. Scientific analyses suggest that canines have a sense of pitch. Through recordings of wolf ancestors, we can see that different members of a group will change the tone of their “singing” when joining in a chorus. They all appear to want to sing in a slightly different pitch that goes along with the others. This is similar to what is observed in the many videos found on social media of our furry friends singing along to the latest chart hits.
Why Do Dogs Howl to Music?
You may get a kick out of seeing your pooch croon along to Adele, but why does he do it? No one knows for sure, but dogs may howl to music for the same reason they do it when they hear sirens: It sounds like another dog howling and their instinct is to join in.
Adele sounds like a dog? Well, not to people, but dogs hear a much wider range of sounds than people do. They hear tones far above and below what the human ear can detect, so we dont know exactly what things sound like to them.
In general, howling is a call for the pack to come together, Radosta says, which may also explain why dogs with separation anxiety do it, too.
What Does Music Sound Like To Dogs?
Music can easily affect your mood. Listening to your favorite rock anthem gets you pumped up for the day, and a soothing melody can help you relax. Sound is important to canine communication, too, and different types of music can affect Max’s behavior.
Whether it’s a bark, yip or howl, your pup uses sound to communicate. When one dog starts howling, you’ll likely soon hear a chorus of howls from all the dogs in the neighborhood. Thats because howling is one way that dogs can “talk” to each other. Your dog can tell one dog from another by the tone of his howl, even if it just sounds like puppy pandemonium to you. Dogs can differentiate pitches and can hear at a much higher register than you can. They use their powerful hearing not only to communicate with other canines, but to hear the sounds their prey makes when hunting.
Since sound is so important to a dog, your music can affect his mood in much the same way it affects you. Deborah Wells, a psychologist at Queens University, played different types of music for dogs in an animal shelter. When she played classical music, like Beethoven or Vivaldi, it had a soothing effect and relaxed the pooches. Loud, thrashing heavy metal like Metallica got the dogs riled up, making them anxious and agitated. When Wells played Top 40 tunes, the dogs didn’t act any differently. Music on the far ends of the spectrum, soothing or aggressive, will affect your dogs behavior, but middle-of-the-road pop hits wont change his mood.
Sometimes dogs listening to music will start to howl. While it may seem like Max is trying to harmonize, he’s howling because the music reminds him of this form of doggy communication. Songs that have woodwind instruments, like a flute or clarinet, are the most likely to elicit a howl from your canine. A long note on a violin or even a human singing can inspire a wail. It’s not only high-pitched music that can get a dog howling, but high-pitched sounds like sirens have also been known to have a similar effect.
Susan Wagner, a veterinary neurologist, has developed sound therapy for dogs by studying the affect calm music had on a dog’s heart-rate and brain activity. Wagner found that classical music piped in for puppies can calm them down in stressful situations. It’s being used by some veterinarians to keep dogs from getting anxious in the high-stress environment of the vet’s office. You can employ the same theory for your dogs. If a noisy thunderstorm or simply being away from home causes your pal to stress, play some Bach or Beethoven to ease his nerves. Keeping the noise level in your home to a minimum, like shutting off the TV, will keep your dog from getting anxious.
Always check with your veterinarian before changing your pet’s diet, medication, or physical activity routines. This information is not a substitute for a vet’s opinion.
