Alice White
Some people can relax perfectly with the right music – and what about our four-legged friends? Do dogs like music and if so, which ones? We give tips for listening to music together and the best music for dogs.
Dogs Like Soft Rock and Reggae
In fact, scientists have already studied our best friends’ musical tastes. Experts from the University of Glasgow worked with a regional animal shelter to document the reaction of dogs to certain types of music. The dogs showed the clearest signs of relaxation during reggae and soft rock. The four-legged friends also seemed more relaxed with pop and classical music, but the differences were less clear. As with humans, however, the following applies: tastes are different! If you want to find out what music your dog likes the most, watch how they react.
Make sure that you do not turn the speakers too loud and that the dog can leave the room at any time.
Dogs Love Variety
Dog music makes sense, for example, to help your four-legged friend get used to being alone with soft background music. Of course, you can also give your four-legged friend a listening pleasure without a reason. If you want to provide your dog with a relaxing soundtrack, you should provide variety. Some streaming services already offer “dog music”. There are also some CDs with “dog music” in the online shop. YouTube offers possibilities to give the dog acoustic relaxation with a click of the mouse.
However, special dog music is not always necessary. You can run the radio with the current charts and switch to a classic station every now and then. So the four-legged friend has variety, because: If the music repeats itself, the relaxing effect diminishes. Audiobooks are an alternative. Even with these, one or the other dog likes to tease the eavesdropper and make himself comfortable in his basket.
Heavy metal is less popular with four-legged testers. If this is your favorite genre, don’t turn the speakers up too loud.
Put Together Your Dog Playlist
Some music providers such as Spotify offer playlists for dogs with sometimes calming music. Now you can even put together your very own, a personalized playlist for your pet – including the name and photo of the four-legged friend.
Here are a few tips from the genres of soft rock, classical music, and reggae to try out for the animal playlist:
- Oasis: Wonderwall
- Bob Marley and the Wailers: I Shot the Sheriff
- Pachelbel: Canon in D Major
- Blind Melon: No Rain
- The Beatles: Here Comes the Sun
- Toots and the Maytals: Pressure Drop
Current pop like Ed Sheeran or epic film soundtracks are also worth a try. Hear what you like and see whether your four-legged friend reacts differently to unknown listening pleasure!
