Musical Dogs

International Dog Day • August 26

🎹 Classical Music Can Calm Dogs

In studies of dogs kept in cages, classical made them spend more time resting and less time barking. Their heart rate also showed signs linked to lower stress.

🤘 Heavy Metal Can Raise Stress

In another study, heavy metal caused more signs of stress, including body shaking and increased alertness.

Dogs are probably not ready yet for Metallica. 😅

🎵 Other Music Genres

Researchers also tested soft rock, reggae, pop, and Motown. Soft rock and reggae were linked to calmer behavior in one study.

This suggests that dogs may respond to tempo, rhythm, and volume rather than to music genres themselves.

Did Bob Marley have a dog? 🐕

🔄 Dogs Can Get Used to Music

The calming effect can become weaker when dogs hear the same songs repeatedly. In one study, the effect of classical music dropped after continued exposure.

Even a calming playlist can eventually become background noise.

I guess even a playlist shuffle will not trick dogs. 😄

🎶🐕 The New Guinea Singing Dog

The New Guinea singing dog has a rare type of howl with unusual changes in pitch and several harmonics, giving its voice a musical quality.

Its calls can rise and fall in different ways. When several dogs call together, their voices can overlap like a natural chorus.

Music is often called a universal language. And with dogs, it may be one of the few languages humans and animals can share.

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ