Here at Dog Friendly Retreats, we do everything we can to ensure that your family and your four-legged friends will have a fantastic time away in one of our properties. And then, like a frisbee to the face, it hit us. What music do dogs actually like listening to? Whether they’re in the car on route to their holiday home, or relaxing in the garden waiting for a steak off the BBQ, we just had to find out.
We sought help from an animal behaviour specialist as well as 30 good dogs to find out their favourite and not-so-favourite music artists.
For the experiment, ‘favourite’ was determined as music that resulted in a relaxed reaction from the animals, such as a slowed heart rate, lying down in a comfortable position, or sleep. On various different occasions, the dogs were hooked up with heart rate monitors and left in a room with a series of music recordings and monitored remotely via a video link. After the session, the recordings were given to the behaviour specialist along with the heart rate data to analyse.
As soon as a dog showed signs of agitation, the music was stopped and they were reunited with their owners, who were watching remotely from a different room. Each song was played at the same volume, which was also determined as safe by a vet.
So do you think your dog has the same music taste as you? Now might be the time to find out…
The 10 music artists whose songs evoked a happy response from dogs (ranked in order by level of ‘happiness’) are:
- Lewis Capaldi
- George Ezra
- Bob Marley
- Hozier
- Jessie Ware
- Frank Ocean
- Harry Styles
- Etta James
- Khalid
- The Weeknd
The artists that dogs like the least are:
- Slaves
- Slipknot
- Mariah Carey
- Led Zeppelin
- Camilla Cabello
- Katy Perry
- One Direction
- Kanye West
- The Darkness
- P!nk
In terms of genre, big riffs, loud instruments and in particular high pitched vocals were clearly agitating for the dogs, making them pace around or fidget – so avoid heavy metal or divas if listening to music with your pups! Pop music made the dogs quite excited with heart rates becoming slightly elevated and panting, barking and tongues lolling out of mouths being common cues.
The research showed that music with steady beats with minimal crescendi, such as indie, chill-hop and chill-house proved to be a solid choice when it comes to keeping canines relaxed. Maybe something to consider if your pup suffers with a bit of separation anxiety!
Josh Williams from Dog Friendly Retreats said:
“They say a dog is a man’s best friend, so it’s super exciting to find out another way to keep our pooches happy! We really are a nation of dog lovers, and I hope that our experiment is insightful and informative, so owners can help relax their four-legged friends, whenever they might need a bit of cheering up.
“I can’t say I’m too surprised that Capaldi has topped the list. He’s got a great voice, and I can imagine the dogs adore those big notes as much as we do! The pop genre was a bit more of a surprise however, because it was evident the dogs liked that sort of music, but it evoked a less desirable response, unless you want to get your dog ready for a puppy party of course!”
