Dogs
Hey Julie,
I hope you've had a fun week.
I saw a new in-press publication with your name on it - "Smelling more or less: Investigating the olfactory experience of the domestic dog" - looks like a really great study, and so timely after my last post about dogs and olfactory enrichment!
Looking forward to reading it (and all those other cool Learning and Motivation articles) over the weekend.
So did you do your homework? Did you watch this clip from the Sydney Opera House's Ship Song Project?
I wanted you to watch this clip, and more importantly, LISTEN to it, because it features lots of different musical styles. I don't know about you, but I certainly have a different reaction to the different styles. Some appeal to me more than others. Some I find relaxing, while others make me want to nod my head to keep the beat or even hum along. I was talking about this clip recently with my friend Mark (from SARC, in my head that always runs together "Mark-from-SARC") and of course we shifted to talking about dogs and music. As you do. That's normal - right?!
What kind of music do dogs prefer?
As part of my PhD research into kennel enrichment, I looked into this very question.
The research in this area has been conducted in two kennel environments.
In the first study, scientists played five different recordings to dogs housed in a shelter kennel:
to the dogs and recorded the behaviours of the dogs using an ethogram. Then they looked at the differences in the behaviour of the dogs during each condition.
The dogs were significantly more likely to run around barking when the heavy metal music was played; and lie down, apparently resting quietly, when the classical music was on.
There was no difference to their behaviour when the control, human speech or pop music were played. The second study showed similar results, with classical music linked to more sleeping and heavy metal correlating with more body shaking.
It's probably worth noting that these changes in behaviour may not reflect dogs' actual PREFERENCE for music. To assess that, we'd need to set up a study design that offered dogs a choice of multiple sound environments. But it certainly suggests that if we want to encourage behaviours associated with relaxation, like lying down, not barking, and sleeping; we should be piping some gentle classical music to the environment our dogs are in. I reckon my dogs quite like Chopin's Nocturnes, but maybe that's just me.
The Australian ABC's fabulous science program, Catalyst, have a great (~6min) story about this research that you might enjoy watching here.
Have a great weekend, I look forward to hearing what else is going on with you now those students have been set free!
Mia
Further reading:
Hubrecht, R. C. (1995). The welfare of dogs in human care. Chapter in Serpell's book: The domestic dog, its evolution, behavior and interactions with people, 179-198.
Kogan L.R., Schoenfeld-Tacher R. & Simon A.A. (2012). Behavioral effects of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs, Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 7 (5) 268-275. DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2011.11.002
Wells D., Graham L. & Hepper P. (2002). The influence of auditory stimulation on the behaviour of dogs housed in a rescue shelter., Animal Welfare, 11 (4) 385-393. Other: Link
© 2013 Mia Cobb
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Dogs
What music do dogs prefer? Bach vs. Snoop Dogg
Hey Julie,
I hope you've had a fun week.
I saw a new in-press publication with your name on it - "Smelling more or less: Investigating the olfactory experience of the domestic dog" - looks like a really great study, and so timely after my last post about dogs and olfactory enrichment! Looking forward to reading it (and all those other cool Learning and Motivation articles) over the weekend.
So did you do your homework? Did you watch this clip from the Sydney Opera House's Ship Song Project?
I wanted you to watch this clip, and more importantly, LISTEN to it, because it features lots of different musical styles. I don't know about you, but I certainly have a different reaction to the different styles. Some appeal to me more than others. Some I find relaxing, while others make me want to nod my head to keep the beat or even hum along. I was talking about this clip recently with my friend Mark (from SARC, in my head that always runs together "Mark-from-SARC") and of course we shifted to talking about dogs and music. As you do. That's normal - right?!
What kind of music do dogs prefer?
As part of my PhD research into kennel enrichment, I looked into this very question.
The research in this area has been conducted in two kennel environments.
 |
| Headphones on dog = silly (they hear around x4 better than us!) source |
- a control (nothing)
- human speech
- classical music
- pop music
- heavy metal music
to the dogs and recorded the behaviours of the dogs using an ethogram. Then they looked at the differences in the behaviour of the dogs during each condition.
The dogs were significantly more likely to run around barking when the heavy metal music was played; and lie down, apparently resting quietly, when the classical music was on.
There was no difference to their behaviour when the control, human speech or pop music were played. The second study showed similar results, with classical music linked to more sleeping and heavy metal correlating with more body shaking.
 |
| (source) |
The Australian ABC's fabulous science program, Catalyst, have a great (~6min) story about this research that you might enjoy watching here.
 |
| (can't embed their vid, but click this pic to go to video) |
Mia
Further reading:
Hubrecht, R. C. (1995). The welfare of dogs in human care. Chapter in Serpell's book: The domestic dog, its evolution, behavior and interactions with people, 179-198.
Wells D., Graham L. & Hepper P. (2002). The influence of auditory stimulation on the behaviour of dogs housed in a rescue shelter., Animal Welfare, 11 (4) 385-393. Other: Link
© 2013 Mia Cobb
- Stop To Smell The Flowers. Especially Lavender.
(source)Hi Julie, WOW! Dogs in clothes. Corgis in bikinis at the beach. Greyhounds in onesies. We people do some weird things to our canine friends, no?! I'm pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy being dressed up in a padded...
- Approval Endorsed! Now About That Phd...
Oh wow Julie! The things crossing your desk are pretty darn exciting, I must say! Your first peer-reviewed scientific journal publication is totally awesome! It’s a study that I really enjoyed reading about and especially like...
- Music Therapy For Dogs?
My new pup, "Big Al" By Langley Cornwell We adopted another dog recently. He needed a home quickly so we are making it work, even though our original plan was to wait until we moved into a house with a yard before getting a second dog. One of our biggest...
- Cat Galaxy Radio, Programmed By Cats For Cats
By Linda Cole Sometimes it's hard to figure out what your cat really wants. For some felines it's a fresh batch of catnip or a cozy snooze in the sun. The more sophisticated kitty wants to keep up with what's going on, and listening to tunes...
- Does Your Dog Watch Television?
By Suzanne Alicie Have you ever looked at your dog and thought he was watching television? Better yet, have you had music playing and thought for sure that he was listening intently while his tail wagged in time to the beat? Well, you may not be far off...