Dogs and music?

Do dogs have a musical sense?, do dogs like listening to music?

Well, yeah they do!, depending on the kind of music. Just the same way you like listening to cool classical music while walking in the park or when resting, and you enjoy rock jams when you're out on that early morning jog, dogs enjoy music too. The language of dogs and music share a common characteristic: their universality… these two are global languages and they don´t depend on borders or flags. Since music is a universal language, it also has a relaxative effect on humans.

            

              Research confirms that dogs have musical preferences and react differently to particular types of music. Psychologist Deborah Wells at Queens University in Belfast, exposed dogs in an animal shelter to different types of music. The dogs’ behaviors were observed when they listened to either a compilation of popular music (including Britney Spears, Robbie Williams and Bob Marley), classical music (including Grieg's Morning, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and Beethoven's Ode to Joy),  or recordings by heavy metal rock bands such as Metallica. In order to see if it were really the musical aspects of the sounds that the dogs were responding to, they were also exposed to recordings of human conversation and a period of quiet.

The kind of music that the dogs listened to made a difference. When the researchers played heavy metal music the dogs became quite agitated and began barking. Listening to popular music, or human conversation, did not produce behaviors that were noticeably different from having no sound at all. Classical music, on the other hand, seemed to have a calming effect on the dogs. While listening to it, their level of barking was significantly reduced and the dogs often lay down and settled in place. Wells summarized her findings saying, "It is well established that music can influence our moods. Classical music, for example, can help to reduce levels of stress, whilst grunge music can promote hostility, sadness, tension and fatigue. It is now believed that dogs may be as discerning as humans when it comes to musical preference." So, when that canine seems distressed, it may just be a good time to slide in a Yanni mix tape!

             Surprisingly, dogs can sing! By that I mean ''make melody'', although this is done in the form of howling. Many people often think of a dog's howl as an attempt to make music because dogs howl when music is being played or sung. When compared to wild canines, domestic dogs bark a lot more and howl rather occasionally. Howling is a form of communication, which can indicate an isolated dog although at times, it could be for various social functions. Wolves howl to assembly the pack and also to reinforce the identity of the group. Many experts think that dogs don’t actually engage in their vocalizations to produce music, in the same way that we might sing or play a piano as part of an aesthetic experience. However, there are reports of dogs that had definite tastes in music and some sense of what constitutes good music. A Bulldog named Dan, was owned by Dr. George Robinson Sinclair, the organist at Hereford Cathedral in London. He was a friend of Sir Edward William Elgar, best known for writing Pomp and Circumstance and Land of Hope and Glory. Elgar developed a fondness for Dan because he felt that the dog had a good sense of musical quality. Dan would frequently attend choir practices with his master, and would growl at choristers who sang out of tune, which greatly endeared him to the composer.

           Here are some electrifying songs to make your dog happy:

• The Prodigy — Firestarter
• Major Lazer, Fuse ODG & Nyla — Light it Up
• Skepta — Shutdown
• Daya — Sit Still, Look Pretty
• Timbaland, Keri Hilson, D.O.E. – The Way I Are
• Avicii — Wake Me Up
• Salt-N-Pepa — Push It
• OutKast — Hey Ya!
• Underworld — Born Slippy (Nuxx)
• Bee Gees — Stayin’ Alive

          How about some chillies' for your canine?:

• Bob Marley & The Wailers — Could You Be Loved
• Adele — Someone Like You
• Blur — Parklike
• Justin Bieber — Love Yourself
• Caribou — Can’t Do Without You
• Baz Luhrmann — Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)
• The Stranglers — Golden Brown
• Queen — Bohemian Rhapsody
• Snoop Dogg, Charlie Wilson, Justin Timberlake —Signs
• Pulp — Common People