Research

Canine Companions and Music: A Study on the impact of music and music speaker design on dogs and their owners

Heather White, author
Westchester Executive Trainer and Program Coordinator - The Good Dog Foundation
June 19, 2010

The Good Dog Foundation collaborates with researchers, healthcare professionals, and other organizations to promote research studies that document the effects of the human-animal bond on human healing and wellness. While there is much anecdotal evidence supporting the monumental benefits of animal assisted therapy, there is much to be done in the world of scientific research and documentation to help open doors for animal assisted therapy to the healthcare community and beyond.

For more information on The Good Dog Foundation please visit their website:
http://www.thegooddogfoundation.org/

Pilot Study on utilizing Pet Acoustics’ My Pet Speaker and music with dogs and their owners

The study was implemented over a three month period, collecting data via questionnaire and observation from 50 participants and their dogs who participated in obedience classes and therapy dog skills classes through The Good Dog Foundation. Participants were asked to be aware of their dogs at all times throughout each class and asked to report any findings they experienced with their dogs when the dogs were in the presence of the My Pet Speaker. Dogs and owners were also observed by the class instructor and class assistant for body language and stress signal changes that may occur. The human participants ranged in age from 12 years old to 60 years old with an average of 7 dogs in each class session. The canine participants were comprised of several different breeds of dogs as well as mixed breeds, from all different backgrounds, including dogs from reputable breeders, pet stores, animal shelters and humane societies, and rescue groups. The canine participants ranged in age from 7 months old to 10 years old. The mean and median age of the canine participants was 3 years old.


Summary of Findings
The findings of the above study support the hypothesis that calming music played through the My Pet Speaker by Pet Acoustics, Inc. is beneficial not only to the canine participants, but the owners as well. The majority (75%) of human participants reported that the soundtracks of the Pet Acoustics, Inc. CD playing through the My Pet Speaker relaxed them, while the remaining 25% of participants reported that the music was playing and was enjoyable during the class session. 80% of participants reported that they felt that the music playing calmed their dogs as well as themselves, stating, “The music sounded like a track you would listen to at a spa”, “I think Pet Speaker is a great tool for promoting calmness”, “I didn’t even realize there was music playing until the very end of class!”, and “The music helped to ground me”. 97% of participants felt that having the My Pet Speaker present in the room was a beneficial addition to the class atmosphere. The majority of the canine participants (96%) displayed neutral to positive reactions to the My Pet Speaker as evidenced by their ability to focus on a task at hand with their owner. The canine participants displayed neutral body language and 86% of the dogs in the classes shown decreased frequency of stress signals and showed neutral to positive body language towards their owners. 4% of canine participants showed elevated stress levels which were not compatible with the therapy dog program and did not continue in class.


Conclusions and Implications
What was most beneficial about the My Pet Speaker was the aspect of the speaker that takes out the extreme high and low notes in playing music and allows only middle tones to play which seemed to truly and visibly sooth both dogs and their humans during the classes.
It is recommended by this author that the My Pet Speaker would be beneficial to dogs in boarding and kennel facilities as well as training classes and also at home. The My Pet Speaker is a wonderful tool for any dog owner who would like to further foster the bond between themselves and their canine companions.

 

Science Community Comments about Music and Animals and its Effects

The effect of music on dogs has been proven according to the UFAW
According to the Universities Federation of Animal Welfare, the effect of music on dogs has been proven. Listening to certain types of music may actually help with the welfare of dogs in animal shelters, as these types of music have soothing qualities. On the contrary, there are also certain types of music which agitate dogs and should not be played around dogs in kennels or the shelter environment.

Heavy Metal
2. Dogs become agitated and nervous when listening to heavy metal. The effects of heavy metal music on dogs can also make the dogs bark. In a study by the Universities Federation of Animal Welfare, when exposed to heavy metal music, dogs of all breeds, sizes and ages became quite agitated.

Classical
3. Classical music soothes and calms dogs, in fact; the Arizona Animal Welfare League plays classical music in the shelter to calm the dogs. A study in Northern Ireland found music from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” among other classical pieces, calmed the dogs to such a point that many of them laid down. Classical music could be used in an owner’s absence to help decrease the symptoms of separation anxiety in some dogs.

Pop
4. The effect of pop music on dogs has not been noticeable. If there is an effect of pop music on dogs the effect is negligible. Studies and research have been based on other types of music since pop has not proven to have an effect on dogs.

"Dogs react to music much as humans do, said Dan ette Grady, education director of Living Free Animal Sanctuary in Mountain Center, Calif. A steady tempo and calming melody can soothe." Human studies have shown that relaxing music can slow the breathing, relax the muscles and reduce the heart rate," Williams said. "From my own personal experience, I've seen a similar effect on dogs." As a sound therapist, Williams advocates the use of music to help therapy and service work dogs relax."

The Effect of Music on Cognitive Performance: Insight From Neurobiological and Animal Studies Nikki S. Rickard, Samia R. Toukhsati, Simone E. Field
 School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Australia. 

The past 50 years have seen numerous claims that music exposure enhances human cognitive performance. Critical evaluation of studies across a variety of contexts, however, reveals important methodological weaknesses. The current article argues that an interdisciplinary approach is required to advance this research. A case is made for the use of appropriate animal models to avoid many confounds associated with human music research. Although such research has validity limitations for humans, reductionist methodology enables a more controlled exploration of music's elementary effects. This article also explores candidate mechanisms for this putative effect. A review of neurobiological evidence from human and comparative animal studies confirms that musical stimuli modify autonomic and neurochemical arousal indices, and may also modify synaptic plasticity. It is proposed that understanding how music affects animals provides a valuable conjunct to human research and may be vital in uncovering how music might be used to enhance cognitive performance.

Excerpts from Janet Marlow’s Book The Magic of Music for Pets

Using music to benefit animals in their environment is not a new concept. It has been documented that dairy cows produce more milk when listening to relaxing music. Researchers believe that farmers could get an extra pint from their charges by playing classical music. Psychologists Dr. Adrian North and Liam MacKenzie at the University of Leicester, UK played music of different tempos to herds of Friesian cattle. Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony resulted in greater milk production. When loud and rowdy music was played, there was no increase in milk yield. "Calming music can improve milk yield, probably because it reduces stress," said North and MacKenzie.

What we know to date has been largely understood and discovered by animal behavior departments and acoustic science laboratories in universities around the world, particularly over the past five decades. Many years of intensive experiments and methodologies have been developed to achieve conclusive data. In addition, with the invention of analog and digital equipment and software, researchers can now determine and measure sound waves into the thousandths of sound bytes. A great amount of this information, in my estimation, is to be credited to the scientific accomplishments of Henry E. Heffner and Richye S. Heffner of the Laboratory of Comparative Hearing, Department of Psychology at University of Toledo Ohio whose research has been a major resource for this book. Heffner writes:

"There have been three main sources of selective pressure on the ability of animals to perceive sound (Masteron and Diamond, 1973). The first has been the need to detect a sound, an ability that enables an animal to determine the presence of sound-producing objects in its environment, which in most cases are other animals. The second has been the need to localize the source of a sound so that an animal can either approach or avoid the sound source. Finally, an animal must be able to identify the biological meaning or relevance of the sound so that it may respond appropriately to the sound source. Over the last decade, our knowledge of the auditory abilities of animals in general has been the object of study because it was necessary to determine the hearing abilities of large mammals in order to answer certain questions concerning the evolution of human hearing." H. E. Heffner, Farm Animals and the Environment. (pp.159-184). Wallingford UK: CAB International.

FAQ

1. How do you know what animals like to hear?

Animals respond to frequency spectrums. With digital technologies and scientific studies in Universities on animal hearing capacities, research has been able to determine the specific range of frequencies of animals. An animal will stay near a source of music that has frequencies within their hearing range and move away from music that is jarring or extends outside their hearing capacities. Pet owners should make sure to turn OFF the subwoofers or turn down the excess bass, especially the louder they listen to music with their pets near by. Consider that an animal will "hear" ambient music approximately 3 times louder than we do or more.

2. What instruments do you use?

 

Pet Acoustics uses music programs combined with live recording for the orchestrations. The sustained long sounds  are most relaxing to dogs and cats. The music consist of tracks that include the sounds from a synthesizer with the in-studio playing of my classical ten-string guitar.  The good news is that the music can be composed on any instrument. Once the orchestrations are complete, it is the end process that fine tunes the listening comfort in regards to the CD production and the desired results. I have several software programs that graphically determine the frequency range that I have composed the music in. The final production phase is when I contour the "mastered CD" according to the frequency range. This guarantees the end result while centering the hearing range criteria. Each CD offers my musical expression and care which becomes a product for pet owners to use for the purpose of eliciting calm for the specific breed of animal in their environment.

3. Do you have certain pieces that you recommend for relaxing a pet and others that might be more stimulating, to encourage play?

 

The key to having your pet enjoy music is to limit the frequency spectrum and the volume. Use simple, melodious tracks like soft Classical, ecclesiastic music, Gregorian chants or New Age music, which is meant to soothe and calm. There is relatively little music production done expressly for the pet environment.