promise technology: Dogs Prefer This Music Most of All

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Dogs Prefer This Music Most of All | Babble Pets

dog headphones 300x199 Dogs Prefer This Music Most of All

Wonder what this pup is listening to?

If you have kids, you?ve undoubtedly heard about providing the right kind of music for your baby. Some moms even try to foster their child?s music appreciation in utero by placing headphones on their belly while pregnant. When I was pregnant, I didn?t do that but I did listen to what I liked (which translated into lots and lots of Dave Matthews). But my tastes are varied so I also listened to everything from REM and System of a Down.

Naturally, my dogs have listened to the same. But do dogs have any one favorite type of music?

Researchers believe they do?.but only to a certain extent.

There are so many?ways?in which dogs exhibit similar behavior to people, and their basic music preference may be one of them. Dogs tend to prefer classical music according to a study on shelter dogs performed by Dr. Deborah Wells, a psychologist and animal behaviorist:

The shelter dogs reacted most positively to classical music. They found it soothing and showed fewer signs of stress when they were listening to classical music. They rested more and barked less, she says, and behaved with less of the agitation well known to those of us who volunteer in shelters.

Dr. Wells also found that the worst music for dogs was (you guessed it) heavy metal. Pop music and the sound of human conversation had no effect on dogs, probably because dogs are so used to both of those things.

The study does suggest, however that dogs do have some individual preferences, and I suspect those tend to tie in with their owners preferences.

My kids tell me now that they always get a good feeling when they hear a song I?ve played a million times when they were little. I hope my dogs do. too!

What music does your dog listen to? What do you think he/she likes the most?

Image: iStock

Follow Danielle on?Twitter?and?Facebook?and?Pinterest?(where she maintains an ?Adorable Pups? board), or find her at her blog,?Just Write Mom?and Babble?s?Strollerderby.

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