Reggae: The Music Choice Of Dogs

Do dogs have individual music tastes? That’s what new research from the University of Glasgow and the Scottish SPCA suggests.

The study centers around how particular genres of music affect dogs. The canines appeared to have independent music preferences, similar to their human counterparts. The results showed that reggae music was a pack favorite.

“Overall, the response to different genres was mixed highlighting the possibility that like humans, our canine friends have their own individual music preferences,” professor Neil Evans told NPR.

The dogs were serenaded by five different types of music: soft rock, pop, classical, reggae and Motown. Researchers found that soft rock and reggae music lowered the dogs’ heart rate. The study suggested that regardless of genre, the dogs spent more time lying and less time standing when the music was played.

“It was clear that the physiological and behavioral changes observed were maintained during the trial when the dogs were exposed to a variety of music.” PhD student Amy Bowman told NPR.

The Scottish SPCA, Scotland’s animal welfare charity, released research in 2015 that explored the impact of classical music on a dog’s behavior. The Scottish SPCA will be installing sound systems into all of their kennels to play a variety of music to their canine residents.

Image by Beverly & Pack

Chamberlain Smith is a freelance writer based in Athens, Georgia.