Pet sounds: classical music is a calming influence for dogs
Pet food brand Eukanuba wanted to find out whether classical music can have the same relaxing effect on dogs as it does on humans, so the company commissioned a new piece of music by composer Iain Jackson.
'A Dog's Tale' is an original classical score specially created to have a calming effect on dogs.
"There were two key elements in writing this piece of music for the dogs," Jackson told Pet Gazette. "Firstly, we wanted to create something that would have a calming effect and help to relax dogs. And secondly, we wanted to tell the story of a dog's life from puppy into junior, adulthood, then as they mature and become a senior dog.
"We wanted the music to demonstrate the building blocks of each individual life stage, representing a dog's nature, personality and overall wellbeing, whilst also celebrating the companionship that we share with our dogs."
Performed by a ten-piece string orchestra, the music was played to a group of seven dogs of all life stages, across a variety of breeds. Meanwhile, Eukanuba's veterinary training manager, Kellie Ceccarelli, assessed the impact the music had on the dogs' stress and anxiety levels.
Each of the dogs had their pulse rates taken before and after listening to the piece of music, and an average 22% reduction was seen across the group.
Ceccarelli said: "I was slightly apprehensive that all of the new experiences we were introducing the dogs to could cause them to be slightly stressed in an environment that we wanted to be calming. But it was the complete opposite. They were calm, relaxed and quickly settled on the beds with many of the dogs falling asleep. And to see an average reduction of 22% in their pulse rates was really quite staggering."
You can watch a video about the performance at https://vimeo.com/eukanubauk/adogstale.
How does your dog react when you play music at home?