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Bach
better than Black Sabbath for barking!
Cultured
canines who listen to classical music in dog shelters stand
more chance of being re-homed, according to a new study by researchers
at Queen’s University, Belfast.
The study, funded by the National Canine Defence League (NCDL),
was carried out by Dr Deborah Wells and her colleagues Lynne
Graham and Professor Peter Hepper in the School of Psychology
at Queen’s.
The researchers explored the effect of four types of auditory
stimulation on the behaviour and welfare of dogs cared for at
an NCDL rehoming shelter, and their findings have just been
published in the leading journal, Animal Welfare.
Classical music was found to encourage behaviours more suggestive
of relaxation in the dogs, including resting and lower frequencies
of barking. Heavy metal music, by contrast, resulted in more
agitated behaviours, including increased barking and longer
periods of time standing. Neither pop music, nor human conversation,
had any apparent effect on the dogs’ behaviour.
Hostility
Dr
Wells said: “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.”
Clarissa Baldwin, NCDL Chief Executive, said: “It is
very important to us that the dogs have as pleasant a time
as possible while they are in our care. Some of our dogs have
had a rough start in life and may be stressed out by being
in kennels, so we need to ensure they are as calm as possible.
We always have the radio on in our Rehoming Centres and now
we will be tuning in to Classic FM.”
Earlier work by Wells and Hepper revealed that the behaviour
a dog exhibits in a rescue shelter can determine whether or
not that animal is re homed.
Visitors to rescue shelters have a much greater preference
for quiet dogs over those that are seen barking, often erroneously
assuming the latter to be ‘unfriendly’.” said
Dr Wells.
“The introduction of classical music into rescue shelters
may be a useful means of both promoting more positive canine
welfare and facilitating the animals’ chances of subsequent
adoption.”
Dr Wells and her team are now exploring the value of music
in rescue shelters on the mood and perception of staff and
visitors.
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