The pets reportedly have their own distinctive tastes, but prefer reggae and soft rock to classical: so here’s a top 10 of dog-friendly tunes
The mutts also responded well to Motown, classical and pop tracks
A study by the University of Glasgow has discovered that dogs “prefer soft rock and reggae” over other genres of music, conclusively proving man’s best friend has the taste of an embarrassing uncle hectoring the DJ at a wedding.
At a rehoming centre in the Scottish town of Dumbarton researchers played dogs a variety of music, during which heart rate monitoring and behavioural observation showed that stress levels dropped while listening to the unlikely genre bedfellows. There are unconfirmed reports that the dogs absolutely lost their minds when researchers cranked a mashup of Beenie Man vs Steely Dan. According to a schnauzer who was at the event: “It shouldn’t have worked, but it just did.”
Despite evidence that dogs don’t just like reggae but in fact love it, the mutts also responded well to Motown, classical and pop tracks. For Professor Neil Evans, the mixed response suggests that “like humans, our canine friends have their own individual music preferences”. His conclusion will make sense to anyone who has ever met a dog: it’s hard to imagine a St Bernard listening to anything other than Bing Crosby, or a bug-eyed chihuahua who wasn’t constantly experiencing paranoid flashbacks to a soundtrack of hard German techno.
Following the findings, the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has equipped its kennels with sound systems, and compiling canine-appropriate playlists. It’s safe to assume Lee “Scratch” Perry and Joe Cocker are lead candidates, but which other dog-friendly artists and songs deserve a place in the pack? Here’s 10 for your starter; feel free to add your own.