Musical Dogs: A Review of the Influence of Auditory Enrichment on Canine Health and Behavior

Abstract

Music therapy yields many positive health outcomes in humans, but the effects of music on the health and welfare of nonhuman animals vary greatly with the type of music played, the ethology of the species, and the personality and learning history of individual animals. One context in which music therapy may be used to enhance animal welfare is to alleviate stress in domestic environments. Here, we review studies of the effects of music exposure on dogs as a case study for the implementation of music therapy in veterinary medicine. Nine reports of experimental testing for the therapeutic effects of music on dogs were found, with most of these studies focusing on changes in behavior. Overall, exposure to classical music appears to have a calming influence on dogs in stressful environments, with no additional benefit observed from any music purposely designed for dogs (specifically “Through a dog’s ear”). Given the cost effectiveness and ease of implementation, music therapy holds promise in veterinary medicine and animal welfare. However, to address precise research questions, further studies must use clearly defined characteristics of stimulus music in the experimental design, and consider the variability of each individual animal’s physical characteristics and past experience in the selection of candidates.

A Review on Mitigating Fear and Aggression in Dogs and Cats in a Veterinary Setting

“…One study indicated that music specifically designed for cats, but not classical music, was associated with fewer stress indicators and reduced resistance to handling in cats during a clinical examination compared to no background music [ 58 ]. In dogs, some studies suggest a possible calming effect of music (reviewed in [ 59 ]), but a study performed in a veterinary context could not demonstrate a reduction in fearful or aggressive behaviour [ 46 ]. However, the owners found the waiting time more pleasant, and the veterinarians indicated that they enjoyed the music [ 46 ].…”

“…However, the owners found the waiting time more pleasant, and the veterinarians indicated that they enjoyed the music [ 46 ]. Further studies are needed to address species-specific preferences, as well as individual responses [ 59 ].…”

Bidirectional Interactions With Humpback Whale Singer Using Concrete Sound Elements

“…Underwater noises are still important, and the effects of these anthropogenic sounds are now well described in the scientific literature. Taking account of this world concern, this project could be seen as an alternative to contribute to cetacean welfare, as music is used as a tool to decrease stress for some animal species (Alworth and Buerkle, 2013;Dhungana et al, 2018), for example, like gorillas (Wells et al, 2006), horses (Eyraud et al, 2019), and domestic species (Hampton et al, 2020;Lindig et al, 2020). Of course, this beneficial effect on stress will have to be proven on humpback whales, for example, by requiring cortisol monitoring (Rolland et al, 2012;Mingramm et al, 2020).…”

A Review on Mitigating Fear and Aggression in Dogs and Cats in a Veterinary Setting

“…One study indicated that music specifically designed for cats (but not classical music) was associated with fewer stress indicators and reduced resistance to handling during a clinical examination compared to no background music [50]. In dogs, some studies suggest a possible calming effect of music (reviewed in [51], but the only study performed in a veterinary context could not demonstrate a reduction in fearful or aggressive behaviour. However, owners found the waiting time more pleasant and veterinarians indicated that they enjoyed the music [50].…”

“…However, owners found the waiting time more pleasant and veterinarians indicated that they enjoyed the music [50]. Further studies are needed to adress species-specific preferences, as well as individual responses [51].…”