Research List on Dogs and Music/Sound

Albright, J. D., Seddighi, R. M., Ng, Z., Sun, X., & Rezac, D. J. (2017). Effect of environmental noise and music on dexmedetomidine-induced sedation in dogs. PeerJ5, e3659.

Alves, J. C., Santos, A., Lopes, B., & Jorge, P. (2018). Effect of auditory stimulation during early development in puppy testing of future police working dogs. Topics in companion animal medicine, 33(4), 100-104.

Amaya, V., Descovich, K., Paterson, M., & Phillips, C. J. (2021). Effects of Music Pitch and Tempo on the Behaviour of Kennelled Dogs. Animals11(1), 10.

Amaya, V., Paterson, M., Descovich, K., & Phillips, C. J. (2020). Effects of Olfactory and Auditory Enrichment on Heart Rate Variability in Shelter Dogs. Animals10(8), 1385.

Amaya, V., Paterson, M., & Phillips, C. J. (2020). Effects of olfactory and auditory enrichment on the behaviour of shelter dogs. Animals10(4), 581.

Bowman, A., Scottish, S. P. C. A., Dowell, F. J., & Evans, N. P. (2015). ‘Four Seasons’ in an animal rescue centre; classical music reduces environmental stress in kennelled dogs. Physiology & behavior143, 70-82.

Bowman, A., Scottish, S. P. C. A., Dowell, F. J., & Evans, N. P. (2017). The effect of different genres of music on the stress levels of kennelled dogs. Physiology & behavior171, 207-215.

Brayley, C., & Montrose, V. T. (2016). The effects of audiobooks on the behaviour of dogs at a rehoming kennel. Applied Animal Behaviour Science174, 111-115.

Cyroń, S., Czyż, K., & Patkowska-Sokoła, B. (2018) Wpływ muzyki klasycznej na behawior psów w schronisku. (The influence of classical music on the behavior of dogs in a shelter.) Wiadomości Zootechniczne, R. LVI, 3: 137–147.

Engler, W. J., & Bain, M. (2017). Effect of different types of classical music played at a veterinary hospital on dog behavior and owner satisfaction. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association251(2), 195-200.

Epstein, J., Dowling-Guyer, S., McCobb, E., Glotzer, C., & Dodman, N. H. (2021). Addressing Stress in Dogs in Shelters through a Novel Visual and Auditory Enrichment Device. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 105215.

Kogan, L. R., Schoenfeld-Tacher, R., & Simon, A. A. (2012). Behavioral effects of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research7(5), 268-275.

Köster, L. S., Sithole, F., Gilbert, G. E., & Artemiou, E. (2019). The potential beneficial effect of classical music on heart rate variability in dogs used in veterinary training. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 30, 103-109.

Tuna, B., Kisadere, İ., & Dönmez, N. (2018). Influence of Music Intervention on First Wake up Anesthesia Period, Some Physiological and Hematological Parameters in Dogs. Manas Journal of Agriculture Veterinary and Life Sciences8(1).

Wells, D. L., Graham, L., & Hepper, P. G. (2002). The influence of auditory stimulation on the behaviour of dogs housed in a rescue shelter. Animal Welfare, 11(4), 385-393.

Table

The following table lists the papers in chronological order and summarizes what types of music/sound were compared, what was measured to determine the dogs’ response, and the outcome.

DateTitleWhat was comparedMetricsOutcomeN=
2002The influence of auditory stimulation on the behaviour of dogs housed in a rescue shelter.human conversation, classical
music, heavy metal music, pop music, control
positions in kennels, movement, vocalizationDogs rested more and less time standing during classical music; barked less in classical music. Dogs barked more during heavy metal.50
2012Behavioral effects of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs.classical, heavy metal, Through a Dog's Earactivity level, vocalization, body shakingClassical music resulted in dogs sleeping more and barking less. More body shaking during heavy metal. Through a Dog's Ear had "minimal" effect.117
2015 ‘Four Seasons’ in an animal rescue centre; classical music reduces environmental stress in kenneled dogs.classical music, no musicheart rate variability, behavior, salivary cortisolNo difference in cortisol. Heart rate and behavior showed less stress during music. Calming effects disappear after 7 days (habituation)50
2015Effect of environmental noise and music on dexmedetomidine-induced sedation in dogsmoderate noise, loud noise, classical music, background noisesedation level using three different measuresexposure to music did not improve sedation10
2016The effects of audiobooks on the behaviour of dogs at a rehoming kennels.audiobook, classical music, pop music, psychoacoustically designed dog music (Through a Dog's Ear), no auditory controldogs' behaviorDogs appeared least stressed during audiobook. Through a Dog's Ear was less effective than audiobook and classical.31
2017 The effect of different genres of music on the stress levels of kennelled dogs.Playlists of Soft Rock, Motown, Pop, Reggae,
Classical
heart rate variability, behavior, salivary cortisolTrying to prevent habituation with variety. Least stress per heart rate with reggae and soft rock. No effect on barking. Cortisol problematic.38
2017Effect of different types of classical music played at a veterinary hospital on dog behavior and owner satisfaction.classical, Through a Dog's Ear (same pieces as classical), no musicdog's behavior as assessed by owner and tech (re: anxiety), body temperature, heart rateNo statistically significant difference between no music and either the classical music or Through a Dog's Ear.74
2018Influence of Music Intervention on First Wake up Anesthesia Period, Some Physiological and Hematological Parameters in Dogscontrol, Sufi music, heavy-metal musicduring/after ovariohysterectomy: heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, and multiple blood-chemistry metricsboth types of music were found to be uneffective, except that heavy metal shortened the wake-up period 24
2018Wpływ muzyki klasycznej na behawior
psów w schronisku (The influence of classical music on the behavior of dogs in a shelter)
no control; varied classical playlistsbehavior survey by shelter workerssmall amount of improved behavior over 5 months (but no control group and no data analysis)22
2019Effect of auditory stimulation during early development in puppy testing of future police working dogscontrol, varied auditory stimulation including music, talk shows, and environmental noise including cars, sirens, gunshotsskills test at 7 weeks of agethe auditory stimulation had a negative effect overall and particularly on some tests67
2019 The potential beneficial effect of classical music on heart rate variability in dogs used in veterinary training.control; Through a Dog's Earheart rate variability mixed results, but some heart rate variable were reduced in the music group, indicating higher stress16
2020Effects of olfactory and auditory enrichment on the behaviour of shelter dogs.music, lavender, dog
appeasing pheromone (DAP); control
ethogram of 40 behaviors those exposed to Music lay down more with their head down; all three enrichment treatments seemed to have positive effects; control stood more on their hind legs with their front legs on the exit door compared to those exposed to Music and DAP60
2020Effects of Olfactory and Auditory Enrichment on Heart Rate Variability in Shelter Dogs.music, lavender, dog
appeasing pheromone (DAP); control
heart rate variabilitydogs in music group
had higher heart rate variability parameters (less stress)
compared to the lavender and control groups. DAP didn't show cardio benefit.
60
2021Effects of Music Pitch and Tempo on the Behaviour of Kennelled Dogs. same classical pieces at high pitch, low pitch, fast tempo, slow tempo, white noise, control23 behaviorslow pitch music had statistically significant outcome of increasing the level of alertness of the dogs (higher tail carriage); least lying down, most standing and walking of all the treatments10
2021Addressing Stress in Dogs in Shelters through a Novel Visual and Auditory Enrichment Device. in-kennel pet videophone unit (DogTV) with video, music, natural sounds; controlsalivary cortisol; ethogram of 35 behaviorsno difference in cortisol; dogs in the treatment group spent less time in the back of the kennel, more time grooming, and less time walking 47