They say every dog has its day and August 26th is National Dog Day. Deezer, one of the world’s leading, on-demand digital music streaming services, found that our four-legged friends aren’t that different from us and need music to enhance their overall health and happiness. These findings come from a study dome in partnership with internationally renowned and respected animal behaviorist Dr. David Sands, which explores the effect of music on animals, including variables such as track frequency and beats per minute
Deezer and Dr. Sands created two canine-approved playlists: one keeps pups content and chilled to contribute to tip-top health, while the other releases the “paws” button for ultimate happiness.
“One of the best things about music is there’s something for everyone to enjoy, and now this includes our furry friends as well,” said Rick Bañales, U.S. Editorial Manager for Deezer. “Knowing that certain types of songs keep them healthier and happier, Deezer created a playlist for pets and their two-legged friends to enjoy together.”
For Happiness
The likes of OutKast’s Hey Ya, Avicii’s Wake Me Up, and The Prodigy’s Firestarter result in an upbeat, energetic pup, as these have stop-start rhythms and high frequencies. But it’s Pharell’s Happy that takes the cake as the ultimate heart raiser, resulting in a 160 beats per minute (20 beats over the normal heart rate of 140). The Deezer Happiness playlist raises pooches’ pulses resulting in active states and one happy dog.
“It’s recommended to keep the playlist to a few tracks at this intensity, followed by a short break that allows your dog to rest and prevent hyperactivity,” said Dr. Sands.
For Health
The Deezer Health playlist features low, slow beats matched to individual breeds’ heart rates in order to create a sense of calm for dogs. Adele’s Someone Like You and Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself keeps canines content and tranquil. However, not all dogs are Beliebers as the exclusive Deezer analysis found the ability for certain dogs to hear and love Bieber depends on the size of their ear openings. So Chihuahuas might be less likely to “love themselves” than a poodle, which can hear up to 20kHZ.
In order to reach the ultimate doggie Zen — lyrics are most important. This is because when our dogs are lounging around with us it is often when we are in conversation or on the phone, causing spoken word to become very familiar to dogs.
“In my clinical research with people, pets and sounds, I’ve discovered dogs totally chill to spoken words,” said Dr. Sands. “Words become associate with togetherness and calm.”
Health and Happiness at Home
Not only is it important for dogs to be healthy and happy, but it’s equally important for you to be as well. When canine owners are calm and in good spirits, they project the same feeling of happiness onto their pets. The normal resting heart rate of an average adult is between 60 to 100 beats per minute, but listening to favorite music tracks can raise the heart rate to match the increased heart rate pups experience from the exact same tunes.
“Your overall health and happiness has a huge effect on your canine counterpart,” said Dr. Sands. “Both humans and dogs are stimulated by the frequency range, pattern and volume of the beats in music. This is why turning on your favorite tunes cannot only positively affect you, but also your dog. So, go ahead and put on your best dance tune to perk up both you and your pup, or something a bit more calm so you can both have a chill day.”
Hopefully both you and your pooch will enjoy Dr Sands’ suggested playlists.
The Deezer Happiness Playlist: Songs to Make Your Pooch Happy
The Prodigy — Firestarter
Major Lazer, Fuse ODG & Nyla — Light it Up
Skepta — Shutdown
Daya — Sit Still, Look Pretty
Timbaland, Keri Hilson, D.O.E. – The Way I Are
Avicii — Wake Me Up
Salt-N-Pepa — Push It
OutKast — Hey Ya!
Underworld — Born Slippy (Nuxx)
Bee Gees — Stayin’ Alive
The Deezer Health Playlist : Songs to Chill Your Canine
Bob Marley & The Wailers — Could You Be Loved
Adele — Someone Like You
Blur — Parklike
Justin Bieber — Love Yourself
Caribou — Can’t Do Without You
Baz Luhrmann — Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)
The Stranglers — Golden Brown
Queen — Bohemian Rhapsody
Snoop Dogg, Charlie Wilson, Justin Timberlake — Signs
Pulp — The Common People
I guess to celebrate National Dog Day you now have to go out and buy your pooch his own iPod…
