Wondering what to do for your dog on Valentine’s Day? Play reggae music. Irie mon, dogs love reggae music so dust off the Bob Marley CDs, or search iHeartRadio for a reggae station and chill out with your pup.
Results of a study, recently published in the journal Physiology and Behavior, showed that music had a calming effect on dogs. Researchers from the University of Glasgow in Scotland created playlists of 5 different musical genres: soft rock, pop, Motown, classical, and reggae.
While listening to each genre, the researchers measured the dog’s physical symptoms of stress, including heart rate, and observed behavioral signs of stress like barking. Although some would argue the study results are inconclusive, the findings suggested soft rock and reggae were most effective in reducing stress levels and behaviors.
While certainly every dog is unique and may have a different reaction to various genres, it might be worth a try. Maybe your dog prefers traditional country music–not sure why that genre was left out of the study. And there’s nothing wrong with listening to soft rock, but reggae music certainly conjures sunny thoughts of summer, and the beach, and a Caribbean vacation. So with winter days being cold and gray, it stands to reason that reggae music
might soothe the inner beast!
If reggae music is not part of your collection, leaving you unsure what to play for your pooch, here’s a list of the top 10 reggae songs of all time according to TheTopTens.com:
- No Woman No Cry – Bob Marley
- Buffalo Soldier – Bob Marley
- Welcome to Jamrock – Damian Marley
- Santeria – Sublime
- Three Little Birds – Bob Marley
- One Love – Bob Marley
- D’yer Mak’er – Led Zeppelin
- Get Up, Stand Up – Bob Marley
- Baby, I Love Your Way – Big Mountain
- Red Red Wine – UB40
List courtesy of TheTopTens.com
If you’re looking to include your Bestest Furry Friend in Valentine’s Day plans or simply need a stress-free day together, go with an island theme, complete with some really good reggae music, and relax!