Gilly Mendes Ferreira and PhD student Amy Bowman with Maurice the Lurcher (courtesy of Scottish SPCA)
A study conducted by the Scottish SPCA and the University of Glasgow shows that music has a calming effect on dogs. The research, conducted by the charity's education and research manager Gilly Mendes Ferreira and PhD student Amy Bowman, involved testing two groups of dogs over two consecutive weeks at the Scottish SPCA's Dumbarton & West of Scotland animal rescue and rehoming centre in Milton, West Dunbartonshire. During the first week one group was observed in silence while the other had classical music played into their kennels. The conditions were then switched in the second week. Results showed that in both groups the dogs' stress levels decreased significantly after listening to music. Gilly Mendes Ferreira said: "Male dogs responded better than female dogs and both groups spent less time standing and barking when the music was being played. "Although by the end of the week their heart rates and behaviour associated with kennel stress had returned to normal, the initial findings are very encouraging and show that classical music does have a positive impact on the dogs' welfare.
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