Does Music Affect Dogs?

I ran across someone commenting on an article the other day regarding music and it’s effect on dogs. Music is something I have always used with my dogs, but never saw or looked into any actual research on it. 

Instead of reading this woman’s comments on the article, I decided to check it out myself. The article is ““Behavioral effect of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs,” by Kogan, Schoenfeld-Tacher & Simon, J of Veterinary Behavior 7, 2012, 268-275.)”

Kennels? Stressful? No way! It begins discussing the obvious fact that kenneling dogs is stressful on the dog, physiologically and behaviorally. I don’t know about you, but this is no surprise to me. Which is why I do not kennel my dogs any more. I took my lab, a certified therapy dog, Boomer, to a kennel for a week and got him back skinny, losing great amounts of hair, and his tail was bleeding profusely from him never settling down and whacking it on all the walls of his cage. Molly, my current lab (not therapy dog certified....are you kidding?) since she was a puppy has loathed being in a cage away from everyone else. She would work herself into such a fuss, it would be coming out of all ends everywhere making the biggest mess. 

Humans like music, why would dogs be different? The article then looks at auditory stimulation and it’s approach to mood regulation and emotional management. It compares how humans react to music and how dogs react. As humans, we tend to use music for mood regulation and emotional management. Or am I the only one? We need peppy popular music for a night on the town, but then some good ol’ Ray LaMontagne for those peaceful relaxing nights at the house. I don’t need to prove this to you, right? Music to study with, baby music for sleeping, music to dance to, to cry to (Sarah McLachlan “Angel”....anyone else?) and so the list goes on and on. And does anyone else notice how music can change your mood? Am I the only one who is ready to take on the world after hearing “Bad Girls” by M.I.A.? 

Come to find out, it’s true! The study found that the results were consistent with human studies. Classical/calming music helps with mood, stress, anxiety and sleep in dogs just like in people. They also found, that on the other hand, heavy metal caused the opposite effect to happen in dogs, restlessness, less sleep, fidgeting etc. If you have ever read anything by Cesar Millan you will know that an environment can have a tremendous impact on a dog, and dogs pick that up immediately. They know when you are frustrated and out of control, they know when you are sad, they pick up on the energy in the house etc. So this article just confirms what I have always expected.

My favorites: Like I said, I picked up on the effects of music on my dogs ages ago when I would listen to Josh Groban and they would be snoozing and drooling in a matter of seconds. So now, I will purposely pick out some good tunes to play when I am needing to relax, and of course, when the dog isn’t relaxed, nobody is! 

So I turn to..

Michael Buble (some of his song get kinda upbeat, be careful)

Josh Groban (of course!)

Stacey Kent (Raconte-moi, a French album I adore!)

Amos Lee

Ray LaMontagne

Nora Jones........well shoot, here is my playlist, that will be easier!

What about you? What works for your dogs? What are their favorite snooze tunes?

Grain-Free All Natural Dog Treats

Grain-Free Pumpkin Snap Dog Treats

Grain-Free Pumpkin Bone Dog Treats  

                           

I do not know why when you need a healthy grain-free dog treat they have to be ugly, gross and bland. These are my answer to that! They are a mix of pumpkin and blackstrap molasses. The garbanzo flour, pumpkin, blackstrap molasses, cinnamon, flax seed and olive oil in these dog treats all have properties that help to benefit arthritis or inflammation in dog's joints. 

Whole Wheat All Natural Dog Treats

All Natural Peanut Butter "Pup" Dog Treat

All Natural Peanut Butter Squirrel Dog Treat

All Natural Peanut Butter "Guppy" Dog Treat

For our furry friends that can have whole wheat, we offer our peanut butter dog treats. Whole wheat is not a bad thing for dogs. We freshly grind our own wheat berries so our flour is fresh, pure and warm to give theses an undeniable quality and taste. 

We have more variations at our website, here!

Gluten-Free All Natural Dog Treats

Gluten-Free Cranberry Heart Dog Treats

Gluten-Free Blueberry Mini Bone Dog Treats

Gluten-Free Carob and Peanut Butter Mini Bone Dog Treats

Gluten-Free Parmesan "Puff" Dog Treats

Gluten-Free Cranberry Petal Dog Treats

 Our gluten-free dog treats come in a variety of sizes, shapes and flavors but are designed for dogs that have a sensitivity to wheat. We grind our very own rice flour to that we can get the freshest flour possible.
I never wanted to start a business that I wouldn't want or use myself, so I have made sure everything is the best it can possibly be. So I could not just settle with a regular bone treat. I found a way to personalize them because I want to know my dogs treats were made with exactly her in mind and nobody else. We do just that! :)

Look at all our other gluten-free dog treats here!

Norman, Oklahoma Sooners

I have lived in Norman, Oklahoma for the past 17 years and have been very close to The University of Oklahoma the whole time.My grandmother graduated with her Master's from OU. My father, his Bachelors. All of my cousins attend or attending OU and I graduated from OU almost two years ago.

I have a special place in my heart for the Oklahoma Sooners. Football, in particular, and have spent my childhood growing up close to collegiate athletics because of my dad's job.

There is nothing quite like a fall OU football game and it is what I miss any time I leave Norman for any particular time. I love Norman, I love OU. This is my town.

About Treat Dreams

The idea for Treat Dreams came to me in January 2013 as a simple project to enjoy while I had some extra down time. It quickly turned into an expensive, more work than anticipated, pain in the......um, I mean, labor of love!

I graduated with a degree focused in Education and was in no way prepared or educated in the business world. But I had my love for my puppies and a real desire to have my own business with a goal of making a difference. So I set up shop on Etsy, put together a website and got to work. 

I was entirely unaware of the field I was getting into, but fell in love with it very quickly. Let me explain something before I go any further, I am not a healthy eater. I have been blessed with good genes and a quick metabolism and I eat like a growing teenage boy. So needless to say, since I did not think twice about my own eating habits, then thinking about my dog's eating habits??? I don't think so.

It did not take long for me to realize improving my dog's health was not just a "hippie, organic person" thing. The meat that is in dog food is all the animals that were diseased and unfit for human consumption. This can be intestines, udders, heads, hooves as well as diseased and cancerous animal parts. Then of course there are the chicken by products and corn meal fillers that make up the rest of the food. Basically, slaughterhouses make a profit off all the extra junk that we can't eat by selling it to dog food companies. 

I don't know about you, but I love my baby dog, Molly, and I have always claimed to be a dog lover and want what is best for her but this had me feeling horrible for how I was actually treating her. Then I came to find out that many "common dog problems" like ear problems, allergies, bowel irregularity and issues were a result of what dogs are fed. I have a post all about choosing the perfect dog food for your dog. ____________________. Because nobody has the time to make their own down food :)

But I can make my own dog treats! So I did. And to my surprise.......my dogs like them BETTER than store bought dog treats!! When I think about it, it make sense. I mean, store bought dog treats may look like bacon, but they aren't, who knows what they are? But my dog treats are pure, rich and healthy. 

We use all human grade natural ingredients like blueberries, pumpkin, peanut butter, bananas, cinnamon, honey, garlic, parmesan cheese, cranberries, olive oil, flax seed, rice flour, garbanzo flour, whole wheat flour and carob. 

Wheat is a very popular allergy among dogs that humans don't even realize. It is because dogs eat so much of it in their dog food that they develop an allergy to it. So we ground our own rice flour and use it to offer gluten-free dog treats. Then some dogs need grain-free dog treats, so we developed our pumpkin dog treats that use garbanzo flour. 

It is refreshing to finally be able to offer something that is wholesome, rich, pure and healthy for dogs. I get so excited just talking about it!

I have come up with all kinds of ways to make them even more catered to you and your dog by offering personalization on many of them!

Be sure and check them out! 

www.treatdreamsthedogbakery.com

About Me

I feel that most people that begin with blogs about life, food, style etc., tend to be artsy, organic and sometimes not relatable for people like me that are proud to eat McDonalds on occasion, own nothing "vintage" and are happy shopping at Target for absolutely everything you could ever need (except Nike apparel...sorry Target).
I try to stay true to myself and what I am passionate about. Mainly that involves my dog Molly, anything chocolate or sweet, my Oklahoma Sooners, athletics and I try to squeeze some fashion into my life when I get the chance.
Right now my main passion, and what is driving me every day, is Treat Dreams, my all natural dog bakery I run from my home. I started it because I truly have this deep desire to be involved in dogs' lives and work with them. My goal is to be able to grow bigger and use my business to be involved in opportunities that benefit the rescue, livelihood and well being of dogs and the relationships they have with humans. I truly believe the relationships we build with dogs is one of the biggest blessings from God.