Have you ever questioned if your dog were a person, who their favourite artist would be? Would they be a ‘Hairy Styles’ fan? Or perhaps they’d like a taste of ‘Motley Chew’?

Well, with almost 1,000 people every month Googling ‘do dogs like music?’ and ‘what music do dogs like?’, it’s a reasonable thought to ponder… especially as we humans enjoy a range of music genres.

Pexels

This got us thinking… do different breeds like particular types of music?

We worked with dog food brand tails.com scanning thousands of playlists (and so millions of songs) that feature the UK’s most popular breeds of 2022 in the title. Dog owners are evidently making musical mixes for their much-loved pet and the similarities denote what works best for each breed!

Keep calm and turn it up

Indeed, in a new survey** about the relationship between between music and dogs,  we found that over half of owners (52%)* revealed that their four-legged friend becomes  anxious or stressed when left alone. However, 48%* of these paw-rents believe that playing music or the radio to their dog helps them to relax when anxious or stressed.

The results are in

And they are fascinating! To give you a feel for what your dog may like listening to!

The most popular UK dog breeds and their favourite genres by PPL PRS, 2022

The ‘Top of the Pups’ chart:

1. Labrador Retriever (19,381*) – Rock / Pop
2. French Bulldog (13,762*) – Electro Pop
3. Cocker Spaniel (12,109*) – Garage Rock
4. Springer Spaniel (5,349*) – Rock
5. Dachshund (3,893*) – Pop
6. Golden Retriever (3,232*) – Indie Pop
7. German Shepherd (2,359*) – Dance Pop
8. Staffordshire Bull Terrier (2,139*) – Rap / Trap
9. Pug (1,635*) – Classic Rock

Staffordshire Bull Terrier owners, watch out, as you’ve got a rap sensation on your hands… with the top 100 ‘staffy’ tracks strongly leaning towards the ‘rap / trap’ genre. ‘A$AP Puppy’ is in the house.

Whilst, less surprisingly, the sweet (yet sassy) Dachshunds have been found to be listening to ‘pop’ on repeat. Come on, you can’t beat a little Bone Direction!

For Labrador and Golden Retriever lovers, it may only take one hit of indie pop icons ‘Bast-heel’ or ‘Fleetwood Mutt’ to boost your pooch’s mood (particularly after a visit to the vets).

If you’re curious to test out these musical preferences with your pup but are unsure on how to recognise a positive reaction, expert canine behaviourist at tails.com, Carolyn Menteith recommends looking out for “gentle tail wags or swaying, relaxed ears, and steady breathing with any wrinkling above their eyes or at the corners of the mouth smoothing away.”

Credit: Carolyn Menteith

Carolyn adds: “I’ve noticed musician’s dogs who seem to love the type of music – or instrument – their beloved human plays, and I’ve seen music lovers’ dogs enjoy everything from opera to heavy rock depending on their persons’ preference. This is probably more to do with sharing their owner’s enjoyment and pleasure – and that their human is far more relaxed and happier when listening to their choice of music. Music is a social experience – and it certainly seems our dogs share that.”

Does your taste in music mirror your pooches? Or are you a little more a-stray from said genre?