New research suggests our canine companions prefer reggae and soft rock – but each has their own tastes.

The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says it will be fitting out its facilities with sound systems after a study suggested that kennelled dogs find music relaxing. However, it’s bad news for classical music lovers as the paper published by researchers from the SSPCA and the University of Glasgow seems to indicate that dogs prefer reggae and soft rock over other musical genres.

“We were keen to explore the effect playing different genres of music had,” PhD student Amy Bowman, one of the study’s authors, said in a statement on the SSPCA website. “It was clear that the physiological and behavioural changes observed were maintained during the trial when the dogs were exposed to a variety of music.”

According to the paper, titled The effect of different genres of music on the stress levels of kennelled dogs and published in the journal Physiology and Behavior, the dogs studied spent “significantly more time lying and significantly less time standing” when music was played. One group of dogs at a rehoming centre in Dumbarton, listened to five genres – soft rock, Motown, pop, reggae and classical – while a control group was observed in silence. Lowered heart-rates in the dogs who listened to music indicated a decrease in stress levels. The most positive behavioural changes, however, were observed when the dogs were played reggae and soft rock.

“Overall, the response to different genres was mixed highlighting the possibility that like humans, our canine friends have their own individual music preferences,” said Professor Neil Evans.

“At present both our Glasgow and Edinburgh centres are able to pipe music into their kennels,” said the SSPCA’s statement. “In future every centre will be able to offer our four-footed friends a canine-approved playlist, with a view to extending this research to other species in our care.”