Pet behaviourists and musicians have developed a pre-workout track for dogs deigned to stimulate them prior to exercise.
The track was commissioned by pet insurer MORE TH>N together with pet technology company PitPat, and was created in line with existing academic research around the different types of music and sounds that dogs will respond to.
Its aim is to stimulate and motivate dogs in a controlled way in order to make the most out of that special playtime with their owner.
The dog friendly track puts an experimental twist on a reggae -style melody, as informed by a recent study from the University of Glasgow, where they discovered that reggae and soft rock are the music genres that dogs enjoy the most and which they have the most positive emotional and physiological reaction to. (1)
The track features the sounds of dog whistles horns and synth sounds, which have all been set at a canine-friendly frequency to increase the song’s appeal. The vocals, meanwhile, are based on everyday words and phrases that dogs typically associate with positive experiences and outcomes, such as ‘come on!’ and ‘good boy!’.
The tracks develop has been informed by an in-depth academic report from pet behaviourist Dr Candy d’Sa, and then developed by Scottish music producer Mattie Foulds.
The track is supposed to be played to dogs’ multiple times prior to exercise so that dogs begin to associate it with positive and happy experiences.
Dr d’SA commented: “There is a great deal of academic research around the different types of sound that dogs are most likely to engage with, which is what we’ve used as the basis for this track. I’m excited for its potential to inspire owners and dogs to spend extra time together, as staying active is so important to any pooch’s long-term wellbeing.”
Dog owners can stream and download the track for free via SoundCloud and MORE TH>N is asking owners to test the usefulness of it by playing it to their pets prior to exercise.
Mark Bowden, head of pet insurance at MORE TH>N, commented: “Just like us, healthy dogs need mental and physical stimulation for the long-term health. Although many dogs don’t need much in the way of encouragement to get in the mood for exercise, we have heard many stories of dogs that don’t want to go for walks, or aren’t particularly active when they are outdoors
“We believe this track will help to motivate dogs that aren’t naturally inclined towards play, it provides a great starting point and encourages positive moments between owner and dog. Naturally, we’re very interested to hear from dog owners on how effective the Play Before You Play track may be for their pets.”
The track has been commissioned to support PitPat’s ‘Movement for More Play’ campsign, specifically ahead of ‘The Play Olympics’ launching on 3rd August. The aim is to inspire dog owners to get outside and try different forms of play with their pooch as well as encouraging their friends to join the movement.
For more information visit www.morethan.com
1. Reference: http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/
