5 Albums Your Dog Will Love
There have been countless studies about music’s effect on the human brain. It has been proven to help mood, increase memory, and release chemicals that make you feel better.
You may not know that similar studies have been undertaken with animals such as dogs.
Today, we will go through a few albums that might help relax your canine friend and help them wind down. The study we have directly linked to in the opening paragraph references that dogs seem to enjoy several genres. They have responded in varying ways depending on the type of music they have been presented with.
Unsurprisingly, fairly abrasive and high-pitched music causes a dog more anxiety. This includes genres such as heavy metal music and hip hop music. If you are a fan of these genres, you may be disappointed that your pet isn’t too keen. You may need to switch up your music collection so they can enjoy some genres that are gentler to their ears.
There were three genres that all scored highly in this study, folk, jazz, and pop. Folk music came out on top, with jazz and pop battling it out for close second and third positions. Based on the results detailed in this study, we will pick at least one classic album from each genre to see if it’s something that your dog might enjoy.
Bob Dylan⎯Bringing it All Back Home
Arguably the greatest folk artist of all time, Bob Dylan has had a long and successful career. He is considered a seminal artist in the folk genre. Although Bringing It All Back Home was released in 1965, nearly 60 years ago, it is still cited by many as the greatest album in its genre. Bob Dylan’s release in the same year, Highway 61 Revisited, is considered by many critics, fans, and musicologists to be one of the most important albums of all time.
However, as this was a diversion from the folk acoustic sound of Bringing It All Back Home, it is considered a more important album in the folk-rock genre. It might not be as kind on your dog’s ears as Dylan’s earlier folk releases.
John Coltrane⎯A Love Supreme
In the same year as Dylan’s two landmark albums, legendary jazz musician John Coltrane was recording A Love Supreme. In fact, they were recorded in neighboring states, with Dylan recording his album in New York City and Coltrane recording his in New Jersey.
A precociously gifted saxophonist, A Love Supreme is considered the magnum opus of Coltrane’s stellar work. Many jazz musicians and fans cite this album as the greatest of its genre.
Joni Mitchell⎯Blue
Another album that features high on the greatest albums list is Blue by Joni Mitchell. An awesomely gifted singer-songwriter, Joni Mitchell’s 1971 release was considered one of the year’s best albums. It has since received unanimous praise from critics. Many artists have noted it as a huge influence on their careers.
Whilst Dylan remains the King of the folk genre; many people would argue that Joni Mitchell is the Queen. Although Dylan’s legacy is cemented in popular culture, his voice can be an acquired taste. Your loveable pet may find the soothing vocals of Joni Mitchell smoother than the rustic vocals of the legendary Minnesota man.
Taylor Swift⎯Speak Now
The first three releases on our list have all been albums that are over 50 years old. Whilst they are all fantastic and legendary albums in their own right, if your dog is more relaxed by the sounds of pop music, then there’s no bigger artist in the world at the minute than Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift is widely considered to be the voice of her generation and holds a host of personal accolades for her incredible music career. She has a net worth of over half a billion dollars. She is the only musical act in history to have her first five albums sell over one million copies a piece in their first week.
Many fans consider Swift’s music a fusion of pop and folk. It may be a perfect choice, given that these were the two top genres in the study we cited at the start of the article.
Fleetwood Mac⎯Rumors
Lastly, we have one of the best-selling albums of all time. Considered a blend of soft rock and acoustic folk, this album has been certified as 20x platinum in the United States. It still enjoys immense popularity today and is considered one of the most important albums of the last 50 years.