適合小狗聽的舒緩音樂

閔正威

研究顯示，音樂除了能舒緩人的情緒，還可讓煩躁不安的小狗瞬間平靜下來。

1. pant /p nt/ v. 喘息

2. reggae / rege / n. 雷鬼（西印度群島的一種節(jié)奏強勁的流行音樂）

3. cortisol / k ?t s l/ n. 皮質(zhì)醇

4. cower / ka ?（r）/ v. 畏縮

The next time your pup starts to pant and pace during a thunderstorm or you have to leave for a day and you know separation anxiety is about to ensue， consider turning on some music. But not just any music. According to a new study published in the journal of Physiology and Behavior， dogs prefer the sounds of reggae or soft rock more than any other genre.

For the study， conducted by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals （SPCA）， researchers from the University of Glasgow turned on six hour playlists of five different genres of music for shelter dogs. For the duration of the study， the dogs heard classical， soft rock， reggae， pop and Motown. While the dogs were listening， researchers took notes of their heart rate， cortisol levels and behaviors that measure stress levels， like barking or lying down.

It turns out that dogs were less stressed while listening to soft rock or reggae. When listening to Motown， their stress levels were higher， study co author Neil Evans told The Washington Post. “Overall， the response to different genres was mixed highlighting the possibility that like humans， our dogs have their own individual music preferences，” Evans said. “Reggae music and soft rock showed the highest positive changes in behavior.”

Based on the results of the study， Evans and his team believe that shelters and dog owners alike would benefit from playing reggae or soft rock music for their canines during high stress situations. For animals entering a shelter for the first time， the new surroundings can be scary， leading to barking， shaking or cowering， and dogs living in home can be fearful of loud noises or when their owners leave.

This latest research dates back to previous findings that discovered shelter dogs that listen to classical music were more relaxed， barking less and lying down more. Unfortunately， the study also found that by the seventh day of listening to classical music， the dogs returned to restlessness， leading researchers including Evans to believe that the animals were getting used to the music， or possibly getting bored. Those previous results are what led the researchers to try varied genres for the new study. Two Scottish SPCA shelters are taking notes of the study and will begin playing music in their shelters， allowing their dogs to enjoy the relaxing benefits.

1. Which kind of music do dogs prefer？

A. Classical music.

B. Pop music.

C. Motown music.

D. Reggae or soft rock music.

2. Who will benefit from the study？

A. Students.

B. Parents.

C. Dog owners.

D. Doctors.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph？

A. Shelter dogs were more relaxed when they heard country music.

B. Shelter dogs were more restless when they heard classical music.

C. Music will be played by some dog owners to relax their dogs.

D. Music will be played by two Scottish SPCA shelters to relax their dogs.