Nigella Maltese

When mummy puts on her rock'n'roll music and dances around the house with me in her arms it's a riot of rhythm, but, at other times, when she plays Bach, we settle down for a cuddle on the couch. Music can have a huge effect on the human mind, and now research is showing that music can profoundly influence animal behaviour and is good for calming agitated canines.

In today's noisy world punctuated with sirens, motorcycles, leaf blowers, blaring televisions, vacuum cleaners and food processors, we can easily become overloaded with sensory input, so what sort of music is best to calm a canine?

When numerous breeds were exposed to everything from Metallica to the classical music of Beethoven, Bach and Vivaldi, researchers found that dogs in shelters exposed to classical music spent more time in a resting state and barked a lot less than other dogs. In contrast, heavy metal music agitated dogs (nothing surprising about this). Classical music - and Bach in particular, seemed to reduce separation anxiety and stress behaviour, including reactions to loud noises such as thunderstorms.

"Music is one way to control and mediate the environment," said sound researcher Joshua Leeds, who recently co-authored a book and CD called Through A Dog's Ear: Using Sound to Improve the Health & Behaviour of your Dog.

Dogs are uniquely attuned to audio cues and although we don't tap our foot in the same way a person might, our internal organs do speed up or slow down in accordance with external rhythms and vibrations.

Dogs are known to take comfort in music with slower rhythms, fewer instruments, and simpler melodies. Because dogs hear at a much higher frequencies than people do, music to calm the panicked pooch should be played at a low volume.

So, if you feel stressed by thunderstorms, new pet interactions, separation, or you are recovering after a spell in the animal hospital, check out the internet for music orchestrated for dogs. You'll even find canine lullabies and music for car trips.

I like it when we go out in the car and Mummy plays her favourite Mozart Flute Quartets. I just lie back on the passenger seat and enjoy the sun on my back and the mood created by the music. This little canine loves classical!