STRESS-RELIEVING music therapy in spa-like conditions is being given to Madrid's police dogs to help their mental health and enable them to do a better job, according to the city council.
Despite unanimous admiration for the excellent work they carry out, including searching for drugs, missing persons and explosives, it rarely occurs to the general public that dogs employed in the security forces undergo considerable mental and physical stress which can take its toll on them, tiring them out and, ultimately, affecting their health and performance.
Madrid city hall has arranged to make the animals' living quarters as relaxing as possible to give them time off in every sense and help them recharge their batteries – air-conditioning, which doubles up as heating in winter, and piped classical music played regularly throughout the day have been included in a full revamp of the doggy residential zone.
The idea of playing music as relaxation therapy came from research carried out in 2012 which found a direct relationship between dogs' anxiety levels and classical melodies.
Published in The Journal of Veterinary Behaviour, the article, titled Behavioural effects of auditory stimulation on kennelled dogs, says: “Continual stress and the resultant anxiety are undesirable for both ethical and psychological reasons.
“One growing area of research pertaining to the welfare of kennelled dogs is environmental enrichment, including auditory stimulation.”
The abstract reads: “The current study investigated the impact of music (classical, heavy metal, and specifically-designed/altered classical) on activity level, vocalisation, and body-shaking of 117 kennelled dogs.
“Results suggest that classical music leads to kennelled dogs spending more time sleeping...and less time vocalising...than when exposed to other music types or no music.
“Heavy metal music, compared with other music types, appears to increase body-shaking...a behaviour suggestive of nervousness.
“It is suggested that playing classical music in a shelter environment may help mitigate some of the stress inherent for many kennelled dogs.”
Service dogs need enough relaxation that they conserve their energy for jobs that may arise at a second's notice and require them to be completely alert, says Madrid Municipal Police sergeant Rafael de la Gándara.
“For example, when a dog is looking for drugs, it digs up the ground, which clearly wouldn't be ideal if it was searching for explosive devices,” De la Gándara comments.
Police dogs have proven vital colleagues in search and rescue teams, and the Guardia Civil's 'secret weapon', 12-year-old Belgian Shepherd, Elton, found the body of missing sixth-former Diana Quer in Galicia in December, as well as being employed along with another 500 or so rescue dogs in searching for Almería schoolboy Gabriel Cruz, eight, who was murdered by his father's girlfriend.
Photograph of Elton by the Guardia Civil on Twitter
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