Study site and subjects
The study took place at a dog shelter (Hundstallet) in Alingsås, Southwest of Sweden.
During this study a total of 28 dogs were observed and the dogs had stayed at the shelter for an average of 71.5 days (span od 5 to 282 days). The dogs were divided in two groups, one enriched with nature sound and one with pink noise.
Procedure
The procedure was divided into three different time periods, Before (day 1) During (day 2-4) and After sound enrichment (day 5). The sound enrichment was played from 09.00 to 17.00.
Since the aim of the study was to investigate if sound enrichment has an effect on dogs living in shelter the changes to the normal routine was kept at a minimum level.
Each day, every dog was video recorded for 30 minutes. This was compiled of 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon. Then the videos were analyzes using a predefined ethogram. Behaviors observed were for exampel barking, move and laying down alert or relaxed.
The sound enrichment used
For the nature sound enrichment, an MP3 called “No.21 Lakeshore & Birdsong” was used. If you would like to listen to it, click the link below.
The pink noise used in this study was obtained from via a the web app Noise Generator. If you would like to listen to it, click the link below.