A songwriter whose compositions for artists including Rod Stewart and Westlife have sold millions has released an album targeting a very different audience.

John McLaughlin's CD Paws, Play, Relax features ten tracks specifically designed to help pet dogs chill out and keep calm.

McLaughlin came up with idea for the album after groundbreaking research from researchers at the University of Glasgow revealed music can de-stress anxious dogs, improving their health and happiness.

The study revealed that dogs become bored if they listen to the same music continually and like variety within their playlist.

While all of the genres of music tested - classical, pop, Motown, soft rock and reggae - help keep dogs calm, the animals seemed to particularly benefit from reggae and soft rock.

McLaughlin, from Glasgow, has now teamed up with the Scottish SPCA to release the album.

He said: "As soon as Ian Adie, MD of TheBiGroup approached me on behalf of the Scottish SPCA about the idea of a music album for dogs I wanted to be involved.

"I'm a huge animal lover so was happy to assist in any way I could to help dogs and the charity.

"It wasn't easy making music that will be enjoyed by dog owners just as much as it will by their beloved pets, but it was very worthwhile and I can't wait to see the reaction from dogs all over the world."

McLaughlin has collaborated with a team of talented artists to create the songs on the album, including 2010 X-Factor contestant Gamu Nhengu.

The Scottish SPCA's head of research and policy Gilly Mendes Ferreira said the songs had already helped calm down dogs brought into the charity's care.

She said: "The team at our centres across Scotland enjoy listening to the album and our dogs have had a very positive reaction to the music. They've been barking less, spending more time lying down and generally displaying more chilled behaviour."

Professor Neil Evans, of the University of Glasgow's Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, added: "Knowing that humans enjoy music, we wanted to see if animals do too and explore the health benefits that music might bring. We looked at the effect of different genres and found that dogs reacted best to reggae and soft rock.

"We're continuing our research with the Scottish SPCA as we're very interested in finding even more ways we can improve the lives of our beloved pets.

"The Paws, Play, Relax album is a fantastic way of benefiting dogs in their home environment using all the key positive research findings we discovered."

The album can be purchased on the Scottish SPCA website or their local care centres.