What music helps dogs relax

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Listening to certain songs can help soothe and calm you during stressful times. While research has documented the therapeutic effects of sound and music on the human brain, could listening to music calm dogs, too?

And if so, what type of music do dogs like? Is there a particular type of music, for example, that can help your dog be less stressed around loud noises like construction, thunderstorms, and fireworks, or just when they are home alone?  

Can You Use Music to Soothe Dogs?

There has not been a ton of research in this area, but there is enough to suggest that music can be used to increase relaxed behaviors in dogs.

According to Dr. Susan Wagner, a veterinary neurologist and co-author of Through a Dog’s Ear: Using Sound to Improve the Health and Behavior of Your Canine Companion, the everyday noises in the average American household can have a big effect on our pets’ health and well-being.

She also says that we can counteract this noise pollution and enrich their environment through certain types of music that have had a relaxing effect on dogs in previous studies.

What Types of Music Are Calming for Dogs?

A 2002 study conducted by animal behaviorist Dr. Deborah Wells confirmed the relaxing effect on dogs of classical music. In this study, the dogs spent more time resting and being quiet, and less time standing when exposed to classical music compared to heavy metal music, pop music, or conversation. 

In 2005, Dr. Susan Wagner, a board-certified veterinary neurologist, found that solo piano music created according to psychoacoustic principles—with slower tempos and simple arrangements and sounds—was more effective in reducing anxiety than popular classic music. While both calmed the dogs in the study enough to make them lie down, the solo piano was even more effective.

A later study done in 2012 by Dr. Lori Kogan from Colorado State College of Veterinary Medicine also investigated the effects of classical music, heavy metal, and specifically designed music on 117 dogs in a kennel environment. She found that while listening to classical music, the dogs spent more time sleeping and less time vocalizing than when listening to other music or no music.

More recently, a study done in 2017 showed that soft rock and reggae, especially, led to more relaxed behaviors and increased heart rate variability, which indicates less stress.

Is There Music Made to Soothe Dogs?

Here are some options for relaxing music for dogs:

• Follow Preventive Vet on Spotify for different pet-friendly playlists.

• Try the Pet Acoustics Pet Tunes calming music dog speaker, which features 90 minutes of calming sounds for dogs.

• Canine Lullabies and Through a Dog’s Ear are both popular recordings. 

• Do a search on YouTube for the top relaxing dog music videos.

• There are also apps devoted to calming music for dogs.  

Some music is produced specifically for dogs and has frequencies that dogs, and not humans, can hear. While each dog may have their own music preferences, the tempo, length of the musical notes, simplicity of tones, and regular rhythms are the most important calming qualities. 

When to Play Calming Music for Dogs

Your dog may appreciate soothing music in the following situations:

• If they are a new puppy or dog adjusting and settling in after being brought to your home.

• Dogs with separation anxiety, when they are left alone. While the sound of music may be comforting, be sure you also play the same music when you are home with them so they don’t associate the music with being home alone. 

• When your dog spends time in their crate or safe space. 

• Traveling in a car can cause anxiety, so playing some familiar music that you have previously played at home might help them relax 

Should you play soothing music for your dog during fireworks and thunderstorms?  

These noises can be stressful for many dogs, so playing a favorite tune can help distract them from the noises outside and keep them calm. Music can help mask the sound of fireworks or thunderstorms.  

For puppies and dogs who haven’t yet shown anxiety or fear of loud noises, it is worthwhile to introduce noises in a positive way to prevent noise phobia or anxiety from developing. While most effective during your puppy’s imprint period (between 5 to 16 weeks of age), it can still be done at any age.   

Dog trainer Victoria Stilwell partnered with Through a Dog’s Ear to create audio tracks that combine calming music with low-volume sound effects like fireworks, thunderstorms, and city sounds. These are great tools to introduce a puppy to new sounds in a positive way or to use in a desensitization training plan. 

The Sound Proof Puppy app is another option to proactively expose your puppy to new sounds during their socialization period. It’s available on the Apple App Store and on Google Play.  
 
Tips for playing music to calm your dog: 

• Keep the volume moderate to low. Their sense of hearing is about four times as sensitive as ours! 

• Start playing music when your puppy is young and learning. This makes music one of the normal sounds that they would hear in the home. 

• Try various genres to get an idea of what type of music calms them the most and how they react to each one. 

• Don’t just play music when your dog is home alone. Play it also when you are home so they don’t associate music with you leaving the house. This can increase stress rather than soothing them. 

References

Bowman A, Dowell FJ, Evans NP. The effect of different genres of music on the stress levels of kennelled dogs. Physiology & Behavior. 2017;171:207-215.

Kogan LR, Schoenfeld-Tacher R, Simon AA. Behavioral effects of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 2012;7(5):268-275.

Leeds J, Spector L, Wagner S. Bioacoustic Research & Development (BARD) Canine Research Summary. 2005-2007.

Featured Image: iStock.com/MajaMitrovic

Does your dog get scared during thunderstorms or fireworks? Do they suffer from separation anxiety? Does hearing noises outside make them nervous? Turning on some music or some form of white noise for your dog can help relieve their stress.

Recent studies have shown that playing music reduces stress in dogs at animal shelters, with less barking, lower respiratory rates, and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as the effect music has on human emotions has been a subject of study for quite some time. Music therapy is used as a natural anti-anxiety remedy and to help with sleep disorders, and it’s easy to use the same technique for your puppy or adult dog.

What Kind of Music is Calming for Dogs?

You can use music to help your dog feel calmer and encourage relaxation — but wait! Certain music genres have been proven to be more soothing for your dog than others. Reggae and soft rock are the most relaxing music for dogs in shelters, and classical music also helps calm down dogs in stressful environments. So if you’re getting tired of another Mozart symphony, turn on some Bob Marley.

Variety within the genres mentioned above seems to be the most effective for anxiety and stress relief. After about 7 days of the same kind of music, dogs get used to the background noise and begin to show more stress. Mix up which stations you leave on for your dog, letting your dog enjoy some Bob Marley, Fleetwood Mac, and Mozart.

Follow Preventive Vet on Spotify for different pet-centric playlists. Here’s a Soft Rock for Dogs playlist of our favorite mix of songs to help de-stress your pet:

There is even music composed specifically for dogs, whether it’s for generally anxious dogs, those with separation anxiety, fear of thunder, or for helping a new puppy sleep through the night. Watch how music artist Gnash wrote and recorded a song for his anxious dog Daisy:

 

Canine Lullabies and Through a Dog’s Ear are two of the most popular recordings for puppies, anxious dogs, or dogs scared of loud noises, and YouTube also offers many different options for calming dog music. Dogs might have different preferences but the length of the musical notes, simplicity of tones, regular rhythms, and the music’s tempo are the most important calming qualities.

More products are popping up that include calming music to reduce anxiety. The Calmz Anxiety Relief System is one such product, which claims to deliver acoustic and vibration therapy to reduce anxiety in dogs. If you want to try products like this one, make sure you’re introducing the wearable speaker properly and watching your dog for any signs of stress caused by the vibration of the product. Reviews of the Calmz indicate mixed success. In some reviews, dog owners reported that their dog became more anxious due to the vibration mechanism, the music was too loud for their dog, or that the harness didn’t fit well.

When trying a new treatment for anxiety, always consider whether there is any possibility it could inadvertently make your dog more anxious.

It’s best to work with your veterinary behaviorist, certified dog trainer, or behavior consultant to determine what products will work best for you and your dog.

Calming Music for Senior Dogs

Unfortunately, hearing loss is a normal part of the aging process. With age, a dog can become more sensitive to certain frequencies of sound (middle and high-pitched frequencies) as the nerves in their ears degenerate. High-pitched sounds may startle your senior dog and continuous exposure can cause stress and anxiety, which in turn affects their immune system — the last thing we want for a senior dog!

To help calm your senior dog and provide a respite from sounds that may hurt their ears, put on music that is lower pitched and doesn’t have high-frequency sounds (such as high notes on a piano or flute). ICalmPet has created a soundtrack specifically for senior dogs and their hearing sensitivity, called Elderly Canine.

You may also consider using a sound machine instead of music to create white noise for an older dog. This can give their nervous system a break after being in highly stimulating environments.

Combine Music with Calming Visual Enrichment

Television and videos for dogs are becoming more popular. Not only can these provide extra enrichment when you’re working from home, but they are ideal for when your dog is home alone. I leave on DogTV for my dogs whenever I leave for a few hours, and I like how I can choose between on-demand calming videos or turn on their live channel. Colors and sounds are chosen specifically for dogs, so you may notice that blues and yellows are more prevalent on-screen.

When to Play Calming Music for Your Dog

Your dog can benefit from music in a variety of situations, including:

• During the adjustment period after you first bring home a new puppy or dog.
• Whenever you leave your dog home alone.

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• When your dog spends time in their crate, puppy zone, or in their safe space.
• During thunderstorms or fireworks.
• Helping a restless puppy or dog fall asleep.
• At the veterinary clinic during exams.
• While riding in the car to help ease travel anxiety.

Pro Tip: If you are planning on leaving music on for a dog that suffers from separation anxiety, you want to make sure you also play it at other times when you are home. You don’t want your dog to learn that when you turn on the music it means you’re leaving, adding another stressful trigger to their anxiety.

Using Music to Help Prevent Barking

If your dog barks at any noise they hear outside, you can play music (or turn on a fan or white noise machine) to help mask the sounds. It’s normal for dogs to alert bark when they hear something outside, and noise masking can be a great management tool. I tend to turn on music or DogTV when I’m working from home, which helps me concentrate as well as keep my dogs from barking.

Masking ambient sounds can lessen the amount of barking your dog does while alone or at nighttime — something you (and your neighbors) will appreciate. I personally use the Snooz sound machine to mask nighttime outdoor noises that cause my younger dog to bark.

SNOOZ White Noise Sound Machine

Using Music to Help Your Dog Get Used to Scary Sounds

For dogs that already get anxious or are fearful of certain noises like thunder or fireworks, you’ll want to work with a certified dog trainer to start a desensitization and counterconditioning plan. You can read the basics of this training technique in our Getting Your Dog Ready for Fireworks article.

For puppies and dogs who haven’t yet shown anxiety or fear of loud noises, it’s worth it to introduce noises in a positive way to prevent noise phobia or anxiety from developing.

• Proactive and positive socialization is the best way to prevent fear and anxiety later in life. While most effective during your puppy’s imprint period (between 7 to 16 weeks of age), it can still be done at any age.
  • Check out our Proactive Exposure Training Resource Page

    for videos showing you how to properly socialize your puppy.

  • Download our FREE Pupstanding App to keep track of your dog’s progress and access a variety of sound recordings to use during socialization practice.
    

• Dog trainer Victoria Stilwell partnered with Through a Dog’s Ear to create audio tracks that combine calming music with low-volume sound effects like fireworks, thunderstorms, and city sounds. These are great tools to introduce a puppy to new sounds in a positive way or use in a desensitization training plan.
• The Sound Proof Puppy App is another great way to proactively expose your puppy to new sounds during their socialization period. It’s available on the Apple App Store and on Google Play

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Let us know what music you play to de-stress your pet (or yourself) in the comments below!