Can Classical Music Help Soothe Dogs?
Laika doesn’t complain about what I listen to, so when when I listen to cello for hours on end she doesn’t say a word. And according to a new study all that cello might even be having a soothing effect on her.
In this post we’ll take a look at the effects music has on dogs, and why some researchers believe classical music benefits our dogs.
Do You Play Music For Your Dog?
Do you play music for your dog while you’re at work? I think we’ve all done it, especially when dealing with a new puppy or dog in the home. Having something on in the background, whether it’s a TV or radio, seems to help alleviate a dogs anxiousness when left alone.
And there’s a scientific reason for it — there’s research suggesting that auditory stimulation does seem to have a calming effect on dogs.
Can Classical Music Help Soothe Dogs?
A new study has found that classical music does seem to calm our canine friends. The research was conducted by the University of Glasgow in partnership with the Scottish SPCA. Over a two week period dogs were observed in a kennel, which are known for being stressful environments for many dogs.
The dogs were split into two groups and for the first week one group had classical music playing into their kennels while the others were observed in silence. The music that was played was low tempo, orchestral classical pieces. For the second week the groups were switched.
During the study the dogs had their heart rates monitored, saliva samples taken to check cortisol levels (a stress hormone), and observations on their behavior were recorded.
I don’t know this dog – but he certainly looks like he’d enjoy some Brahms
The Study Found Classical Music Decreases Stress in Dogs
The researchers found that for the dogs who had classical music played into their kennels there was an immediate decrease in stress. Although there was a significant decrease for the dogs listening to music, the effects soon wore off. By the end of the week their heart rates and stress levels had returned to normal.
The dogs became habituated to the music after as little as one day. It seems dogs, like humans, prefer to listen to a variety of music and not the same thing over and over again. – University of Glasgow PhD Amy Bowman
Another interesting finding was that male dogs responded better to the music than female dogs. Males were found to spend much less time barking while the music was being played.
Previous Research Found Music Can Benefit Dogs
There’s been previous studies suggesting that there are numerous potential psychological and physiological beneficial effects of music on dogs. Since their initial results were so promising the researchers are planning to continue the study. They’ll be using different genres to determine what sort of music dogs prefer listening to.
The Scottish SPCA, which helped conduct the research on classical music says it’s planning to install speaker systems into all of their rehoming centers. The next time you visit your local shelter you might just find yourself being greeted with some soothing classical music.
“Although by the end of the week their heart rates and behaviour associated with kennel stress had returned to normal, the initial findings are very encouraging and show that classical music does have a positive impact on the dogs’ welfare. -Scottish SPCA research manager Gilly Mendes Ferreira
Is Your Dog Soothed By Music? What do They Prefer?
What do you think — can classical music help soothe dogs? Do you play music to soothe your dog? What sort of music does your dog seem to prefer? Do you have a fan of the cello like Laika? Or does your dog prefer heavy metal, country, or old school R & B?
Want to see if your dog is soothed by classical music? Try out some Brahms & let me know. My dog is quite fond of his music – especially this piece:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev45Knhdlp8
We tune in to Stingray, the Blues when we leave. It seems to distract the pups from their need to monitor every person and critter that walks by the house. I also have this station on when I clean or work on the computer so it is familiar to them and does not signify being left alone.
I’ve got to check that out – I’m really behind when it comes to listening to music these days.
my local shelter has been using music for years to help reduce stress for the animals. It has been easier to do for the cats since they aren’t as loud as the dogs 🙂
That’s so great that they’re already doing that for the animals. And yeah the sound levels in the dog areas are quite.. booming to say the least.
This is no surprise to me! I have a CD called Inner Peace, it’s very zen-like. Whenever I play it, my dogs totally relax and doze off even if they’ve been really rambunctious! Works every time!
That’s interesting. I wonder if switching the type of music would help the soothing effect last longer. For instance, play classical music one day, instrumental the next, etc. I’ll be interested to see what happens in further studies.
I’m interested in seeing what they find as well.. I’ve been trying a few kinds of music on Laika so fat but I haven’t noticed much of a difference yet.
I love studies like this! Our pets are very much like us in a lot of ways. My cats love music -especially when I sing. I assume they enjoy the vibrations in my chest and throat because they want to be held while I sing. Of course, when I am just listening to music, they enjoy sitting by the speakers.
Aww that’s so sweet, they’re probably really proud of your awesome vocal and purring abilities 🙂
Very interesting! My favorite classical piniest is Beethoven! 🙂
Your Fluffy Pal, Spencer the Goldendoodle
spencerthegoldendoodle.blogspot.com
I use music to calm myself down, too!
My dogs respond amazingly to Through a Dog’s Ear.
Interesting. Makes sense. Sounds like music may help with separation anxiety.
I love the idea of using music to soothe pets. I personally find classical music to be very calming and relaxing, and it makes sense that my dogs do, too. Great post, thanks for sharing!
Interesting. I’ve never played music for Simba before. He’s pretty chill on his own already though.
I have to say I tried both classical music (Through the Dog’s Ear), sounds of nature and other things; none of which seemed to have done much as far as I can tell. But they surely don’t hurt so why not try it, right?
I haven’t noticed much of a difference with my dog either. I’m still trying a few different stations so we’ll see.. I just imagine my dog will turn out to be a huge Kenny Rogers fan lol.
LOL
Surprised to read that the study shows the anxiety level returns in the dogs after a week of listening to calming classical music. I play inspirational easy-listening music for myself all day and the dog enjoys it too. However, I did find that Christmas music got him riled up over the holidays, so quickly switched back to the calm music.
Lol I think Christmas music can rile up the best of us.
I used to leave the ‘Through a Dog’s Ear’ CDs playing for Ruby while I was at work, and I do think they had a calming effect, as well as blocking some noise from outside. Now she’s lucky enough to have both her sister Boca and my dad home all day with her!
I’m going to be checking out that CD for sure – any little bit of extra calmness helps.
That is such a neat study! I’ve tried using the “Through The Dog’s Ear” music for Zoe when she’s scared of noises and didn’t really see much improvement but I’m glad that music is helpful for other dogs!
I should play some music for my hyper dog. Never thought of trying it!
I always leave music on for my pal…
I don’t listen to much music anymore. But if it is calming for dogs I might have to turn on the radio more often. I do leave the tv on for the dog so that he doesn’t feel alone when I’m at work. Maybe I’ll change that to the radio.
Dogs are sensitive creatures. I think calming music is a great idea.
–Wags (and purrs) from Life with Dogs and Cats
Absolutely. Another gem for pets is Steven Halpern’s Chakra Suite. I play it all day while grooming.
Haley seems to enjoy music with a good beat, but she really likes it when I sing to her. Please tell me I’m not the only one that sings “Brown Eyed Girl” to my dog, haha!
Thank you for sharing . Another tool to help our dogs be the best they can be
I used to work at a boarding kennel, and while we didn’t play classical music for the dogs, we did have classical music playing in the cat area. I don’t know if it soothed them or not, but I would assume it might’ve helped. That type of music does relax me, and I’ve left classical music playing for my foster dogs before. I figure it most likely can’t hurt unless it’s really fast, high-pitched music.
I find that when the alarm goes off in the morning and it’s the classical music station, Blueberry isn’t as startled.
When I fostered puppy Linus, whenever I’d leave him in the crate while I went out for a couple of hours, I played a Stargate DVD for him. It was the one thing that actually got him to stop barking and he’d settle in for a long nap.
I leave music on (radio mix rock easy listening) occasionally when I think there may be stressful things happening and I am not home like storms or fireworks. I find that it helps.
This is an awesome study! I personally use classical music for when I am studying for school. I am not sure what music Rooney likes, but I guess it is time I find out!
The study is very poor. The study size was small, it needs to be double blind (could the people involved in the study be expecting dogs played classical music to behave better and so be treated differently, altering the results? – for example) and why just classical music? Why not jazz, pop, heavy metal, hip hop and so on? This is a worthless ‘study’ with meaningless results.
This was the only the first phase of the study, I don’t know if they are planning on making their next phase double blind or not. They started with classical music but as stated are trying other genres next.
What kind of soft music on radio of dogs and he is a boy dog and can 89.1 work ok for my dog when I’m gone and I did that music and fan on when we had fireworks and when it is thundering and lightening outside
Our pup fells asleep faster than the usual when I put Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons on and also Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy and Paganini’s La Campanella. I notice that she is dreaming more when we put classical music on (her feet digging while sleeping, etc.)
For some reason I always seem to put on the radio when I leave the house. It may help him not feel so lonely.
wow it really does help my dog when he sleeps he keeps waking up but i tried the classical music and it is amazing the differences!