Relaxing Music for Dogs (links and suggestions)

Even dogs are not immune to the stress and anxiety that we are all exposed to in today's world. Music is something a lot of us turn to in order to help us calm down and relaxing music for dogs is no exception. You could try the music on its own, or together with one of our dog calming treats or dog calming tablets.

Be it loud fireworks, bustling crowds, long hours of solitude, or a new environment, these circumstances can leave our favorite furry friend feeling anxious. As dog owners, we naturally want to create a calming atmosphere that helps our pets navigate daily life and general stressors with ease.

Music, believe it or not, can play a vital role. The notion of music as a form of therapy isn't new to us humans, but did you know it can also have a profound soothing effect on our dogs?

Classics tunes, as well as other instrumental pieces and soft music can help reduce anxiety, induce relaxation, and even promote better sleep for both humans and dogs alike.

A study done by the American Kennel Club showed that classical music in dogs:

slowed down their breathing and they were less likely to pace around or remain standing. Heavy metal music had the opposite effect while pop music made little difference.

Let's take a look at how relaxing music for dogs may just be one of the missing components in your dog's life. As there are a lot of options when you search for relaxing dog music on youtube, we will provide a curated list of calming music options as well. Tune in, and let's create a more harmonious environment for our beloved pets.

Does calming music for dogs work?

Several research studies have been conducted on the impact of music on dogs' behavior. As well as the American study mentioned above, a 2012 study from the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour also concluded that dogs exposed to classical music slept more and barked less.

Soft, rhythmic tunes can create a sense of calm and predictability, helping dogs feel more secure and relaxed.

A more recent study from The University of Glasgow in 2017 however, showed that there wasn't so much of a link between music genre and behaviour. It was more the background tempo and "auditory enrichment" that played the bigger importance in how a dog would react. Cessation of music, whether soft rock or classical music led to an increase in barking frequency.

I personally think the jury is still out on what the most relaxing music for dogs actually is. However, we can still make some recommendations based on the studies so far and what we know works in practice.

Top Recommendations for Relaxing Dog Music (with Links)

Fetched YouTube Video Channel

We have a selection of dog relaxing music made in house by our own team that you can now watch on Youtube. This is all original and consists of instruments such as piano, violin, mild bass and other shooting sounds.

Here is one of our videos, which is about 30 minutes on, together with various calming clips of dogs. You could leave this playing for example when you pop out to the shop or just whenever you have to leave your dog alone, if they suffer from separation anxiety.

Through A Dog's Ear

This comprises a series of albums composed by Lisa Spector and Joshua Leeds, focusing on simple, calming melodies. Expert veterinary neurologist Dr Susan Wagner was also involved in the composition and is one of the earlier releases specific for dog friendly music.

You can find it on Spotify.

Relax My Dog Youtube Channel

With over 1.5M subscribers, they must be doing something right. This youtube channel started over 10 years ago and has several soothing and calming videos for your dog to watch.

Some of these videos are over 20 hours long, so you can even let it play in the background if you are out for the day for example.

Relaxing music for dogs during fireworks

The majority of the videos from the Relax My Dog channel use soothing tones that are likely to decrease your dog's barking and improve their relaxation especially when left alone or during loud bangs such as fireworks.

Calm Your Canine

The calm your canine is a series of classical relaxing music for dogs that you can listen to on the move, as it's available on Spotify.

The total playtime runs to about 3h and 50 minutes and it's split into several different track from Beethoven to Tchaikovsky.

How to Introduce Music to Your Dog

Introducing music to your dog should be a gradual process. Start by playing the music at a low volume and observe your dog's reaction.

If your dog appears calm and content, you can slowly increase the volume to a comfortable level. Playing music that is too loud or has sudden volume variations or loud bangs can increase the distress.

This may be apparent when watching an action movie or when playing action or shooting games. Your dog is unlikely to appreciate these loud bangs, so replacing them with soothing music can help his wellbeing.

Can I use headphones on my dog?

I also wanted to add a disclaimer to this post; although the featured image of a dog wearing headphones looks appealing, we would not endorse or recommend this.

Dogs have very sensitive hearing so playing the relaxing music in the background and on loud speaker is enough to help them out. Placing headphones or earphones on a dog can do more harm than good, unless of course you actually use them for their noise cancellation properties only.

Other Sound-Based Relaxation Techniques for Dogs

Aside from music, there are other techniques you can try to soothe your dog. For example, white noise machines can help mask frightening sounds like fireworks or thunder.

Audiobooks, certain tv shows or calm human voices can also provide comfort, especially for dogs with separation anxiety.

If you have any further recommendations that you would like us to share with our dog loving community, please get in touch with us.

Ultimately, music is a universal language that even our canine companions can understand. By exploring different types of relaxing music for dogs, we can help provide a calming atmosphere that helps our dogs navigate through stressful situations.