Like humans, dogs love music too. In fact, our furry companions are blessed with better hearing, so they can hear pitches humans can’t hear. However, despite their superior hearing range, our canine friends only vibe to certain kinds of music, which we review in this article.
Dogs like music that matches their heart’s rhythm. These kinds of songs are usually gentle or soft, with regular beats. Musical genres with these qualities include reggae and soft rock music.
Many dogs love these kinds of music and happily move or wag their tails to them. This makes sense considering reggae and soft rock music have rhythms that sync with a dog’s heart rate.
Read on to learn more about what specific genres dogs favor most. In addition, we’ll review the best music to calm restless or anxious doggies or music to help your furry friend doze off. Finally, we’ll review the reasons it can be helpful to leave tunes on for anxious dogs left home alone. But first, let’s explore how you can discover what music your pooch prefers.
How Do I Know What Music My Dog Likes?
To learn what music your dog likes, pay attention to their reactions to different music. Note the music that results in your canine noticeably growing relaxed, calm, or sleepy. Also, note which music elicits a growl or a bark. Play the music that causes relaxed effects in your furry friend.
It helps to expose your dog to the music of different genres at an early age, usually between 5 and 16 weeks old. Early music exposure makes detecting your canine friend’s favorite music easier. Then you can develop the perfect music playlist for your doggie, perfecting and adding to it as time passes.
What Is A Dog’s Favorite Music Genre?
According to research by the Scottish SPCA and the University of Glasgow, dogs’ top 3 favorite music genres are reggae, soft rock, and classical music. These genres lowered doggies’ heart rates, stress, and barking.
Of these 3 genres, reggae and soft rock stood out as the more exciting genres to dogs since they didn’t become bored after hearing them repeatedly.
Why Does My Dog Like Reggae Music?
Your dog likes reggae music because of its calming effect.
Reggae music has somber sounds that draw a dog’s attention and include gentle noises like birdsong, which may calm your pooch.
Is There Specific Music That Dogs Like?
Yes, there is a specific music type dogs like. Dogs like to vibe along and listen to music and sounds at a pitch they can hear. Dogs hear pitch ranges between 65 Hz and 45 kHz.
In addition, dogs enjoy listening to music that matches their heart rate. However, your furry friend’s taste in music may depend on their specific breed. This is because different dog breeds have different hearing ranges and heart rates.
For instance, a little lap dog probably prefers a slightly moderate-paced song, whereas a large Great Dane prefers a fast-paced one.
What Music Do Dogs Dislike?
Dogs dislike music that makes them uneasy or stressed. This includes loud music or strange sounds. Loud sounds are unnatural, so dogs interpret them as dangerous.
For example, dogs dislike high-frequency sounds, animal howls and growls, thunder, dog barks, and emergency sirens.
Is It Okay For My Dog To React To Sounds?
Yes, it’s okay for your dog to get uneasy hearing certain sounds. For instance, your dog may become alarmed by loud noises, such as sirens or fireworks.
However, if your furry companion is easily agitated by all unpleasant sounds, this could indicate anxiety in your doggie. If so, we recommend a desensitization program to prevent your canine friend from overreacting to loud noise. Such programs are most helpful at a young age.
How Do I Desensitize My Dog To Sound?
Desensitization training helps dogs acclimate to stressful sounds. This training involves exposing your doggie to mixed audio files.
The audio files have pleasant low-volume music mixed with unpleasant noises, such as fireworks, thunderstorms, and city noises. There is also an app called the Sound Proof Puppy app, which helps desensitize your dear Fido to stressful sounds.
What Kind Of Music Relaxes Dogs Most?
Soft music helps relax dogs. Reggae and soft rock songs have been shown to lower pups’ heart rates after exposure.
Another way to keep your furry companion calm is by shielding them from loud or turbulent noises.
What Music Calms Dogs’ Anxiety?
Music with long notes, straightforward tones, and beats similar to their heart rate can relax a tense or anxious doggie.
Such music lowers dogs’ heart rates and enables slow breathing, thereby calming tense dogs.
What Music Helps With Dog Anxiety?
Calming and happy music like reggae, soft rock, and classical music may reduce separation anxiety in your dog while you are away.
Usually, set this music at a slightly moderate volume, as loud noises increase anxiety in dogs.
Does Music Help Dogs Sleep?
Yes, some gentle and calming music can help dogs sleep. Many doggie owners use music to aid their furry friends in falling asleep.
Here is an example of a music playlist that dogs like to fall asleep to. These songs help calm down dogs and eventually help them sleep.
What Music Makes Dogs Happy?
Happy tunes and music with regular beats make dogs happy.
The streaming platform Deezer selected the following songs to make dogs happy:
- “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa
- “Firestarter” by The Prodigy
- “Bad Boys” by Inner Circle
- “Stayin’ Alive” by Bee Gees
- “Hey Ya!” by OutKast
What Songs Do Most Dogs Like?
Most dogs prefer music under the reggae and soft rock genres. The most common songs shown to make dogs happy are “One Love,” “Redemption Song,” “Concrete Jungle,” and “Bad Boys.”
Spotify also has dedicated music playlists for pets, especially dogs.
Do Dogs Prefer Music Or Silence?
Dogs’ preference for music or silence depends on the situation and the dog. However, dogs often enjoy the silence and a calm environment.
When dogs are alone in a calm environment, they often prefer silence over music. This is because silence helps pooches relax and better sense their environment.
On the other hand, when a dog is involved in physical activities, such as training or playing at doggie daycare, they often prefer happy music.
Do Dogs Like Music When They Are Alone?
When alone, dogs often do not like music unless they suffer from separation anxiety.
However, when you leave your dog for a few minutes, leaving music on is better. Also, if your dog suffers from separation anxiety, your doggie may prefer music to stay entertained while you are away.
Is It Good To Leave Music On For Dogs?
If your dog suffers from separation anxiety or you leave them for a short time, it’s good to leave music on for them. A short time is less than an hour.
Usually, if you need to leave your doggie alone for more than an hour, don’t leave them with music on. They may become bored with the same tunes throughout the day.
For proper music training, play music at home together with your pooch. This prevents dogs from associating music with your departure.
