Using Music To Soothe Your Anxious Dog

With over 20% of dogs thought to suffer from separation anxiety, millions of households throughout the United States are living with a fearful or anxious pet.

Anxiety can lead to destructive and nervous behaviors such as howling, chewing, scratching, digging, even urinating and defecating.

Our goal at ZenCrate has always been to end pet anxiety, which is why we created the first ever smart, anti-anxiety dog crate. And we found that one of the simplest, most soothing tools you can use to ease your dog’s anxiety when left alone, is music.

When played in your pet’s surroundings, or directly into his ZenCrate, the right music has the ability to alter your dog’s mood, relaxing him enough to rest, sleep and hopefully avoid any destruction to your furniture and home.

So, what is the ‘right’ music?

Dogs hear music very differently to the way humans do. So while you might be tempted to leave them listening to your favorite upbeat pop playlist, this might not be the best for your fearful friend. A dog hears at a much higher frequency to us meaning that any anxiety reducing playlist would be to contain songs with simple melodies, peaceful tones and fewer instruments.

There are some excellent playlists online that have been designed specifically to calm your canine, stop unwanted barking or howling and reduce hyperactivity. Search for dog anti-anxiety playlists on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. Or purchase a CD such as Canine Lullabies.

Classical music has also been proven to comfort and reduce anxiety in dogs. A recent study in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior showed that dogs who listened to classical music, barked and howled less when left alone, and spent more time resting.