Do you crank up your favorite tunes when it’s time to clean the house? Does a soft melody help you unwind at the end of the day? Playing various songs offers a way to cope with certain life situations, and music has endured for centuries and across cultures. However, does music impact pet behavior as it does people?
Do Pets Respond to Music?
In a sense, how pets respond to music depends on them. Some dogs and cats don’t seem to pay any attention when you turn on a classical melody or blast rock-and-roll throughout your home. However, other pets appear to react because their behavior tends to change when certain music plays.
Overall, research suggests that music does influence pets. For example, a study in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior found that music affected dogs’ stress levels and behavior. Classical music seemed to calm restless pups, while heavy metal music increased body shaking.
What about cats? Well, studies suggest that felines don’t seem to respond as much to human music as their doggy counterparts. However, cats do appear to respond to specifically designed feline-friendly music. Although, overall, cats appear to be more indifferent to musical influences than dogs.
How Does Music Affect Pet Behavior?
Music affects animals in different ways, and your pet may or may not respond to the tunes you play. If you want to use music to help your pet in some way, for example, to ease stress, a lot depends on your pet. Like humans, each dog and cat has a unique personality.
Therefore, your dog may respond to a song instantly, or act exactly the same as when no music is playing. The only way to know if music will benefit your dog or cat is to play some melodies for them.
Softer, slower songs tend to have a more calming effect on pets, lowering stress levels. If you want to pump your pup up for a rousing play session with their favorite toy, choose a quicker tempo. However, always watch your pet to see how they respond.
If your pet’s having a great time, keep the music playing. But if the tune seems to have a negative effect on your pet’s behavior, switch to another genre, tempo, or rhythm.
Using Music to Calm Pets
Soft, simple rhythms and longer notes seem to have a calming effect on dogs. Cats prefer their feline melodies. Of course, you’ll always come across pets indifferent to music. However, many studies suggest that, overall, music influences animals.
Since there are numerous studies to suggest the benefits of music to pets, it’s worth exploring. If your pet gets anxious when they’re home alone, or you need help keeping your dog calm around guests, music could be a helpful tool.
Consider the Type of Music
When choosing music to play for your pet, selecting the right type is important. As previously mentioned, your cat may prefer feline-specific tunes. Your dog is more likely than cats to respond to human music, but there are still special canine choruses.
A good rule of thumb is to think about how music affects you. For example, if you want to relax, blaring loud, frenetic tempos probably isn’t the best way to go.
An article in the Washington Post discussed a study that found shelter dogs calmed down the most when listening to reggae and soft rock. Researchers who explored various genres within the study from Physiology and Behavior suggested that classical music initially helped calm shelter dogs. However, after a week, dogs appeared to get bored, growing used to the notes and tuning them out.
The main takeaway from this might be that changing things up when it comes to your pet’s musical preferences may be the most beneficial. Observe how your pet responds to different types of music.
If it appears that the music is starting to no longer have an effect, switch to a different positive genre. For example, you may start with soothing, slow-paced classical for a few days, then shift to reggae for a week.
Pay Attention to the Volume
Furthermore, when it comes to playing music for your pet, volume is a big factor. Remember, dogs and cats hear better than humans. (And cats have an even sharper sense of hearing than dogs!)
Therefore, be aware of how loud you play music for your pets. If it’s too loud for you, it’s definitely too loud for them.
Raise the volume too high, and you’re more likely to frighten or stress your pet than calm them. If your primary goal is to ease your pet’s anxiety, playing music softly in the background is your best starting point. Assess how your pet responds to the music and adjust accordingly.
Where to Find Music for Dogs and Cats
A quick YouTube search will return plentiful results for music for dogs and music for cats. Your vet may also offer some good recommendations. Check with fellow pet parents to see what types of music work for them. Your dog or cat may not react in the same way, but these recommendations at least give you a starting place.
Companies like iCalmPet focus on how various auditory stimuli affect the nervous system in both humans and pets. Spotify has a feature that enables you to curate a playlist geared toward your pet’s personality. Compile a working song list for your pet and tweak it as you go through the tunes.
What If Your Pet Doesn’t Respond to Music?
What if your dog or cat doesn’t seem to pay attention or change their behavior when music plays? It’s normal for some pets to ignore music or have little response to it. It’s similar to how some people simply don’t care for music one way or the other.
However, even if playing music doesn’t affect your pet’s behavior, it can still be beneficial. From a practical standpoint, playing music in the background helps mask other sounds that your dog or cat may find frightening. Or, the music dampens exterior noises, like talking neighbors or a slamming car door that would otherwise set your pup off on a barking spree.
Another possibility is that when you play music, it affects you, which in turn affects your pet. In other words, the music itself may not ease your pet’s anxiety. However, if music helps you cope with anxious feelings and calms you, your pet also relaxes since they sense your stress.
Sharing Music with Your Pets
Music offers an excellent way to connect with your pets. Many pet parents enjoy singing to their furry friends or dancing with them. If music is a big part of your life, then sharing it with your dog or cat is a no-brainer.
Additionally, consider the many studies that show music has an influential effect on pets. When you look at the results, it’s easy to see why many people choose to incorporate music into their pet-care routine. Start soft and slow, testing out a few tunes to see which ones have the most positive effect on your fur baby.
If your pet needs extra help dealing with stressful situations, try a licking mat to accompany their musical interludes. For more helpful tips on taking care of your pet, check out the rest of the Neater Pets blog.
