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You pick up your keys, glance at your dog on the sofa and switch the radio on as you head out. A bit of company, you tell yourself, something to fill the quiet. Plenty of us do it, and the RSPCA does suggest leaving the radio on to muffle the outside sounds that can set a dog barking1.
But does music itself calm a dog? Researchers have been playing it to kennelled dogs since at least 20022, and the answer so far is a qualified yes: often a little, sometimes for less time than you would hope, and not for every dog. Here is what the studies found, and how to use music sensibly at home.
Why researchers play music to kennelled dogs
A rescue kennel is a hard place to relax. Dogs face novelty, little control over their day and extremely high noise levels, and one Scottish team notes that a stress response switched on at arrival can last for days or even weeks5. Music is cheap and easy to play through a speaker, which makes it an appealing form of enrichment3.
One early study gave 50 dogs in a UK rescue shelter four hours at a time of human conversation from a radio programme, classical music, heavy metal, pop or no added sound2, 3. With classical music on, the dogs rested more, stood less and spent more of their time quiet than with any of the other sounds2. Heavy metal had them barking more2.
Later studies also measured heart-rate variability, the small changes in the gap between one heartbeat and the next5. Higher variability is read as a sign of lower stress5.
Classical music, and the week it stopped working
A team working with the Scottish SPCA played 50 dogs at a rescue centre a classical playlist from 10am to 4.30pm for seven days, and compared it with seven days of silence3, 4. On the first day of music, the dogs spent more time sitting or lying down and quiet, less time standing and barking, and their heart-rate variability rose, all signs of lower stress4. Saliva tests for the stress hormone cortisol showed no consistent pattern4.
Then it faded. By the seventh day of music, the dogs' heart readings and behaviour looked much as they had in silence, which the authors took to mean the calming effects were lost within the week4. A smaller follow-up suggested dogs can get used to the music as soon as the second day4. The playlist was the same every day, which left the team wondering whether variety would help5.
Soft rock, reggae and the case for variety
So the same team tried variety. Over five days, 38 dogs at a Scottish SPCA centre heard a different genre each day: soft rock, Motown, pop, reggae and classical, each from a six-hour playlist in shuffled order5. With music on, the dogs spent more time lying down and less time standing5.
Heart-rate variability rose most with soft rock and reggae, with smaller changes for Motown, pop and classical5. And the calmer readings held across all five days, which the authors took as a sign that variety may slow the fade5.
Before you queue up the reggae, the picture was mixed. Cortisol in the urine of the 18 dogs who gave samples was higher on the soft rock day than in the silence before the music began5, which sits awkwardly beside the heart readings. Responses also varied widely, which the researchers thought might mean each dog has its own preferences5. And the dogs were more likely to bark once the music stopped5.
Slow piano in an Australian shelter
In 2020 a University of Queensland team tested sensory enrichment on 60 dogs at RSPCA Queensland, chosen by the shelter's behaviour team because they were especially wound up in their kennels: barking constantly, very active or overreacting to other dogs7. The 14 in the music group heard calm piano music at 70 decibels for three hours a day over five days, while the others had lavender, a dog-appeasing pheromone or nothing extra7.
What the piano dogs did
The dogs given nothing extra also panted much more7. Some of the difference lasted into the four hours after the music stopped, though most of it had gone by night7. With 51 tracks in the playlist and no repeats in a day, the researchers saw no sign of the dogs getting used to the music over the five days7.
Audiobooks and music made for dogs
Music is not the only sound on trial. In one UK rescue shelter, 31 dogs were calmer with an audiobook than with classical music, pop or music designed for dogs3. Yet an audiobook brought no apparent benefit to pet dogs parted from their owners6.
As for music sold as made for dogs, a 2020 review found five studies of one such product, and it did not appear to add much to ordinary classical music3. In one of them, during a veterinary training session, it seemed to excite dogs more than calm them3.
| Sound | What happened |
|---|---|
| Classical | More resting and quiet in shelters2, 3, though one fixed playlist stopped working within a week4 |
| Slow piano | More lying with heads down, and much less vocalising and panting7 |
| Soft rock and reggae | The biggest heart-rate variability changes in one trial, though cortisol was higher on the soft rock day5 |
| Pop | Less calming than classical in two UK shelters2, 3 |
| Radio conversation | Less calming than classical in one UK shelter2 |
| Heavy metal | More barking in a UK shelter2 and more body shaking in a US shelter and boarding kennel3 |
| Audiobook | Calmer than music in one shelter3, but no benefit for dogs parted from their owners6 |
| Music made for dogs | Little extra benefit over ordinary classical in five studies3 |
And at home?
Here the evidence thins out. The 2020 review found studies in shelters, boarding kennels, veterinary hospitals and a police-dog unit, but none in an ordinary home3.
The nearest thing is two papers on pet dogs from a team at Queen's University Belfast6, 8. In the first, 60 dogs spent an hour without their owners in a university research room, with no added sound, a Mozart sonata or a Harry Potter audiobook6. The Mozart dogs lay down sooner than the audiobook group and settled sooner than either of the others6. When 22 dogs heard all three in turn, half an hour each, the only difference was how long they looked at the speaker6.
The authors called it only a moderately calming effect, and concluded that sound seems to have little value for dogs under short-term, acute stress6. In the second paper, 45 pet dogs took a standard test of mood while hearing silence, classical music or an audiobook, and the sound made no difference to how readily they approached a bowl in an uncertain spot8. One short test has its limits, which its authors discuss8, but it is a reason to keep expectations modest.
How to try music at home
None of this means switching the radio off for good. Treat music as a small experiment with your own dog, and watch what happens.
Trying music with your dog
- Start while you are homePlay it on a quiet afternoon and watch: does your dog stretch out and settle, or sit up and stare at the speaker?
- Choose slow, calm musicLike the piano tracks in the Australian study, all 70 beats a minute or slower7
- Keep the volume gentleDogs hear high-pitched sounds better than we do7, and one team suggests the loud, sudden nature of heavy metal may not suit them5
- Mix up the playlistThe same tracks every day lost their effect within a week in one study4, and variety may slow that3, 5
- Leave a quiet cornerLet your dog move away from the speaker. A review advises giving animals a choice of music or quiet3
- Check while you are outThe RSPCA suggests a camera, to spot signs of distress you would otherwise miss1
A radio sits well beside the RSPCA's other ideas for alone time: a walk before you go, a small meal or a long-lasting chew, closed curtains and a quiet room1. The charity also recommends not leaving a dog alone for more than four hours, and much less for a puppy1.
When music isn't enough
Music can soften the background, but it cannot teach a dog that being alone is safe. According to the RSPCA, research suggests 8 out of 10 dogs find it hard to cope when left alone, and half won't show any obvious signs1. These are among the signs it lists.
Signs a dog may be struggling when left alone
If you see any of these, start with your vet, because health problems can cause or worsen separation-related behaviour1. If it carries on, the RSPCA advises asking a vet who knows your dog to refer you to a clinical animal behaviourist, who can find the cause and build a plan1. Never punish a dog for what happened while you were out: it only makes them more anxious the next time you leave1.
Fireworks and other loud noises are a separate worry. A radio may muffle some outside sound1, but do not lean on music alone: after testing sound on pet dogs during a short separation, researchers concluded it has little value under short-term stress6. If noise frightens your dog, talk to your vet well before the next noisy night.
If your dog stretches out and settles when the piano starts, that is useful to notice. Keep it gentle, keep it varied, and leave them a quiet spot to choose instead.
Sources and further reading8 sources
The small numbers in the article link to the source behind each fact. Sources open on their own websites.
- Recognising separation-related behaviour and anxiety in dogs
- The Influence of Auditory Stimulation on the Behaviour of Dogs Housed in a Rescue Shelter
- Musical Dogs: A Review of the Influence of Auditory Enrichment on Canine Health and Behavior
- 'Four Seasons' in an animal rescue centre; classical music reduces environmental stress in kennelled dogs
- 'The effect of different genres of music on the stress levels of kennelled dogs'
- The effect of auditory stimulation on pet dogs' reactions to owner separation
- Effects of Olfactory and Auditory Enrichment on the Behaviour of Shelter Dogs
- Auditory stimulation and cognitive bias in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris)