Music for anxious dogs, anyone?
Yep, music therapy for anxious dogs is actually a thing.
So if you’ve ever wondered how to help your anxious dog feel calmer and more relaxed, give music a try!
According to dog music and sound therapy solutions iCalmPet (formerly known as Through A Dog’s Ear), playing relaxing, soothing music during hectic and stressful times helps anxious dogs be calmer.
For example, during the busy holiday season, New Year’s Eve, July 4th, or when loud company is at your house.
My humble opinion as a professional dog walker & pet sitter: It sure works!
I’ve experienced the effect of relaxing music on dogs suffering from separation anxiety firsthand in many client homes.
The music is usually set on repeat while the dogs are home alone in between my visits.
That leaves them calm and relaxed when I get there to care for them.
Where To Find Relaxing Music For Anxious Dogs
So where do you find that wonderfully relaxing music for your anxious dog?
There’s a few different options:
- You can purchase the soothing music on iCalmPet’s website for around $30.
- You can also find soothing music for dogs on Apple’s iTunes, but you’ll need a subscription for that platform.
I personally added the album iCalmDog Calm Your Canine to my Apple Music Library. I subscribe to it on a monthly basis, so that’s an alternative to buying the entire album outright.
Free Calming Music for Dogs
However, I also did a little digging around online, and found free versions of hours of relaxing music for dogs on YouTube.
The channel is called Relax My Dog – Relaxing Music for Dogs.
Bonus Tips: Combine Relaxing Music with Exercise & Essential Oils to Calm Your Anxious Dog
I suggest combining the musical experience with two other components for the ultimate relaxation experience: daily exercise and essential oils!
So what I would do is take my dogs for a 60 minute walk, jog, backpack hike or swim to drain them of their physical energy, and then play the soothing music once we’re back home.
Additionally, I found that diffusing certain essential oils really helps calm my pups too.
My personal favorite is the Relaxation blend of essential oils that comes with an essential oil collection by Gurunanda.
It’s a mix of Lavender, Lavandin, Orange, Grapefruit, Eucalyptus and Basil.
I actually do this on a daily basis – we’ll go for a morning walk before I leave for my dog walking/pet sitting visits, and then play the relaxing music and diffuse the oils while I’m gone.
Most essential oil diffusers have a timer setting.
Bottom Line
So let’s recap – it’s possible to calm an anxious dog with a combination of specific music, physical exercise and essential oils.
Instrumental music has a particularly relaxing effect on anxious dogs, especially piano music.
More hectic music like opera, rock or heavy metal is likely to have the opposite effect of what you’re looking for and might cause trembling and shaking.
The physical workout before playing relaxing music and diffusing essential oils can be anything that drains energy from your dog:
- Walking
- Hiking
- Backpack walk/hike for higher energy dogs
- Jogging
- Bike riding
- Rollerblading
- Swimming
- Playing fetch or tug
Have you experienced the relaxing effects of calming music on your dog? As always, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below!
Related Reading:
- How to calm dogs during fireworks
- Is Cedarwood Essential Oil safe for dogs?
- Dog car anxiety: How to travel with an anxious dog
- What to do if your dog is scared of thunderstorms
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