Dog days (of always)

Pretty much everybody around the world loves music.

But what about man's best friend? Do they enjoy or react to music in the same ways that their human counterparts do?

This article will discuss music that makes dogs sleep, or music which dogs sleep to, and the history and psychology behind the phenomenon of music that lets sleeping dogs lie.

Some people have the habit of playing music or watching television programs with various sounds that are supposed to be soothing to the ears. Sometimes, it's so easy to actually make the animal's body vibrate with a certain sound, and the effect is incredible.

Relaxing your pup

Trying to relax a dog can be quite an amusing experience, as they seem to fall asleep almost instantly when their paws are in the water, or the owner's hands come near their head. And, of course, the strangest sounds make them fall asleep, too.

For instance, an acoustic guitar tends to make a dog fall asleep, but loud music will make them wake up and start trembling. Lying on a table may help to get a dog to fall asleep as well.

So why do they fall asleep so easily to certain music?

The answer to this may lie in the fact that dogs have their own sorts of vocalizations and ways of understanding sounds (that include music), and the way they react to certain sounds.

Studies, studies...

In a study conducted in 2006 by Sheehan, et al, it was discovered that dogs sometimes fall asleep to different types of music. The type of music that makes them go to sleep varies, according to how soft or how deep the sound is.

Some dogs fall asleep to soft classical music, while others fall asleep to heavy rock music. As for music played through loudspeakers, it is recommended that it be at least 70 percent quiet.

In another study, it was found that dogs react to different music genres differently. For instance, classical music makes some dogs sleepy, while upbeat, dance music makes them more alert and less sleepy.

One interesting theory is that the lyrics that come with the music may be influencing the dogs' reaction. To prove this, the researchers asked three dogs to lie down and listen to recordings of different songs.

The results showed that three of the dogs went to sleep as soon as they heard classical music, but five of them only fell asleep when the music contained lyrics. A total of 22 dogs did not fall asleep during the study.

In another study, it was found that dogs respond to music in a similar way to people. The subjects had to respond to different forms of music that were played through headphones or radio.

Among the most popular genres, the German Shepherd was most likely to fall asleep to country music, while the Rottweiler was most likely to fall asleep to rock music. The Burmese terrier and Bernese mountain dog were the least likely to fall asleep when listening to music.

Dogs and their emotions

According to RSPCA, dogs experience similar emotions as people, and those reactions are conveyed in their reactions. They experience sadness, anxiety, and separation anxiety, as well as joy and stress when their owners leave them.

The authors of a paper published in the journal Behavioural Processes revealed that the degree of affection that dogs show to their owners affects their physiology.

Most dogs don't form close bonds with their owners until they are around a year old, but those who form bonds earlier are the ones who respond best to music, including classical and soft rock.

The fact is that some music that makes dogs sleep, ideally through as an example of combining musical elements with an audio video feed of a dog sleeping.

Not that you asked, but cats dig tunes too!

You may also find it fascinating to watch a cat, which seems to also sleep very deeply when listening to music. I think this is because of the evolution of what it means to be a living creature, and cats and dogs are certainly living, breathing creatures.

Anyway, the point is, if you are going to use music that is similar in style to what you may listen to yourself (especially if you don't listen to "relaxing" music) then make sure it is actually considered soothing.

Picking the right music for your dog

Music that is uplifting may not necessarily work well, since even though your dog experiences emotion, it may not experience them in the exact same way you do.

Before getting to the examples, there are a few things to know. If you do want to take this route, please don't talk to the dog or let it know you are talking to it while it is sleeping.

This will disturb it and it may not get back to sleep for an hour or more.

There are a few places you can get information on this (including this website) but the most reliable source for this information I know about is this one.

If you decide you want to try it, keep in mind that listening to music that is similar to what you may listen to yourself while taking a nap is not going to be perfect, and that may not matter much if you have a dog that prefers to sleep in certain positions.

Note: I am well aware that not everyone lives in a room with a dog and other people. In this case you are not limited to music you would normally listen to, or even the music that you would have picked out yourself, or that you enjoy.

This will work as long as you are in a closed room and the dog is asleep. In such cases you will have to work out your own method.