At Town N Country, we work toward reducing fear, anxiety, and stress in every patient interaction. That’s what being a Certified Fear Free Practice is all about. Although the field is still pretty new, studies are showing that carefully selected “auditory enrichment” can influence canine behavior as well as physiology.
This is why we have music boxes that play soothing music in our exam rooms. That music is chosen deliberately. It’s different for dogs and cats. This article is about the steps we take for our canine music connoisseurs. Stay tuned (pun intended) for a later article about cats!
Groovy Grooming. Studies of dogs in grooming environments show that music can significantly reduce stress-related behaviors throughout every sensory loaded phase of the grooming process – bathing, drying, clipping, and nail trimming. Fun fact – male dogs showed a greater reduction in stress than females!
Soothing Singing. Research in kennel environments resulted in similar findings. When dogs were exposed to music, their heart rate variability (HRV) increased. That’s a marker of reduced stress. We thought it fascinating that the effect varied by genre. Soft Rock and Reggae (who would have guessed!) produced the greatest changes, followed by Pop and Classical, with Motown producing the smallest effect.
Classical Training. As we mentioned, there have only been a few studies done about the impact of music, but almost all the tests agree: classical music consistently produced calmer behavior. There was more resting, and less vocalizing. Heavy metal and certain forms of rock have been shown to increase agitation and barking. And some studies even suggest that audiobooks may be more calming than music. There is a lot of research and learning still to be done!
Tuning in to Town N Country. As a Certified Fear Free Practice, we are committed to reducing fear, anxiety, and stress in every patient. Music – especially Mozart – is one of the tools we use to support that goal. Every exam room is equipped with a music box that plays calming classical selections. We select music intentionally, avoiding genres shown to increase agitation.
We also recognize that individual dogs may respond differently. So music is only one tool that we use to create a Fear Free experience.
The evidence already shows that music can help dogs feel calmer, more secure, and more at ease in unfamiliar or potentially stressful settings. That’s why music is one more way we honor our commitment to provide a safe and comfortable environment for every patient who walks through our doors.
