It’s very common for music lovers and musicians to own pets. Music can sometimes be a lonely life. But the same way we feel music, do animals feel that as well? Do they feel something inside their souls?
Past studies have shown that sounds, especially music, can have a profound effect on animal behavior. Music therapy for pets is one way to help a dog with anxiety or behavioral problems. Is your boxer afraid of guests? Does your German shepherd bark uncontrollably when your neighbor mows their lawn? Does your poodle pace and whine when the alarm clock goes off? Well, you might consider heading straight for your CD player (or MP3 player if you live in this century).
While a dog does not tap its foot as a human might, their internal organs do slow down or speed up according to external rhythms (a process known as entrainment) and also respond to the vibrations in their surroundings. In today’s noisy world, full of leaf blowers, motorcycles, and sirens; in households with multiple food processors, computer printers, and multiple TVs, dogs may just be overloaded with sensory input. Music therapy, therefore, provides calming auditory information that redirects dogs’ attention from distractions. It refreshes a dog’s system by providing it with a balanced equilibrium of sensory input by inducing deeps sleep, reducing perspiration, and preventing a dog from exhibiting bad behaviors.
Below, we take a look at four distinct benefits of music therapy for dogs as follows:
Increased immune function
Stress increases the likelihood of health issues during a dog’s life. In conjunction with other tools that provide well-being to canines, music can be beneficial in helping a dog relax and de-stress especially when faced with conditions such as seizures. Dogs feel the vibration and even the rhythm of the music thus making it a calming tool for blind and deaf dogs or those with other disabilities.
Decreased stress levels mean better decision making and focused performance in venues
Aggressive dogs are known to benefit greatly from music therapy and are in turn able to cope better when stress-related hormones are decreased. The soothing element in music is responsible for stress-reduction while also creating an atmosphere of calm safety (during aggression level classes) where dogs can relax near each other without much fuss.
Redirects from activities where a dog is constantly under stress
Music provides dogs with a calm, safe experience which allows them to cope with real life expectations or to handle erratic distractions such as constant sounds in the major cities, or children in a household. As a result, you are likely to notice a decrease in activities such as constant barking and chasing where a dog is perpetually under stress.
Music therapy teaches a dog what peace feels like, to the point where a cue for calmness could help your pet through many real life situations. This is also highly beneficial whenever you are away from your pet as it decreases the emotional distress of separation.
Remember, music therapy is aimed at achieving calm to influence behavior and health. These therapeutic effects need to be trained incrementally while ensuring that distractions are at a low or zero level like during a grooming session. By using a slicker brush for dogs you can help massage your canines skin helping them relax even further while undergoing music therapy. Music and brushing are a perfect therapeutic combination. All of this should help your dog equate music to quiet time and quiet time is to be cherished for it is as important to the overall well-being of your pet as feeding time.
Below is a huge long playlist of music to help relax your dog. Enjoy!