Music can be a particularly useful tool when your pup is exposed to unfamiliar loud noises, such as thunder or fireworks. Getting the tunes going can help drown out these noises and calm your dog down. Of course, you don’t have to wait to turn up the tunes until your dog starts to hear loud noises. There are a variety of other situations, too, in which music can help promote calm behavior, including:

• When you leave your dog home alone.
• When your dog spends time in their crate or "safe space."
• When your dog is restless and unable to fall asleep at night.
• When your dog is in the car, whether on long road trips or even just drives across town.

CALM DOG TIP: If you intend to play music for your dog when you leave the house, make sure you also play it at other points during the week when you're home with them. The last thing you want is for your dog to learn that playing music means you're leaving the house.

Just as you have certain music preferences, your four-legged friend also has theirs. Compared to other genres, Reggae and Soft Rock appeared to have the greatest calming effect on the dogs in the same Physiology and Behavior study referenced above.

You can create your own playlist for your pup or choose from a variety of playlists on Spotify® and Pandora® that have been created specifically for dogs. We've made it easy for you to jump on the calm music bandwagon with our very own "Soft Rock & Reggae for Dogs" playlist, which you can find on Spotify®.

Since every dog is different, Reggae and Soft Rock may not be the best genres to play for yours. When it comes to calming music for dogs, play around with different genres, mixing up the rhythm and tempo, to see which ones your dog reacts to most positively.