Research into veterinary medicine has grown significantly in the 21st century. The culture surrounding pets and the love they are treated with has changed with it, and people are far more concerned about taking care of their pets than previously. With more information disseminated on supporting a pet comes growth in empathy for what our pets experience. Plenty of dogs have feelings of separation anxiety and stress, particularly, and this is mainly in rescued pups. It’s imperative for those who have adopted a furry friend to make sure they know you are not going to ditch them. Dogs value the pack, so finding ways to help them with their anxieties can be immensely rewarding, not just in terms of providing them comfort and aid but connecting with them by showing the significance of your dog to you.
If you’re looking for a unique way to work through your dog’s anxiety, you can look to recent research in music therapy. Joshua Leeds spent the last seventeen years dedicated to researching the impact music has on animals. As Leeds notes, all animals here different frequencies, which dictate which sounds we can hear. Leeds named his project “Through A Dogs Ear,” which connected to Deborah Wells’s research, who noted dogs could distinguish between various music genres. Off of Deborah’s research, Joshua crafted seventeen albums specifically oriented towards relieving stress in dogs. His most recent research has opened new avenues of creativity, as it’s been found that reggae, in particular, helps help anxious pets.
So how should you supply your pup with pet sounds for their listening pleasure while you’re away or doing something noisy around the house? There are plenty of methods for delivering your dog the soothing sonic satisfaction they deserve. One of the most popular methods, especially for older doggos, is headphones. Suppose you have BlueTooth headphones that you can sink to your phone. In that case, you can find Spotify playlists geared towards soothing pets, which often include music similar to Joshua Leeds, which is produced specifically with furry ears in mind.
There are a variety of times where this method is beneficial. They include: When you leave your house when you bring home a new fella to take care of, in transit, when the dog is on their bed or in their crate or at the vet. Take note that if you often use music with a dog when they are in spaces they feel safe in, it will positively affect them when they are in areas they feel less comfortable visiting. Utilizing music is particularly useful if your pup is a yapper. It’s been found that playing music for your dogs reduces the amount of time they spend barking at neighbors and such.