Auditory enrichment including calming music reduces anxiety indicators in dogs. Understanding the evidence helps owners use sound therapeutically to improve welfare.
Auditory enrichment represents a low-cost, accessible welfare intervention for anxious dogs that can reduce stress in a variety of settings. Shelter dogs in noisy kennel environments benefit significantly from calming music that reduces the ambient stress of their situation. For household dogs with anxiety, background calming music or white noise during owner absences provides environmental support alongside behavioral and pharmaceutical approaches. While auditory enrichment alone is insufficient for significant anxiety disorders, it represents a genuinely positive welfare adjunct with essentially no risk of harm.