Several studies suggest the right music can calm kennelled dogs and cats at the vet, but the effects are modest, fade with repetition and differ by species. Here is what the research found, where it falls short, and a room-by-room music plan for clinics, groomers and pet stores.
Veterinary clinics are stressful places, and not only for the animals. A waiting room holds barking dogs, carriers with frightened cats, anxious owners and staff trying to keep all of them calm. It is no surprise that many practices, groomers and pet stores play music, and that "calming music for dogs" has become a genre of its own.
The research behind music for vet clinics is more interesting and more limited than the marketing suggests. This article summarizes what peer-reviewed studies found for dogs and cats, what they did not show, and how to turn that into a sensible plan for a clinic, a grooming salon or a pet store. The studies are small, so we will be careful about what they can support.
What the research found for dogs
Most of the work on dogs comes from kennels and rescue shelters, where stress is easy to observe and conditions are easy to control.
Kennelled dogs and classical music. In one of the earliest widely cited studies, Kogan, Schoenfeld-Tacher and Simon at Colorado State University played classical music, heavy metal and altered classical music to 117 dogs in a kennel, published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior in 2012. With classical music, the dogs spent more time sleeping and less time barking than with the other conditions or silence. Heavy metal was associated with more body shaking.
Heart rate variability in a rescue centre. Researchers at the University of Glasgow and the Scottish SPCA played classical music to kennelled dogs over seven days and measured both behavior and heart rate variability, a physiological marker linked to lower stress. With music, the dogs spent more time sitting or lying down and quiet, and less time standing and barking, and their heart rate variability increased (Bowman et al., 2015, Physiology & Behavior). The important caveat is in the same paper: the effect faded by day seven, which the authors interpreted as habituation.
Variety matters. The same group then tested five genres over five days: soft rock, Motown, pop, reggae and classical (Bowman et al., 2017, Physiology & Behavior). Dogs in the study spent more time lying down and less time standing when music was played, whatever the genre. Heart rate variability rose most with soft rock and reggae. The behavioral changes held across the five days, which the authors suggested means that more variety may reduce habituation.
What the research found for cats
Cats are not small dogs, and the cat research points in a different direction.
In 2015, Snowdon, Teie and Savage composed music designed around the frequencies and tempos cats use in their own communication, such as purring and suckling rhythms, and compared it with two pieces of classical music. The 47 cats in the study, published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, showed more interest in the cat-specific music than in the human music.
A later clinical study took music for cats at the vet into a real examination room. Twenty pet cats were exposed to silence, classical music or cat-specific music during three physical examinations two weeks apart (Hampton et al., 2020, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery). With cat-specific music, cats had lower stress scores and were easier to handle than with either classical music or silence. The blood marker of stress the researchers measured did not change. That combination, better behavior without a measurable physiological change, is typical of this field.
What the studies do not show
Before you buy a "calming" playlist, keep these limits in mind.
- The samples are small. Dozens of animals, sometimes just over a hundred, in one shelter or one clinic.
- Most dog studies are in kennels, not clinics. A dog spending a week in a shelter is not the same as a dog spending twenty minutes in your waiting room.
- Effects fade with repetition. The 2015 dog study found habituation within a week. Variety appears to help.
- Behavior improved more reliably than physiology. Some measures moved, others did not.
- Species differ. The best evidence for cats involves music composed for cats, not the classical tracks that seemed to help dogs.
- Volume and noise were controlled. None of these studies tested loud music in a room full of barking and clippers.
The fair summary is that calm, varied music at a moderate volume appears to help some animals relax a little, and it certainly does not hurt. Just do not expect it to replace low-stress handling, good waiting room design or medication where a vet prescribes it.
A room-by-room plan for veterinary clinic background music
Put those findings together with the needs of owners and staff, and a practical plan looks like this.
- Reception and waiting room. Calm, mostly instrumental music at low volume. It masks the conversation at the desk, gives anxious owners something other than barking to listen to, and keeps the room from feeling clinical. Avoid heavy bass, sudden drops and hard percussion.
- Separate cat waiting area, if you have one. Keep it quieter than the dog side. If you want to try cat-specific music, this is the place for it.
- Exam rooms. Soft or off. Vets need to hear heart and lung sounds and talk to owners. If music plays here, it should be the first thing turned off during an exam.
- Kennels and recovery wards. This is where the research is closest to your setting. Use calm, varied music at a low level for set periods rather than all day, and rotate the playlist so animals do not habituate to one loop.
- Staff areas. Staff choice, but keep it out of the animal areas.
Volume matters more than genre. Dogs and cats hear higher frequencies than people do and are sensitive to loud and sudden sounds, so aim for music you only notice when it stops. Our guide on how loud background music should be explains how to set levels without a meter.
Dog grooming salon music
Grooming salons have a noise problem that music cannot solve: dryers, clippers and barking. Dog grooming salon music works best as a calm layer in reception and the waiting area, and at a low level in the grooming room between dryer sessions. Turning music up to compete with a high-velocity dryer only raises the overall noise for everyone, animals included.
Pet store music
A pet store is a retail store first. Owners with dogs on leashes, families with children and customers browsing food and toys all share the space. Pet store music should be friendly and mid-tempo on the shop floor, calmer near any animal enclosures and at a volume that does not add to the barking. Our music for retail stores page covers mood choices for the shop floor.
A checklist for vet clinics, groomers and pet stores
- Map your zones: reception, waiting, exam, kennels or ward, grooming, shop floor, staff areas.
- Decide which zones get music, which get quiet, and at what times.
- Choose calm, mostly instrumental music without sudden changes for all animal areas.
- Set volume low and check it from the animals' side of the room, not the desk.
- Rotate playlists weekly so neither animals nor staff hear the same loop.
- Train staff to lower or switch off music in exam rooms and during stressful procedures.
- Watch the animals and adjust. If a dog or cat reacts badly, turn it off.
- Make sure your music source is licensed for business use.
The licensing side
A waiting room open to the public is a place of public performance, so music there needs a license, the same as in a shop or restaurant. Our guide to whether you need a license to play music in your business explains how this works. WeavyAudio's catalog is original, so there are no PRO invoices, and our terms grant a license to publicly perform it at your registered location. If you want calm, cleared music for a clinic or pet store, you can see our plans.
FAQ
What music is best for calming dogs at a vet clinic?
Studies in kennels found that classical music, and in one study soft rock and reggae, was linked with more resting and less barking. Keep it calm, varied and at low volume, and rotate playlists because the effect can fade with repetition.
Does music help cats at the vet?
One clinical study found that cats heard cat-specific music during examinations had lower stress scores and were easier to handle. Classical music did not produce the same improvement. Keep volumes low around cats.
Should music play in exam rooms?
Usually softly or not at all. Vets need to hear heart and lung sounds and talk clearly with owners, and exam rooms are already stressful for many animals.
Do vet clinics need a music license?
In most cases, yes. A waiting room is open to the public, so music played there is a public performance. Use a source licensed for business playback.