Pawse
Because they deserve peace too.
Calming music for dogs and cats, designed around what veterinary research says actually works. Free, no interruptions.
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The Science
Every decision is backed by peer-reviewed research. Here's what we know.
Does music really calm dogs?
Yes. A study of 150+ dogs by Leeds, Spector, and Wagner found that solo piano at 50-60 BPM calmed 85% of dogs at home, with over half falling asleep. The mechanism is auditory entrainment — the dog's heart rate synchronizes to the music's tempo and gradually slows down.
Through a Dog's Ear (2004-2005), 150+ dogs
What genres work best for dogs?
Soft rock and reggae. A University of Glasgow study measured heart rate variability (the gold-standard stress marker) in 38 dogs across 5 genres over 5 days. Soft rock and reggae produced significantly higher HRV than classical, Motown, or pop. Classical music is also effective, while pop music showed no difference from silence.
Bowman et al., Physiology & Behavior (2017)
Does classical music work for cats?
No — classical music is no different from silence for cats (P=0.78). Cats require species-specific music composed in their vocal frequency range (300-3,000 Hz) with purring rhythms and sliding tones. A randomized controlled trial at Louisiana State University found cat-specific music reduced stress scores with P<0.0001.
Hampton et al., Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (2020); Snowdon, Teie & Savage, Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2015)
Won't my pet get used to it?
They will if you play the same music repeatedly — dogs habituate within 7 days to the same playlist. That's why Pawse rotates through different genres daily: piano, soft rock, reggae, ambient, and acoustic guitar. The Glasgow study confirmed that genre rotation prevents habituation entirely.
Bowman et al., University of Glasgow (2017)
What about low-frequency sounds?
Contrary to intuition, low-pitched music actually increases alertness in dogs — it signals aggression across mammals (Morton's motivation-structural rules). Mid-range frequencies (100-2,000 Hz) are calming. Pawse content is tuned to this range and filtered to remove ultrasonic artifacts dogs can hear.
Amaya et al., Animals (2021); Morton, American Naturalist (1977)
How is cat music different?
Cat music must be composed in the feline vocal range (300-3,000 Hz) using purring rhythms (25-50 Hz), suckling tempo (~140-160 BPM), and sliding portamento tones. Our cat content uses cello, harp, celesta, and chimes — instruments whose frequencies overlap with cat vocalizations. David Teie's research showed 77% of cats respond positively to species-appropriate music.
Snowdon, Teie & Savage (2015); von Muggenthaler, J. Acoustical Society of America (2001)
How loud should I play it?
Aim for conversation level or lower — around 45-55 dB at your pet's position. Research tested calming music at 45-50 dB. Louder isn't better; in fact, levels above 85 dB can cause hearing damage in dogs over prolonged exposure.
iCalmPet research; Scheifele et al., J. Veterinary Internal Medicine
How many pets are affected by noise anxiety?
A Finnish survey of 13,700 dogs found noise sensitivity is the single most common anxiety trait, affecting 32-49% of all dogs. Only 15.8% of owners seek professional treatment — meaning millions of dogs suffer without help.
Salonen et al., Nature Scientific Reports (2020)
Research References
Kogan LR, Schoenfeld-Tacher R, Simon AA. “Behavioral effects of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs.” J Vet Behavior 2012;7(5):268-275.
Bowman A, Scottish SPCA, et al. “The effect of different genres of music on the stress levels of kennelled dogs.” Physiology & Behavior 2017;171:207-215.
Amaya V, et al. “Effects of Music Pitch and Tempo on the Behaviour of Kennelled Dogs.” Animals 2021;11(1):10.
Snowdon CT, Teie D, Savage M. “Cats prefer species-appropriate music.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 2015;166:106-111.
Hampton A, et al. “Effects of music on behavior and physiological stress response of domestic cats in a veterinary clinic.” J Feline Med Surg 2020;22(2):122-128.
von Muggenthaler E. “The felid purr: A healing mechanism?” J Acoustical Society of America 2001;110(5):2666.
Lindig AM, McGreevy PD, Crean AJ. “Musical Dogs: A Review of the Influence of Auditory Enrichment on Canine Health and Behavior.” Animals 2020;10(1):127.
