If your dog suffers from anxiety, you might want to trade your classical music playlist for an audiobook. Groundbreaking new research has discovered that anxious dogs respond significantly better to human speech than to music, with audiobooks proving more effective than even Mozart at reducing stress behaviors and promoting calm.
This surprising finding, published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, challenges conventional wisdom about calming anxious dogs and offers a simple, accessible tool that any pet owner can use. The research provides the first scientific evidence that the human voice—even from strangers via recordings—has unique calming properties for stressed dogs.
Research Background
For years, classical music has been the go-to audio therapy for anxious dogs, with numerous studies showing modest benefits for stress reduction. Many shelters, veterinary clinics, and dog owners routinely play classical music to create calming environments for nervous or stressed dogs.
However, researchers suspected that other forms of audio enrichment might be even more effective. Given dogs’ strong social bonds with humans and their sensitivity to human vocal cues, scientists hypothesized that human speech might provide superior calming effects compared to instrumental music.
Study Details
Researchers conducted a carefully controlled study to compare different types of audio enrichment in a high-stress environment:
- Setting: UK animal rescue shelter with high ambient stress levels
- Participants: 31 shelter dogs of various breeds, ages, and backgrounds
- Audio conditions: Audiobooks, classical music, and silence (control)
- Measurement periods: Multiple sessions with each audio type to control for individual variation
- Behavioral assessment: Time spent resting, barking frequency, pacing, and other stress indicators
- Environmental controls: Consistent timing, volume levels, and shelter conditions across all treatments
The shelter environment provided an ideal testing ground as it represents a naturally stressful situation where calming interventions would have maximum impact and measurable benefits.
Key Findings
Audiobooks Superior to Music
Dramatic Behavioral Improvements: Dogs listening to audiobooks spent significantly more time resting quietly compared to those exposed to classical music or silence. This increased rest behavior is a key indicator of reduced stress and improved welfare.
Reduced Stress Behaviors: Barking, pacing, and other anxiety-related behaviors decreased markedly when audiobooks were playing. Dogs appeared calmer and more settled during audiobook sessions than during any other audio condition.
Outperformed Classical Music: Most remarkably, audiobooks proved more effective than classical music—previously considered the gold standard for canine audio therapy. This challenges assumptions about what types of sounds are most beneficial for anxious dogs.
The Power of Human Voice
Vocal Comfort: Researchers theorize that the steady, calm human voice in audiobooks provides a sense of companionship and security that instrumental music cannot match. Dogs may interpret the human voice as a comforting presence even when no person is physically present.
Social Connection: The findings suggest that dogs’ strong social bonds with humans extend to recorded speech, providing emotional comfort through auditory social cues even from unfamiliar voices.
Consistent Benefit: The calming effects were consistent across different dogs, suggesting that the human voice provides universal comfort rather than individual preferences for specific voices or content.
Context-Dependent Effects
Shelter vs. Home Environments: Interestingly, previous research has shown that audiobooks are less effective for pet dogs in their own homes compared to classical music. This suggests that the benefits of audiobooks may be most pronounced in stressful, unfamiliar environments.
Environmental Stress Level: The more stressful the environment, the more pronounced the benefits of audiobooks appear to be. This makes audiobooks particularly valuable for high-anxiety situations like shelter stays, veterinary visits, or major life changes.
Implications for Pet Owners
What This Means for You
These findings have important implications for managing dog anxiety and stress:
Rethink Audio Therapy: If you’ve been using classical music for your anxious dog with limited success, audiobooks might provide better results, especially during high-stress situations.
Simple, Accessible Solution: Audiobooks are readily available, inexpensive, and easy to implement. Most people already have access to audiobooks through libraries, streaming services, or purchase options.
Particularly Valuable for High-Stress Situations: Audiobooks may be especially beneficial during situations like thunderstorms, fireworks, separation anxiety episodes, or when introducing dogs to new environments.
Practical Applications
For Anxious Dogs at Home:
- Play audiobooks during known anxiety triggers (storms, fireworks, construction noise)
- Use when leaving dogs alone if they show separation anxiety
- Try during crate training or when introducing new environments
- Consider for dogs recovering from illness or surgery
Audio Selection Guidelines:
- Choose books with calm, steady narrators rather than dramatic or exciting content
- Avoid books with sudden loud sounds, shouting, or intense emotional content
- Consider familiar genres or authors that you enjoy—your relaxed response might influence your dog
- Start with shorter sessions to gauge your dog’s response
Volume and Timing:
- Play at moderate volume—loud enough to be clearly audible but not overwhelming
- Begin playing before stress-inducing events when possible
- Allow dogs to move away from speakers if they choose
- Monitor for any signs of agitation or discomfort
When Audiobooks Work Best
High-Stress Environments:
- Unfamiliar locations like boarding facilities or new homes
- During veterinary visits or grooming appointments
- In shelters or rescue situations
- During travel or relocation
Specific Anxiety Types:
- Environmental anxiety (storms, fireworks)
- Separation anxiety (though effectiveness may vary)
- Noise phobias and sound sensitivity
- General stress during recovery or illness
Combining with Other Interventions
Comprehensive Approach:
- Use audiobooks alongside other calming techniques like Thunder Shirts or calming supplements
- Combine with behavior modification training for long-term anxiety management
- Consider as part of environmental management for reactive or fearful dogs
- Integrate with veterinary-prescribed anxiety medications when appropriate
Study Limitations
While this research provides compelling evidence for audiobooks’ effectiveness, it was conducted specifically in shelter environments with highly stressed dogs. The effectiveness may vary in different settings or with dogs experiencing different types of anxiety.
Additionally, the study used English-language audiobooks with specific narrator characteristics, so effectiveness might vary with different languages, accents, or speaking styles.
Bottom Line
This groundbreaking research reveals that something as simple as an audiobook can be more effective than traditional music therapy for calming anxious dogs. The human voice appears to provide unique comfort that instrumental music cannot match, particularly in high-stress situations.
The key insight: Dogs’ deep social connection with humans extends to recorded speech, offering a readily available tool for reducing anxiety and promoting calm. This simple intervention could significantly improve quality of life for millions of anxious dogs.
For anxious dog owners: Consider adding audiobooks to your anxiety management toolkit, especially during high-stress situations. This low-cost, easily accessible intervention might provide better results than traditional music therapy.
For shelters and veterinary clinics: The research supports implementing audiobook programs as a simple way to improve welfare for stressed animals in care. Many facilities are already adopting this evidence-based approach to reduce anxiety and improve outcomes.
The discovery that audiobooks outperform classical music challenges our assumptions about what comfort sounds like to dogs—and reminds us that sometimes the most effective solutions are also the simplest ones.
This article summarizes peer-reviewed research for educational purposes. Always consult with your veterinarian for personalized advice about your pet’s anxiety and behavior.