Dog owners urged to put song on which will calm your pets during fireworks
While we're all beyond excited for the festivities of Bonfire Night to commence tomorrow (5 November) - it's clear our little four-legged friends won't be as stoked for the loud noises of the impending fireworks.
It's long-since been a bit of a faff when it comes to dogs, and pets in general, on Guy Fawkes with owners all over struggling to find ways to calm down their furry pals.
If that's you then you'll be happy to know there's one tried-and-tested method which will soothe your dogs when the skies are set alight with Catherine Wheels, rockets and fountains.
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We all know that music is good for the soul, but did you also know it's good for man's best friend too?
During fireworks season, dogs - whose hearing is way better than ours - can experience high levels of distress and anxiety given the bright flashing lights, loud and unpredictable bangs from the heavens and smoke in the air.
To help remedy this, however, dog owners are being urged to crank up the volume to some OG tunes to act as somewhat of a soothing antidote.
And no - I'm not talking about bangers from the 90s.
Oh no, you'll be needing to go proper old school with some classical music from the 18th century.
A whole bunch of studies have been conducted researching the relationship between dogs and classical music, with one piece of research from 2012 finding that dogs who listened to the classical genre displayed reduced levels of stress and separation anxiety. They also spent more time sleeping, and less time barking, howling and crying, than the pups that were played other genres of music.
So - what is the best track to whack on come tomorrow evening?
Well, Classic FM’s Pet Classics has one particularly popular song that seems to do the trick just fine.
And the song in question? Johann Sebastian Bach’s 'Air on the G String'.
The song, also known as 'Air for G String' and 'Celebrated Air', is August Wilhelmj's 1871 arrangement of the second movement of Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068.
Whatever that means - it sure calms down a stressed-out doggo.
Other good tracks to keep in mind include Bach's 'Sheep May Safely Graze', Saint-Saëns' 'The Swan', Eric Whitacre's 'Seal Lullaby', and the second movement of Schubert's 'Trout' Quintet.
You could also give 'Mina' by Edward Elgar a spin as well as Claude Debussy’s 'Arabesque No.1', and even Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne in B flat minor.
While the songs are definitely not your average fireworks night playlist go-to's - your pooch will definitely be beyond thankful for you putting them on.
Rhiannon Ingle