The Christmas Songs That Stress Out Your Dogs

Ever notice your dog make a quick escape to another room as soon as you start blasting your holiday playlist? They’re not just being Grinchy, it turns out, “Santa Tell Me” may sound more like nails on a chalkboard to them. New research reveals that some of our favorite Christmas songs can actually spike stress in pets, especially dogs.

It all comes down to tempo and songs that have certain beats per minute levels can be stress-inducing to pets. Slower music, with 50 to 60 beats per minute, can help reduce the stress hormone cortisol in dogs, while fast, frantic holiday hits pretty much do the opposite.

Dogs hear differently than humans do. It’s not just louder to them, they hear a broader and a higher frequency range, and things like jingling bells combined with a speedy tempo and their nervous systems go into alert mode.
A new study from Fanatix analyzes 90 of the most popular holiday tracks based on tempo to identify which ones may be most bothersome to our furry friends.
The research also identifies the most pet-friendly Christmas songs, with “Carol of the Bells (From the Home Alone Soundtrack)” by John Williams leading the list. Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is second, followed by “Do You Hear What I Hear?” by Bing Crosby.

The Most Stressful Christmas Songs for Pets