Every doggo is different – from laid-back Labradors to cheeky chihuahuas – but the one thing that unites puppers and their humans is the unconditional love they share every day, that can be made even stronger through the power of listening. Ahead of International Dog Day (August 26th), Spotify has dug into the ways that dog owners across the world use music and audio to entertain and relax their doggos and puppers.
Over 5 million pet owners have visited Spotify for Pets since it launched in early 2020, so disco-loving dogs (as well as cats, hamsters, birds and iguanas) can get their paws a tippy tapping – with the pets playlists proving most popular with listeners from the US, UK, Germany, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Netherlands and Poland.
In fact, a survey of just under 4,000 dog owners globally1 showed that one in five dog owners (20%) currently play their dog music during the day to keep them company, with a further one in four (23%) saying that listening to music helps to keep their dog relaxed.
And a tip for those owners whose pupper or doggo struggles to be the goodest boi: 15% of dog owners say that listening to music helps their dog to be better behaved in general. In fact, nearly one in five dog owners (18%) plays their dog an average of at least an hour of music per day2 – with a lucky 6% of dogs having more than 12 hours of music a week played to them by their owners!
Gen Z are one age group leading the way in pampering doggies with music. One in 10 Gen Z dog owners (10%) has created a playlist especially for their dog, with another one in 10 (11%) believing that their dog has similar music taste to them.
Meanwhile My Dog’s Favourite Podcast, created in partnership with animal experts and features a mix of soothing music, dog-directed speech and original sound design to provide comfort for dogs and to help them both during and beyond lockdown, has been streamed over half a million times. Most popular with female listeners (c.60% of streams) and 28-34 year olds (a third of streams), the top ten countries tuning in globally are the UK, US, Australia, Ireland, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Spain and Mexico. When looking at listeners across Europe, the top ten countries are the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, France and Switzerland.
With millions of user-generated dog playlists on Spotify, pop songs are the most popular music genre for dogs with artists such as Olivia Rodrigo and Lil Nas X setting tails wagging, with other fun furry facts including:
- Dog Days Are Over, the 2009 feel-good track by UK artist Florence + The Machine, is the most popular song added to user-generated dog playlists on Spotify, followed by hit-maker Olivia Rodrigo’s good 4 u.
- Other top canine-titled songs appearing on user-generated dog playlists on Spotify including Beggin’ by Måneskin, Black Dog – Remaster by Led Zeppelin and Who Let The Dogs Out by The Baha Men.
Top 5 songs added to user-generated dog playlists on Spotify globally during 2021
- Florence + The Machine – Dog Days Are Over
- Olivia Rodrigo – good 4 u
- Olivia Rodrigo – drivers license
- Lil Nas X – MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)
- Doja Cat – Kiss Me More (feat. SZA)
1 All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 11383 adults of which 3759 are dog owners. Fieldwork was undertaken between 11th – 22nd August 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all COUNTRY adults (aged 18+).
2 As estimated amount per day based on 18% of respondents saying they play music for 6 hours or more per week.
Provided by Spotify
