International Dog Day: Spotify reveals most popular playlists for pets

About 27 per cent of dog-owners in the UAE play music during the day to keep their dogs company, with 30 per cent saying that listening to music helps to keep their dog relaxed

Ahead of International Dog Day on August 26, Spotify dug into the ways dog owners around the world use music and audio to entertain and relax their pets. Photo: Spotify

As part of International Dog Day on August 26, music streaming leader Spotify revealed the top five most popular songs that dog owners around the world play to entertain and relax their pets.

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, which is followed by hit-maker Olivia Rodrigo’s good 4 u, the Sweden-based company said on Thursday.

Olivia Rodrigo's driver's licence, Lil Nas X's Montero (Call Me by Your Name) and Doja Cat's Kiss Me More rounded off the top five songs for dog playlists of 2021 globally on Spotify. The company, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has 365 million users, including 165 million subscribers, across 178 markets.

Other top canine-titled songs appearing on user-generated dog playlists on Spotify include Beggin' by Måneskin, Black Dog – Remaster by Led Zeppelin and Who Let the Dogs Out by the Baha Men.

"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," Spotify said in a statement.

More than five million pet owners have visited Spotify for Pets since it launched in early 2020, with the pets playlists proving most popular with listeners from the US, UK, Germany, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Netherlands and Poland, according to the company.

A YouGov survey of 243 dog owners in the UAE showed that 27 per cent of those polled currently play their dog music during the day to keep them company, with 30 per cent saying that listening to music helps to keep their dog relaxed.

About a quarter of dog owners surveyed say that listening to music helps their dog to be better behaved in general. Nearly one in five dog owners plays their dog up to two hours of music a day – with 12 per cent 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 dogs with music on a global level, the survey found. Gen Z people are categorised as those born between 1997 and 2012.

One in 10 Gen Z dog owners has created a playlist specifically for their dog, with another one in 10 believing that their dog has similar music taste to them, the YouGov poll showed.

The survey's sample size was 1,034 adults, of whom 243 are dog owners in the UAE. Fieldwork was undertaken between August 11 and August 22. The survey was carried out online.