Do Your Dogs Freak Out When They Hear Wham’s Last Christmas? There’s a Reason for That

While customers are picking up their last minute christmas giftsHoliday music can be heard everywhere from shopping malls to cars and living rooms. Even if you like to listen to everything holiday hitsthere is someone who can't – your poor dog.

Unfortunately, your favorite holiday tunes can be more frustrating than enjoyable for your pet. Yes, some of the most beloved Christmas songs are stress-inducing for your furry friends.


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Music experts in Fanatics decided to find out more using the results BBC And Natural Medicine Library. They found that slow songs with little or no percussion are best for your pets.

Fanatix then analyzed 90 popular Christmas songs from Spotify Christmas Hits Playlist and identified the 10 most stressful tunes for your pets, offering 10 alternative songs to help your pets enjoy the season as much as you do.

The most popular Christmas ringtone on Fanatix. music streaming The list of most stressful songs for pets is “Last Christmas” by Wham at 206 beats per minute (BPM). Fast songs are more likely to irritate your pets.

Here's a complete list of popular but disturbing Christmas songs for your pets. And don't worry Mariah Carey it's nowhere to be found, so carry on.

The Most Stressful Christmas Songs for Pets

Heading Artist Tempo/beats per minute
1 Last Christmas Bam! 206
2 Merry Christmas everyone Shakin' Stevens 203
2 Merry Christmas (Merry Christmas) Andrews Sisters 203
3 It's the most wonderful time of the year Andy Williams 202
4 Santa tell me Ariana Grande 192
5 Christmas Eve / Sarajevo December 24 – Instrumental composition Trans-Siberian Orchestra 186
6 Please Come Home for Christmas – 2013 Remastered Eagles 183
7 A trip home for Christmas Chris Rea 180
8 What Christmas Means to Me (featuring Stevie Wonder) John Legend, Stevie Wonder 170
8 Holiday Road – Spotify Singles Holiday Kesha 170
9 We wish you the best of luck Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Fred Waring 169
10 Where are you, Christmas? Faith Hill 168

If your rotating holiday playlist has more than a couple of songs from the list above, Fanatix has also provided another list of lower-tempo songs to add to your mix that will be more tolerable for your animals—though annoyance due to repetition isn't a factor here.

Fanatix found that pets generally tolerate songs at 50 to 60 beats per minute and suggested the following alternatives:

The Friendliest Christmas Songs for Pets

Heading Artist Tempo/beats per minute
1 Carol of the Bells (from the Home Alone soundtrack) John Williams 47
2 Light up around the Christmas tree Brenda Lee 67
3 Do you hear what I hear? Bing Crosby 73
4 Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) Nat King Cole 73
5 Christmas has come – vocals Vince Guaraldi 75
6 Frosty the Snowman Ronettes 77
7 sledding Ronettes 77
8 Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) Gene Autry 80
9 Prayer Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli 82
10 Oh holy night – Spotify Singles Holiday Ravin Lena 84

I don't know about you, but there are some bullies on the more pet-friendly list, even if “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree” have already been played to death. Consider adding some of these songs to your playlist. Your pets may thank you.

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