Relaxing AI music for dogs suffering from ‘separation anxiety’

Image supplied by One by One Music (Pets do not need to wear headphones.)           Source: One by One Music (Same below) — Image supplied by One by One Music (Pets do not need to wear headphones.) Source: One by One Music (Same below)

J-STORIES ー “Man’s best friend” has lived alongside women, men, and children for tens of thousands of years. For many dog owners, their four-legged companions provide profound comfort and purpose in daily life. And this love is reciprocal. When dogs are separated from their owners, they sometimes become anxious and stressed and engage in abnormal behaviors.This “separation anxiety” can lead to behaviors such as agitation, barking for long periods of time, biting and injuring themselves, and repeated vomiting and diarrhea. In the U.S., it has been reported that 20% to 40% of problem behavior in dogs is caused by such stress.

So, what can we do to ease the anxiety suffered by dogs when they are separated from their owners? One Tokyo startup has found a solution through AI-generated music.

One by One Music was established in June 2023 with a mission to “improve animal welfare for all animals.” Its “relaxation music for pets” was created by an AI system trained using data the company collected from its own research on dogs. In November of the same year, it launched a paid-for streaming service under its company name.

Founder Akira Hatakeyama wondered whether it might be possible to use relaxing music to reduce the stress suffered by dogs when their owners are absent. He began developing his dog-soothing tunes while a graduate student at Waseda University. He collaborated with Katsuji Uetake, a veterinarian and professor at the Azabu University School of Veterinary Medicine, a composer who graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts, and medical students at Kumamoto University.

Playing music to a dog during an experiment.

They found that music immediately relieved the dogs' stress. Following a two-year study, playing music to dogs had reduced the amount of the stress hormone in dogs’ saliva by up to 84%. (The company has not disclosed the number of dogs nor their breed.) But the biggest challenge for the researchers was to devise music that was pleasant both for dogs and humans. They paid attention to such factors such as frequency, tempo, instruments and tone.

This research was funded both by a grant from Waseda University, where Hatakeyama was enrolled, and a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than 1.21 million yen. The company’s technology to stream pet-soothing generative-AI music from its website 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, is currently patent pending.

Results of changes in cortisol levels induced by developed music (Translated by J-Stories)

“Almost all dogs get stressed when their owners aren’t there,” Hatakeyama told J-Stories. He believes that around 20% of Japan’s approximately 1 million pet dogs may suffer from serious separation anxiety, so he developed the music service to help them.

According to the company, One by One Music is the first scientifically proven music streaming service for animals. The “individual plan” costs 980 yen per month, a portion of which is donated to animal welfare groups. The “protection plan” is free to animal welfare facilities and dog foster owners, and a “corporate plan” costs 2,980 yen per month.

Subscription service for music provided by One by One Music (Translated by J-Stories)

Currently, the music is only available to stream from the company’s website. But Hatakeyama’s business plan has been selected by Japan’s NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) and he is developing a smartphone app. This uses AI to analyze dogs’ stress levels from photos taken via the app and gathers data on how effectively the music it plays soothes the dogs. It then automatically selects and plays more stress relieving music.

“We want to use dogs’ auditory characteristics to fine-tune the frequency of the music so that it is easy for them to listen to and provide music tailored to each pet,” said Hatakeyama. In other words, the app, which the company plans to release next year, would stream relaxing music custom-made for each pet.

Meanwhile, One by One Music is also working with companies in other industries, such as a 7-Eleven convenience store in an area with a large number of pet owners. QR codes for its service are displayed in the pet goods sections of this store, which customers can scan to listen to music for their pets. The company hopes to extend this initiative to more stores.

There is also growing demand for the service from outside Japan. Currently, 20% to 30% of the company’s customers are based overseas, including in the U.S., where some states and cities have banned the sale of animals in pet stores. Many dogs in foster homes and animal shelters experience stress and the company expects demand for its service to increase.

Hatakeyama has plans to work with a U.S. company to create a pet-friendly car with a function that controls the air conditioning and plays relaxing music specifically for dogs. As well as expanding overseas, he’d also like to apply his technology to other animals such as racehorses, cows and cats. A streaming service for Japan’s approximately 9 million feline pets is likely to be next.

The pet-related market in Japan in 2024 is expected to be over 1.9 trillion yen, a 2.1% increase on the previous year, according to the Yano Research Institute. Although the number of pet dogs is declining, a survey by the Japan Pet Food Association estimates the number at around 6.8 million. Many of these are believed to suffer from separation anxiety.