The album was the duo's first to be recorded with Dave Eringa, known for his work with Wilko Johnson and the Manic Street Preachers, and featured a sound driven heavily by electric guitars.

The album's themes included several dark subjects such as sexual abuse scandals and religious hostilities, with some of the lighter songs relating to relationships and family.

[1] As stated by member Charlie Reid, the decision to have Eringa produce Let's Hear It for the Dogs was brought about by an admiration for his work with Manic Street Preachers, and on the Johnson and Daltrey album Going Back Home.

[5] Lighter moments of the album included "Ten Tiny Fingers", a father-daughter tribute,[6] while "Tuesday Afternoon" was adjudged by AllMusic to be an "epic love-story".

[7] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic praised Let's Hear it for the Dogs, observing that "after ten studio albums, they still bring intensity to their down-to-earth, grandly lilting, [...] spirited output".