There are numerous misconceptions about how well dogs hear. There are a few ways in which their hearing is superior to that of humans. They are capable of hearing sounds with higher pitches than humans are, as well as some frequency ranges where sounds are quieter. Because of this, they have a reputation for superb hearing. But their hearing capabilities are not better across the board. Additionally, there are a few significant ways in which our capabilities surpass theirs.
Here is what the experimental literature has to say about how canines and humans hear differently. First, we’ll discuss a few things regarding the properties of sound that we should be aware of.
The frequency (pitch) and sound pressure level are the two aspects of sound that are crucial to comprehending and recognizing. SPL, or sound pressure level, is a quantity that can be measured physically and roughly equates to what we perceive as volume.
Other characteristics like timbre and duration are also crucial to sound. But frequency and SPL are the most important to understand.
Frequency is a measure of the pitch of the sound. It is measured in cycles per second or Hertz. Low frequencies, or those with fewer cycles per second, are what low, rumbly sounds have. Children singing, digital beeps, and the majority of bird songs are high tones with a higher cycles per second. Some frequencies of well-known sounds are:
Sound pressure level is measured in decibels, a logarithmic unit. Because the range of audible sound is so broad, the decibel scale is utilized. In order to encompass the range of sounds we can respond to, a linear scale would need to go from 0 to more than 100 million units. However, SPL doesn’t exactly match the perceived loudness of a sound in our ears. According to the term “apparent loudness,” this varies from person to person and organism to organism. It can’t be objectively measured in a practical way. However, SPL can be objectively measured, and we can use those measurements to roughly predict how “loud” we will perceive a sound to be.
Logarithmic scales are counterintuitive and a bit difficult to understand. However, the below image can give you an idea of the variety of sounds we can hear and their volume. You can also consult this article by the U. S. Centers for Disease Control can provide you with decibel guidance.
Signs that a Dog’s Hearing is Stronger than Humans’
Compared to humans, dogs can hear a wider variety of sounds with much greater strength. Dogs can actually hear sounds with a frequency range of 40 to 60,000 hertz. Human hearing, on the other hand, ranges from 20 to 20,000 hertz. So, this makes dogs much better at hearing than humans. They can hear a wider range of frequencies. This enhances their hearing, enabling them to detect louder noises than humans.
Your dog will alert you if loud noises occur. Dogs are more sensitive to extremely loud noises because of their keen hearing. Your dog is much more aware of the noise when a large delivery truck approaches.
Many dogs will respond defensively and fearfully to loud noises like thunderstorms or fireworks. During loud storms, dogs may hide or shake. They typically bark, jump up, circle around, or even cower. They will act in accordance with their breed and personality type, and they will do anything to indicate impending danger.
Similar behaviors like barking and jumping up occur when a dog hears an approaching truck or other interesting noise. Some smaller dogs will even attempt to climb up on a higher perch to see what is happening.
When your dog hears something strange, you might notice some of the following signs:
Other indications that your dog may hear sounds you cannot include the following:
Dogs come from a long line of ancestors who have utilized their hearing abilities to aid them in navigating this vast world. Dogs have evolved for over 15,000 years. In fact, the very first dogs were evolved from wolves.
Separately, humans and dogs were wandering the wilderness. However, over time a unique bond formed. Humans started throwing their leftovers over their shoulders. They threw away the food items they were unable to consume. Wolves discovered this leftover food.
Wolves started to change their personalities to fit in with the group and be more approachable to humans. In exchange for their kindness, wolves assisted humans in hunting and provided protection for the neighborhood. The wolves that were closest to humans continued to breed over time. Over the course of many generations, wolves started to behave and look more like dogs, which are friendly, perceptive, and helpful.
Dogs’ ability to develop their hearing has evolved over thousands of years. They use their capacity for hearing such high frequencies to determine the source of sounds. They can determine which direction a sound is coming from based on which of their ears is closest to it because of how they place their ears. They then locate the sound’s source by going in the direction of the sound.
It’s interesting to note that puppies who are born deaf take about three weeks to develop hearing. Their hearing has fully developed by the time they are just a few months old, and they can hear four times as far as humans and recognize a wider range of sounds.
Due to the design of their ears, dogs have better hearing than humans. Humans only have six muscles in their ears, whereas they have eighteen muscles. As a result, dogs can adjust the position, height, and angle of their ears to suit their hearing needs.
Dogs have much more advanced hearing than humans do due to their wide hearing range and capacity to control their ears in specific ways.
Can dogs hear louder than humans?
The answer is yes. Dogs have a keen hearing that allows them to pick up sounds that humans cannot. This is why, even if they are inside, they will frequently come running when you whistle or snap your fingers!
Actually, a dog’s hearing range is between 47,000 and 65,000 hertz. Humans, however, can only hear between 20 and 23,000 hertz.
Therefore, instead of just saying “let’s go” or “come” when you want your dog to come when called, try using a different kind of noise. This could involve making noises like clapping your hands or snapping your fingers, which they will be more likely to react to.
Dogs are capable of hearing higher-pitched sounds than people can. They can also move their ears in the direction of the sound because they have more muscles in their ears.
This is why, while you’re still trying to determine where the noise came from, most dogs will alert and rush to the window when someone knocks on your door or rings the doorbell.
Additionally, dogs have a part of the brain that humans lack. They can easily distinguish between these extremely high frequency sounds thanks to the part of their brain that processes frequencies that are not audible to humans.
Clubs Offering:
You may have read that dogs have much better hearing than humans, but it’s not quite that simple. It’s pretty obvious that dogs have more powerful noses than humans, but how well can they hear? In his book, “How Dogs Think,” Stanley Coren, Ph. The truth is that a dog’s hearing is actually hundreds of times better than ours for some sounds, whereas for other sounds, dogs and humans have very similar sound sensitivity, according to D. ”.
High-Pitched Sounds
Where dogs really shine is with higher-pitched sounds. Although young children can hear sounds above 20,000 Hertz (Hz), the average adult cannot. (A sound’s frequency is measured in Hertz, and the higher the frequency, the higher pitched the sound, Dogs, however, have a hearing range of 47,000 to 65,000 Hz. These are sounds far too high-pitched for us.
In addition, dogs have much better hearing than humans do at high frequencies. Decibels (dB) are units used to measure how loud or intense a sound is, with 0 dB representing the average intensity of a sound that a young person can barely hear. Therefore, decibel ratings for sounds that are too quiet for humans to hear are negative.
Dogs’ ears are much more sensitive than ours when sounds are between 3,000 and 12,000 Hz in frequency, claims Coren. On average, those sounds can be heard when they are between -5 dB and -15 dB. As a result, sounds that are too quiet for human ears can be heard by dogs. Dogs’ ears are so much more sensitive than humans’ for sounds above 12,000 Hz that a comparison would be meaningless.
Wired for Prey
Dogs are able to hear high-pitched sounds so well because of their predatory ancestry. The ability to hear the squeaks of mice, which are small rodents that dogs’ ancestors, the wolves, prey on, is crucial for survival. Humans have ears that are tuned to the pitch of the human voice because they have evolved to work with other humans.
This sensitivity to higher-pitched sounds probably explains a number of dog-related phenomena. Dogs’ highly sensitive ears may be used to predict earthquakes rather than ESP. And rather than having a sixth sense, they probably have the ability to hear the sound of a car before you can hear it, which allows them to anticipate someone’s arrival at your door. And lastly, because dogs perceive everyday noises like vacuum cleaners and power drills as louder than humans do, dogs can become extremely distressed by them. And although we can’t hear the high-pitched noises produced by these devices, dogs can.
Other Differences
Dogs and humans can both hear these sounds in the remaining detectable frequency range, and our ears’ sensitivity is about the same. However, human ears have a maximum sensitivity of 2,000 Hz. That frequency falls roughly in the middle of the range of human speech, which is no coincidence. Dogs, on the other hand, have much better hearing than humans, with a maximum sensitivity of 8,000 Hz.
Dogs are also amazingly adept at detecting minute variations in frequency. According to Coren, the difference between the musical note C and another note that is an eighth of the distance between that C note and C sharp can be heard. ” That puts tone-deaf humans to shame. On the other hand, we are better at finding sounds than dogs. Dogs require eight degrees of separation to distinguish between two sounds while humans only need one degree of separation.
Testing a Dog’s Hearing
Researchers know what humans can hear because they can ask their test subjects, but how do they know what dogs can hear? Early studies involved training dogs to press a lever under a speaker when they heard a sound. Today, a dog’s hearing capabilities can be tested without the dog having to do a thing. The Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) hearing test is as simple as placing electrodes on a dog’s head and earphones in his ears. Sounds are played through the earphones, and if the brain shows electrical activity, the dog is considered to have heard the sound. The test doesn’t hurt the dog and only takes a short amount of time.
Dogs can experience hearing loss similar to humans due to aging or other causes, like a severe ear infection. The BAER test is an excellent method for estimating the severity of hearing loss. When their ears fail, the majority of dogs adjust well, and you can still communicate with them by using hand signals and body language. A whistle or other loud, high-frequency sound may still be audible to your dog even though it is no longer able to hear your voice because the ability to detect high-pitched sounds is typically the last to go. https://www. akc. org/wp-admin/admin-ajax. php Get Your Free AKC eBook.
FAQ
How loud is too loud for a dog?
Joshua Leeds, CEO of BioAcoustic Research Inc., discusses the dangers of noise levels above 85 decibels. , would opine that sounds louder than 85 dB are too loud for dogs to hear because they may develop hearing loss as a result (source).
Do loud sounds hurt dogs ears?
Like in people, dogs’ middle and inner ears are sensitive structures that can be harmed by loud noises. According to Foss, damage to the cochlea’s hair cells, which vibrate in response to sound waves, is the main cause of noise-induced hearing loss.
Who has better hearing human or dog?
Dogs can hear sounds four times farther away than humans can because they have much more sensitive hearing. They are able to distinguish sounds more readily, hear higher frequency sounds, and g. They may be able to identify the sound coming from your car and pinpoint its precise location.
Can dogs actually hear you?
According to a study, dogs react to human speech similarly to humans. When we listen to someone talk, we hear sounds that make words and sounds that indicate the speaker’s emotions and gender, among other things.