What do dogs hear? The incredible hearing of the dog is even able to perceive in advance the occurrence of certain events, such as earthquakes. Our four-legged friends have a sixth sense or should we focus only on their sense of hearing? Let’s find out together!
Hearing of dogs: How do dogs hear?
Hearing in dogs is a highly developed sense: our four-legged friend are able to hear acoustic vibrations up to four times more than we can. This is why we can hear our arrival at home, learning to recognize the noise that predict our arrival (the car, the sound of the footsteps, etc.) It also applies to events such as thunderstorms and earthquakes, though in this case we also have to take into consideration the dog’s other important sense: their sense of smell.
Very often we forget and subject Fido to real torture when we keep the volume of television or stereo too high. Many do not know that the dog prefers and perceives people who speak in a low voice. So when we are at a park and we shout out their name, your canine friend, if he could, would put his paws on his ears and say, “What’s happening? What a nuisance!!”
How dogs hear acute and loud sounds
The dog attributes a different meaning to sounds based on their frequency. In particular, acute sounds indicate fear (so scolding it with this tone of voice is virtually useless) and serious sounds are instead interpreted as intimidating signals.
The dog is able to hear high-frequency sounds, that is, ultrasounds, sound vibrations that travel at a faster speed than the frequencies that people hear: this is why they are able to sense things before we can. It is important, then, to mark the words when we want to teach basic commands such as “sit” and “down”. Even more effective is the production of a small verse or the use of a very precise sound, such as a dog clicker.
Dog ear care
The dog’s ears are therefore a very important and delicate organ, which may be susceptible to infections and foreign bodies, such as foxtail grass or parasites. It is therefore important to go to the vet to clean their ears and check their integrity regularly. Our 4-legged friend let’s us know that something is wrong with is ears by bending his head on one side, scratching his suffering ear and crying when he is caressed on the sore side. If you notice some of these signals, do not waste time and run immediately to make a visit, thus avoiding irreparable damage to the dog’s hearing.
