Top 10 Dog Breeds with the Best Hearing

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Top 10 Dog Breeds with the Best Hearing

Introduction

Most pups easily hear a treat hit the floor and come running. Spectacular hearing tops their 5 senses, and some say they listen carefully, able to notice the sound of their sad or ill humans. While all of a dog's detection skills are impawtant, hearing is often the one that's most useful for sounds of a baby crying, an intruder, or anything else that's amiss. Pooches with great hearing are also valuable for hearing-challenged humans, alerting them to routine daily sounds like the boiling tea kettle, the microwave's ding, or the doorbell. The breeds with the best hearing are fairly common, and many are already in our homes. Read on to see if one of these sound masters is living with you!

#1 Labrador Retriever

Large, affectionate Labs are always eager to explore, and when they do, they use their formidable sense of hearing to find hidden treasures, which they often "retrieve." Bred as water dogs to recover downed birds, they can also detect soft rustling in the underbrush, a flock of birds taking flight, and whitetail deer on the trail. These are the doggos with the best ears, paws down!

#2 German Shepherd

At or near the top of many lists of favorable dog traits, the Shepherd once again appears here as a hearing master, indicated by his erect, pointed ears, and the intelligence he displays when a sound gets his pawtention. Protective of his pack and responsible for guarding the home and yard, the German Shepherd never gives up until his pawriosity is satisfied!

#3 Poodle

Standard, miniature or toy, Poodles are arguably the smartest pups, with the ability to consider what they hear, and disregard anything that's not impawtant to them. Easily trained, Poodles learn not to ignore their humans' voices or whistles. Those long, floppy ears are not just for show, as they can learn the sound of every member of the family and watch over them.

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#4 Cocker Spaniel

The Cocker Spaniel's large eyes and long ears have endeared them as companions, but in the past they were hunting dogs. Their ears sought out and found small prey like squirrels, and helped their humans see and hear them too. Today, they are mostly family dogs who love nothing more than a warm lap, and usually listen for squirrels rustling on the TV or in the yard!

#5 Llasa Apso

The confident, sometimes comical Llasa Apso was bred in Tibet among bleating sheep and distant warning sounds of avalanches, earthquakes and mudslides. While their modern descendants may not need to listen for these particular sounds, they do excel in being the first to hear the baby wake up, dad's car in the driveway or someone at the door. Good dog!

#6 Boston Terrier

Friendly, mischievous Bostons take their detecting skills seriously, especially what they can hear. Blaring sirens get them worked up, the clank of forks on dinner plates gets them drooling, and someone trying to quietly penetrate a locked door sets them sniffing and barking. They can hear a cat padding across the floor, and squeaky toys drive them nuts!

#7 Chihuahua

Another small pupper that can make a big noise, Chihuahuas have terrific ears! Alert even when snoozing, these pooches don't miss much. They respond to familiar sounds like mom or dad arising in the morning, or the scary vacuum cleaner in another room! Amusing and sweet, this drama dog hears everything!

#8 Miniature Pinscher

Frequently unaware of their diminutive size, Min-Pins are frequently First Responders to suspicious or exciting sounds. Ice cream truck? Got it! Food prep? Got that too! And let's not even talk about the can opener! Their upright ears hear it all, along with stuff they need to alert their humans to. Furtastic!

#9 Schnauzer

Always on the alert, Schnauzers are especially good at hearing the little things that could mean danger, in addition to the dish in the kibble bag! Even with the TV or music as background noise, Schnauzers don't miss any impawtant sound that might mean the mailman, or someone trying the door. While they may be saying, "Go away," their humans can investigate, or just pick up the mail.

#10 French Bulldog

French Bulldogs' ears seem to always be on the alert, standing up like 2 small radar dishes on either side of their foreheads! Able to detect even the faintest sounds, Frenchies make woofderful watch dogs. They readily translate what they hear into loud and frantic barking that their humans can't help but hear, like a little Danger Alarm!