Can Dogs Hear Bluetooth?

It should come as no surprise that your dog's ears are incredibly capable - but do you know how capable they actually are? Did you know your dog can pick up on electricity humming through an electric fence? Did you know dogs can hear from about 4 times further away than you can? Did you know that your dog can always hear when you open a treat bag (okay, you knew that one from experience)? 

We're willing to bet you weren't aware that a dog's hearing far surpasses the superhuman spectrum, but it's true. Your dog can hear far better than you can. While humans are limited to hearing in ranges of pitches from 20 Hz and up, doggos can hear from around 67 Hz to 45,000 Hz - a much broader range. So broad, in fact, that your dog can even hear the frequency that Bluetooth sensors give off. 

Think about that - when your phone connects via Bluetooth to your car, your dog can hear that frequency - an impossible trait for you is an easy accomplishment for your dog.

Interested in knowing the signs you should look out for to see if you're able to tell when your dog is hearing your Bluetooth? Check out our guide below. We lay out Bluetooth frequency, how your dog hears it, what your dog might do to let you know that they're hearing it, and more! 

You probably already knew your dog can hear better than you, but it's likely you weren't aware how much better your dog can hear than you. Because your dog can hear anywhere from 60 HZ to 45,000 HZ, it's possible that he or she is able to hear the Bluetooth frequency your devices are giving off. 

One of the first things you should monitor is your dog's ears. Do you notice their ears perking up? Are they laying flat against their head? Are they rotating or twitching to get a better angle? How about their head. Does it look like they're turning their heads to get a better grasp on the sound? Are they bobbing or twitching their heads, too?

All of these are signs that your dog is picking up on a frequency that you are not. How about your dog's mood and demeanor? Does your dog seem to be skittish? Does your dog seem nervous, sad, or in pain? 

Often, if your dog is hearing a high-frequency sound, it's possible that it's high enough on the frequency list to bother your dog. Anything over 25,000 HZ can cause discomfort, and it will manifest itself in signs of anxiety, nervousness, aggression, and more. Keep an eye on your dog's behavior and make sure you're aware if your dog is hearing a sound that's upsetting them. 

Dogs have likely always had better hearing than humans. In the wild, this came in handy both for hunting and for finding the pack. Even once dogs started chumming around with people, their super ears came in handy, as it was this combined with their sense of smell that allowed them to help humans hunt.

Your dog can hear anything from 64 - 45,000 hertz, and while that range is impressive, according to dog behaviorists and scientists, anything over 36,000 can actually be painful for your dog. This is tough, because if your dog is hearing something at a frequency that high, you certainly can't hear it. Frequencies over 25,000 can be uncomfortable for your dog and can cause them to whimper and run away, so watch out for things that give out frequencies any higher than 25,000.

This has only been a real issue for dogs in recent times. Electronic devices and things with motors are used around the home now more than ever. What you may not realize is that each time you use these household objects, they give off quite different noises to your pooch.

To understand how your dog is able to hear Bluetooth frequency, it helps to first understand what Bluetooth is and how its wavelengths work. Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances using short wavelengths. These exchanges use UHF radio waves in the ISM band from 2.3 to 2.485 HZ. 

Your dog, with their supersonic hearing, can pick up on the bluetooth frequencies because they have a different acoustic perception of the world than we do. With at least 18 muscles in their ears which allow for shifting and tilting as well as many breeds having specially shaped ears that are often upright and curved to amplify sound, it's no wonder they can hear frequencies that we cannot.

We already discussed how high-frequency sounds could potentially hurt your pooch, but did you know that high-frequency sounds aren't always a bad thing? If your dog can pick up the frequency that a Bluetooth device operates on, it's clear that their hearing is amazing. Why not capture this amazing sense in a safe way so that you can train your dog? 

People have been using high frequency sounds to train their dog for years, and it's something you can learn how to do as well. Try using a dog-whistle, a tool developed by Francis Galton in 1876 to help alert dogs while they were hunting. 

Want to master this attention-getting tool? First, take your dog to a room with no distractions and have plenty of special treats available for your pooch. As soon as your pup isn't paying attention to you, blow the whistle and wait for your dog to come investigate. When the dog does, give them plenty of praise! This will teach the dog that coming when the whistle is blown results in love, affection, and treats, of course. Keep this going for a few weeks until your dog is an expert! 
With this practice, though, you have to make sure your dog isn't sensitive to the sound. Watch for a few of the signs we listed above to check for this. If your dog is sensitive, blow the whistle softly. Make sure you're rewarding your dog every single time they successfully come to you on a whistle blow. 

This is important for cementing the obedience training in the dog's head. Keep practicing this command a few times per training session. Make sure you're changing the location so your dog knows this is a command that applies everywhere, not just in the quiet room where you've been practicing.