Can Dogs Hear Twice as Loud as Humans?

Do you ever wonder how your dog knows that you're about to receive mail? Even if they can't see through the window? 

It sometimes seems like dogs have a sixth sense. It's as though they can sense things that are about to happen based on what clues come up around them. They often notice things before we notice them! How do dogs do this? 

Loud noises, such as fireworks and thunderstorms, seem to scare dogs in serious ways. Why do these noises have such a large effect on them? Why do they notice quieter noises as well? Can dogs hear louder than humans? 

Dogs do have a much stronger ability to hear a wider range of sounds than humans do. In fact, dogs can hear sounds between 40 hertz and 60,000 hertz. Humans, on the other hand, hear between 20 and 20,000 hertz. So, this makes dogs much better at hearing than humans. They can hear a wider range of frequencies. This improves their hearing and as a result, allows them to hear louder noises than humans. 

If noises get too loud, your dog will let you know. Because dogs have such a keen sense of hearing, they are more sensitive to very loud noises. When a big delivery truck comes, the noise is much more obvious to your dog. 

When a noise is especially loud, such as thunderstorms or fireworks, many dogs will react in defensiveness and fear. During loud storms, dogs may hide or shake. They tend to bark, jump up, run in circles, or even cower. They will do anything to demonstrate incoming danger, and they will act according to their breed and personality type. 

When a dog hears an incoming truck or interesting noise, you may notice similar behaviors such as barking and jumping up. Some smaller dogs will even try to get on a higher perch in order to see what is going on. 

Dogs come from a long line of ancestors that have taken advantage of their hearing abilities in order to help them navigate this expansive world. Dogs have evolved for over 15,000 years. In fact, the very first dogs were evolved from wolves. 

Dogs and humans were roaming the wilderness separately from each other. However, over time a unique bond formed. Humans started throwing their leftovers over their shoulders. They got rid of the pieces of their food that they were not able to eat. Wolves discovered this leftover food. 

In order to get closer to the group, wolves began adjusting their personalities in order to better connect with humans. In return for the kindness of their humans, wolves helped humans hunt and they helped protect the community. Over time, the wolves who were closest to the humans continued to breed. Over generations, wolves began to look and act more like dogs - friendly, intuitive, helpful - all of the qualities of a human's best friend. 

Dogs have evolved over thousands of years to develop their hearing. They use their ability to hear such high frequencies in order to tell where a sound is coming from. Because of their ear placement, they are able to tell which direction a sound is coming from based on which of their ears is most near the sound. They then follow the direction of the sound in order to find its source. 

Interestingly, dogs are born deaf and do not develop their hearing until they are about three weeks old. By the time they are just a few months old, their hearing has fully developed and they can hear four times the distance of humans and they can detect a wider variety of sounds. 

Dogs can hear better than humans because of the way their ears are structured. They have eighteen muscles in their ears! Humans only have six muscles in their ears. This allows dogs to reposition, raise, and lower their ears according to their hearing needs. 

Because of their wide range of hearing and ability to control their ears in specific ways, dogs are able to hear at much more advanced levels than humans. 

It is possible to train your dog to hear and recognize a wide variety of sounds. Training a dog has many benefits. It expands their intellectual abilities, improves their behavior, and strengthens your bond with your pup. Regular and consistent training is the key to success in training your dog to learn anything new. 

Your dog will naturally form associations with specific sounds based on exposure and experiences. For example, it does not take long for your dog to recognize the sound of your voice. Dogs even learn to recognize the sound of cars. When they hear a specific sound, they make an association with what happens next. 

For example, a dog may hear a car that is a quarter of a mile away. Next, a big car drives by. This repetition helps your dog predict new scenarios in order to best adapt and be prepared. You can use this association ability to train your dog to react to specific sounds. 

Some service dogs are trained to help people who are deaf. They can hear the doorbell ring, and then go and put their paw on their owner. Other dogs can be trained to recognize specific types of cars. You may notice your own dog reacting differently depending on how loud a sound is. 

Your dog does not have to be a service dog in order to improve hearing. You can reinforce positive reactions to sounds by giving your dog treats or positive praise when they react to a sound according to your expectations. 

There is one way you can train your dog not to react to specific sounds. You can do this by training your dog how to behave when the doorbell rings by giving treats and affection when they do not bark at the doorbell. 

The best way to train dogs is always with positive reinforcement. With careful attention and lots of patience, dogs can be trained to do incredible things!