Compared to humans, dogs hear louder and can perceive higher tones and their surroundings better acoustically. The human sense of hearing, on the other hand, is better at detecting deep sounds and locating the source of the sound.
For both humans and dogs, hearing is not the primary sensory perception. In humans it is the sense of sight, in dogs it is the sense of smell.
By the way, I think generalizations like “dogs hear X times better than humans” are nonsense. Because hearing ability varies greatly depending on the category.
Here is a rough overview:
AbilityWho is better?Hearing soft soundsDogsHearing high-pitched soundsDogsHearing low-pitched soundsPeopleHearing the surroundingsDogsLocating soundsPeople
Then let’s go through the individual categories together in depth.
>> Our top recommendations
#1 Dogs hear louder
Compared to humans, dogs can hear about four times further into the distance. It allows them to perceive things from 100 meters away that we would only hear from 25 meters. [0]
Expressed in numbers: humans can only hear sounds above a volume of 0 decibels. Dogs, on the other hand, can also hear sounds of up to -15 decibels.
For dogs, noises of 85 decibels or more are painful (e.g. a hairdryer), while people can tolerate up to 130 decibels (e.g. a jet plane).
The reasons for this are twofold:
- 1) Dogs have larger ears
According to studies, the average size of the auricle of an adult human is 6.3 cm. [1]
Depending on the breed, this is many times larger in dogs. This means they can also funnel significantly more sound waves to the ear.
Image may be used under these guidelines.
The longest ears were measured on a Bloodhound. At a whopping 34.9 cm, he is the world record holder among dogs. [2]
However, the length of the ears alone is only informative about hearing if the ear is erect.
Dogs with floppy ears generally have poorer hearing. Because here the auricle blocks the entrance to the ear canal. [3]
- 2) Dogs can align their ears better
In total, dogs have 18 muscles that help them align their ear to the sound source.
This allows them to rotate, raise, bend and lower their ears. They can also move both ears completely independently of each other. [4]
Human ears are significantly more rigid, with only 6 muscles. Cats also have 30 different muscles in their ears.
So your ears act like a kind of “amplifier”. This also explains why loud machines, fireworks or gunshots often cause acoustic stress in dogs.
Dogs have an auricle that is up to 5.5 times larger and has 3 times more muscles in their ears to align them with the sound source. For anatomical reasons, they can hear up to four times further into the distance than humans.
#2 Dogs hear more sounds
Sounds are essentially just vibrating air. The slower the air vibrates, the deeper the sound, and the faster, the higher we perceive the sound.
Humans can perceive sounds with a frequency between 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz. Dogs, on the other hand, can hear frequencies between 67 Hz and 45,000 Hz. [5]
So you hear more than twice as high sounds, but fewer low tones. By the way, the lowest note on a piano is 28 Hz and is therefore inaudible to dogs.
Frequencies above 20 kHz are called “ultrasound” because they are inaudible to humans. Dogs, on the other hand, can also hear ultrasound without any problems.
The reasons for these differences are evolutionary in nature. Wolves, the ancestors of dogs, also hunt mice and other rodents when there is a lack of food.
It is therefore important for their survival that they can hear a high-pitched squeak. This also explains why dogs sense earthquakes much earlier.
Image may be used under these guidelines. [6]
The audible frequency decreases significantly with age. This explains why children can hear up to 20 kHz and adults usually only hear sounds between 15-17 kHz. [7]
In dogs, the values also vary greatly between the respective breeds. According to studies, the following 3 breeds can perceive the highest sounds:
- poodle
- Saint Bernard
- Chihuahuas [8]
The interesting thing about it? None of these breeds have particularly large ears. In addition, of these dogs, only the Chihuahua has protruding ears – the rest, however, have floppy ears.
Compared to humans, dogs hear sounds that are around twice as high at up to 45 kHz. Humans, on the other hand, can also perceive deeper tones between 20 and 67 Hz. However, the audible frequency varies relatively greatly between the respective breeds.
#3 Dogs hear better around them
Human ears are fixed relatively rigidly to the side and are located at the level of the middle of the head. In addition, our ear cups are at a slight angle to the front.
We therefore hear sounds best that come from an angle of around 70° frontally to the left or right. We perceive noises behind us (180°) the worst.
In dogs, the ears not only rotate, but are also located on the head. You can therefore hear your surroundings much better.
It is not for nothing that satellite dishes are usually installed on the roof and not on the side of the house. Because the reception is simply best there.
Image may be used under these guidelines.
This also explains why we instinctively turn our heads to the side to better understand noises.
Sound waves not only transfer the sound itself, but also tell you the location of the sound source. And this is exactly where human hearing is clearly superior.
For comparison:
- Humans can localize sounds in 360 different directions.
- For dogs, the location is significantly less precise with only 45 possible directions.
This means that people can determine the position of the sound source around 8 times more accurately. [9]
Image may be used under these guidelines.
In terms of angles, humans can locate with an accuracy of 1°, while for dogs everything within 8° sounds the same.
The reason for this is the signal processing in our brain. Because hardly any other living being can keep up with the computing power of our brain. [10]
Thanks to the flexibility and position of their ears, dogs can hear their surroundings much better than humans. People, on the other hand, can localize the sound source around 8 times better thanks to the better processing of frequencies in the brain.
#4 Dogs hear animals better
Have you ever noticed that you can easily hear your name in a loud crowd?
This is because you have developed a certain sensitivity to this word. The same effect not only applies to dogs, but also to pitch.
People and dogs are more sensitive to certain frequencies and perceive others less strongly:
- Humans are most sensitive to sounds between 2,000 and 5,000 Hz [11]
- Dogs have their maximum sensitivity between 4,000 and 16,000 Hz [12]
Here too, the reasons are evolutionary. Most wolves' prey make noises at this pitch.
Image may be used under these guidelines.
In addition, dogs are much better at distinguishing different sounds from one another. You perceive about 8 different tones between the C and D of an octave.
The problem? Our voice is outside the sensitive range of dogs:
- Male voice: 85 – 180 Hz
- Female voice: 165 – 255 Hz [13]
Dogs therefore hear women better than men. The higher and louder you say commands, the more clearly dogs can perceive them.
Compared to humans, dogs perceive higher tones between 4-16 kHz many times louder. This means you can hear the everyday sounds of prey much more precisely. Humans, on the other hand, hear frequencies between 2-5 kHz best.
#5 Dogs are more likely to be deaf
Studies have shown that dogs are significantly more likely to be deaf from birth than humans.
To be more precise, a full 10.2% of all puppies are said to be affected. 8.2% of these are born deaf on one side and around 2% on both sides. [14]
According to statistics, only around 3% of people are affected. Around 1.1% are deaf on one side, the remaining 1.9% on both sides. [15]
Image may be used under these guidelines.
Basically, a single ear is sufficient to hear the sounds. However, both ears are necessary to localize sounds.
By the way, there are also a few breeds such as the “Rajapalayam” who are born deaf by nature and only develop the sense of hearing when they mature.
In addition, the likelihood of deafness varies greatly depending on race. According to studies, the following dogs are most commonly affected:
Dog BreedDeaf on one sideDeaf on both sidesTotal deafLouisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog17%22%39%Dalmatian21%7%28%Dogo Argentino21%6%27%Australian Cattle Dog12%3%15%English Setter10%2%12%Bul Terrier10%1%11%Boston Terrier5%4 %9%Jack Russell Terrier5%3%8%[16]
The following breeds have the best sense of hearing:
- Labrador retrievers
- German shepherd dog
- poodle
- American Cocker Spaniel
- Golden retrievers
- Boston terriers
- Chihuahuas
- Miniature Pinscher
- schnauzer
- French bulldog [17]
In the past, for a hearing test, dogs had to be trained to press a button when they heard a sound. Nowadays this is much easier with the “BAER” test.
By placing thin electrodes on the head, it is possible to test whether and how well a dog can hear completely automatically and painlessly.
On average, dogs are around 3.4 times more likely to suffer from deafness than humans. According to studies, one in ten dogs is said to be deaf in at least one ear. In humans, however, statistically only one in 33 people is affected.
These topics are also super exciting:
Most read articles:
- The 25 coolest inventions for dogs
- 31 original gift ideas for dog owners