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With all the focus on a dog’s sense of smell, it’s easy to forget the power of canine hearing.
Dogs can hear much better than humans – both high and low-pitched sounds. According to the American Kennel Club, while adult humans cannot hear sounds above 20,000 Hertz, your pooch can pick up sounds as high as 47,000 to 65,000 Hertz. In addition, dogs can detect sounds too soft for human ears.
Dog ears are truly amazing things! Here are some other tidbits about dog ears:
- Ever seen a dog become upset during a rainstorm? It’s probably the noise that’s the culprit. The sound of the pounding rain may be too loud for their ears.
- Dog ears have more than 18 muscles. That is twice as many as humans. (And anyone who has spent time with a dog knows that watching their ears is a good way to guess what they are thinking.)
- Ever wonder if your dog understands what you are saying? Researchers say dogs can understand up to 250 words and gestures.
- The British rock band The Beatles recorded a song in 1967 called “A Day in the Life” that contains a high-pitched whistle in the background that only dogs can hear.
- Dog ears can move independently of each other.
- The breed with the longest ears is the Bloodhound. (In fact, a world record once recorded at more than 13 inches!)
- Sometimes dogs seem to have a “sixth sense” like ESP. They can pick up on things before we humans. Their powerful sense of hearing may be the explanation. It’s even been linked to predicting earthquakes.
- Ironically, for all their hearing prowess, puppies are born deaf. Dogs’ ear canals are closed for the first week or two of life.
Yes, the physical abilities of our canine companions continue to astound us. With those supercharged ears, you can bet they hear every word you say.
Whether they actually listen to you, well, that’s another matter.
Until next time,
Hugs and Pug Kisses,
Candy
Sources and Links:
Dog Books: 101 Amazing Facts About Dogs by Jenny Kellet (2016)
10 Amazing Facts About Dog Ears · The Wildest
Sounds Only Dogs Can Hear: Higher Pitches Is Where They Shine (akc.org)
Can Dogs Predict Earthquakes? (akc.org)
Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash
