How Far Can Dogs Hear?

Dogs have an impressive ability to hear sounds that are far beyond the range of human perception. Their acute sense of hearing allows them to detect noises at great distances, making them highly attuned to their surroundings. Whether it’s the faint rustle of leaves or the distant call of another animal, dogs can pick up sounds that often go unnoticed by us. This keen sense is one of the many remarkable traits that make dogs such attentive and responsive companions.

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What is a dog’s hearing range?

You may have seen your dog pop up from a deep sleep, suddenly alert and focused on something you can’t see or hear. While it’s always possible that your house is haunted, it’s more likely your dog is reacting to a sound that you can’t hear. This could make you wonder, How far away can a dog hear?

The ability to hear something depends on a number of factors, such as:

• Loudness: Louder sounds are heard more easily, even if they are very brief or very distant.

• Pitch: The pitch, or frequency, of a sound affects its ability to be picked up and processed by the ear. Low-pitched sounds (think the bass from a car driving by) travel farther in air than high-pitched sounds.

• Length: Sounds usually need to last 100 to 200 milliseconds to be heard, but the loudness of a sound may shorten this time to as low as one millisecond.

• Content: Dogs and humans both prioritize sounds important to their survival. Dogs are more reactive to cries in the frequency range created by puppies than they are to those in the range of human babies, even if the cries themselves are the same.

• Distance: The strength of sound falls off over distance. A dog will react to a command given from 20 feet away but will not hear that same command spoken at the same volume a mile away.

So, can dogs hear better than humans? Assuming appropriate ear health, anatomy, and nervous system function, it seems like dogs may be able to hear sounds of the same loudness at a distance about four times greater than a human can. This varies based on the pitch though. It seems that dogs perceive low-frequency sounds at about the same sensitivity as people but can hear high-frequency sounds from further away.

Although much research has been done into dogs’ ability to hear different pitches and localize the location a sound is coming from, not as much effort has gone into figuring out the distance at which sounds are audible. This means that the data for this is not as strong as it is for other aspects of hearing.

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How does dog hearing work?

Dog hearing works similar to many other animal species. Hearing is incredibly complex, but the basics process follows this path:

• Sound reaches the outer ear, which is shaped in a way that it collects sound waves and directs down the ear canals into the middle ear.

• The tympanic membrane (ear drum) sits between the outer ear and middle ear. It helps to transfer vibrations to the middle ear and protect the structures within. The middle ear helps to amplify sounds and pass them through the tiny auditory bones to vibrate the oval window.

• The oval window separates the middle ear from the inner ear. The vibrations pass through the fluid within the inner ear and stimulate miniscule hair cells that convert the sound into electrical signals.

• These signals are transmitted by cranial nerve VIII to the brain, where they are processed and perceived as sound.

Having two ears helps dogs to localize sound. The slight differences in loudness and timing of the sound picked up by each ear are registered in the brain. This gives a 3-D idea of the distance and direction the noise originated from. Dogs can distinguish the source of sounds as little as 7.5 degrees apart.

Dog hearing frequency range

Dog hearing has been tested extensively over the years. Although the results have varied a bit, it seems that the lower limit of pitches that dogs perceive is around 65 hertz. Dogs can hear a wide range of pitches, with sounds up to at least 45 kilohertz being perceptible. One study found that dogs may be able to hear up to 60 kilohertz. Being able to hear very high-pitched sounds likely helps them hunt small prey.

Dog hearing vs. human hearing

It’s pretty well known that dogs can hear much more high-pitched sounds than people can, which can lead to your dog getting worked up about noises you can’t hear. Humans have been reported to hear sounds as low as 16 hertz, though sounds beneath 30 hertz may be felt more heard. This means that people can hear low bass sounds better than dogs can.

Dogs significantly outstrip people in high-frequency hearing though. Human hearing caps out around 20 kilohertz, about half to a third of the frequency a dog can hear. Mid-to-high–frequency hearing worsens with age in both dogs and people. A dog’s hearing in the 8-32 kilohertz range starts to decline at around eight to ten years of age.

Another difference in hearing between dogs and people is sound localization. People are actually better at localizing the source of a sound than dogs are. While dogs can accurately locate a sound within about 7.5 degrees, humans have an accuracy of about two degrees. So, humans are a little better at pinpointing the location of a sound, while dogs can hear a wider range of sounds.

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Sounds only dogs can hear

What sounds can dogs hear that people can’t? Sounds that are in the ultrasonic range for people may be perceptible to dogs. Some things may create noises that you can’t hear but your dog can, such as:

• Dog whistles

• Electric motors (vacuum cleaners, power drills)

• Ultrasonic pest repellers

• Small rodents

• Bats

• Electronics

• Earthquakes

While the quiet, high-pitched noises created by rodents may just alert your dog to something you can’t hear, loud noises can cause problems. Dogs often react with fear or signs of anxiety when a loud, persistent high-pitched sound is encountered. Your dog isn’t angry at the vacuum cleaner because it’s bulky and weird; they’re mad because it’s screaming at them.

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What factors affect hearing in dogs?

Because hearing is so complex, a number of factors can affect a dog’s ability to hear. Some of these are present from birth, while others develop over a dog’s life.

Dog size

In general, smaller animals hear pick up on higher frequencies than larger animals. Dogs of all sizes react with similar speed to sound, but it’s possible that small dogs may pick up on higher pitched sounds better than large dogs. This difference is unlikely to be significant in a dog’s day-to-day life though.

Ear size and shape

The conformation and size of a dog’s ears make some difference in the loudness of sound that can be picked up on. Flappy ears may dull sounds a little bit, but even dogs with long, droopy ears can still hear well. Cropping a dog’s ears lessens their ability to hear and locate the source of sounds. Please, never crop your dog’s ears.

Breed

Some breeds are prone to partial or complete deafness. Some of the breeds in which deafness from birth is most common include:

• Dalmatians (up to 30 percent are born deaf)

• Bull Terriers

• English Setters

• English Cocker Spaniels

• Australian Cattle Dogs

• Dapple Dachshunds

Age

Puppies are born with their ear canals closed. The canals open at around twelve to fourteen days of age, and hearing abilities progressively improve until pups are about eight weeks old. Hearing sensitivity naturally begins to fall off when about eight to ten years old.

Health

Ear infections are one of the most common conditions affecting hearing in dogs. Dogs with chronic otitis can have thickening or scarring of their ear canals, affecting the way sounds are transmitted through the ear. Middle or inner ear infections can damage the delicate structures that help sound information reach the brain. Trauma, cancer, and inflammatory diseases can all affect the areas of the brain that process sound as well.

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FAQs:

How sensitive are dogs to noise?

Dogs can be sensitive to loud or persistent noises. Because dogs can hear high-pitched sounds that people can’t, your dog may react negatively to something you can’t perceive. Try to find out what’s causing your dog’s reaction and turn it off.

What noises stress dogs out?

Any noise can stress a dog out. Dogs seem most sensitive to very loud, sudden, or persistent noises, but even quiet noises can cause stress if your dog wants to investigate it and can’t find the source.

References:

• ‌“Engineering Acoustics/Outdoor Sound Propagation - Wikibooks, Open Books for an Open World.” Wikibooks.org, 2018, en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Engineering_Acoustics/Outdoor_Sound_Propagation.

• ‌Kemper, Debra L., et al. “Canine Brainstem Auditory Evoked Responses Are Not Clinically Impacted by Head Size or Breed.” Physiology & Behavior, vol. 110-111, Feb. 2013, pp. 190–197, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.12.006. Accessed 31 Mar. 2020.

• ‌Root-Gutteridge, Holly, et al. “Effect of Pitch Range on Dogs’ Response to Conspecific vs. Heterospecific Distress Cries.” Scientific Reports, vol. 11, no. 1, 5 Oct. 2021, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-98967-w. Accessed 16 Sept. 2022.

• Simpson, Barbara Sherman. “Canine Communication.” Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, vol. 27, no. 3, 1 May 1997, pp. 445–464, www.vetsmall.theclinics.com/article/S0195-5616(97)50048-9/abstract, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0195-5616(97)50048-9.

• ter Haar, G., et al. “Effects of Aging on Brainstem Responses to Toneburst Auditory Stimuli: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study in Dogs.” Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, vol. 22, no. 4, July 2008, pp. 937–945, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2008.0126.x.‌