You've probably experienced a dog wagging its tail at the door even though the person who was greeted minutes later was nowhere to be seen or heard. It's well known that dogs have better hearing than humans. But did you also know that your dog can block out certain sounds?
Basically, a dog's ear is similar in structure to a human ear: it consists of an outer, middle, and inner ear. However, there are significant differences in three areas: selective hearing, radar mode, and frequency perception.
Imagine there's a lot of commotion at home. The children are running around the room, the phone is ringing, but you let it ring because you're getting ready to go out tonight. Your dog is lying in his basket, pretty tired after his walk, and soon he's snoring peacefully. Everything is sorted, you're dressed, the kids know what to do, and Fido is still sleeping peacefully. You reach for your keys and in a flash, your alert dog is standing next to you, wagging his tail and looking at you happily. He thinks you're going out again. He can't miss that!
This example clearly illustrates a dog's ability to hear selectively: dogs are able to block out even very loud noises and sounds. However, they are always aware of other noises, no matter how quiet they may be. Your dog may even have "favorite noises" that it has stored in its memory. The soft jingle of keys probably means "let's go out together" to him. Maybe it's the sound of a can being opened, because he associates it with food. Or the sound of your car when you come home, because that means his favorite pack leader is coming back – and he's already waiting expectantly at the door before you've even entered the house.
There are even more impressive things to say about your dog's hearing. Imagine you are walking through the city with your dog. It is busy: traffic, people, lots of noise and hustle and bustle. Then you hear sirens. The police or an ambulance seem to be on call. You want to know what is going on. Where is the noise coming from, and what exactly is going on? You turn your head from side to side to try to locate the sound. As a human with good hearing, you are 80 percent accurate in locating the source of the noise. Your dog can do better. It can point its ears like satellite dishes, and even do so independently of each other. Your dog's head remains still while its ears filter out different sounds. One ear can focus on one sound, while the other can listen to you at the same time if necessary. Dogs with erect ears are naturally better at this art of hearing than dogs with floppy ears, where the sound is somewhat muffled by the hanging part. But hearing experts remain hearing experts.
The comparison between dogs and humans is also very interesting in terms of frequency perception. Dogs hear about 100 million times better than we do. We can hear low frequencies, or deep tones, just as well as they can. But when it comes to high frequencies, our animal companions beat us hands down. They can hear sounds that we cannot even detect. The specialization of their hearing certainly has to do with their history and ancestors: wolves, who not only needed a good nose in the forest, but also had to locate sounds in order to find their dinner. The use of a dog whistle clearly demonstrates dogs' good hearing in the upper frequency ranges. The dog reacts, but humans don't even hear a sound.
A little care is important to ensure that your dog can hear well. A dog's ear canal is very long. Certain glands in the ear produce earwax. A healthy dog's ears clean themselves, so superficial cleaning is usually sufficient. Please do not poke around in your dog's ear canal with cleaning sticks. Ear cleaning wipes are available, or you can simply use a warm, damp cloth to gently clean the outer ear. With long-haired dogs, it is sometimes necessary to trim the hair on the ear that grows inward.
During grooming, you will certainly notice if there is increased discharge, crusting, or an unpleasant odor from your dog's ears. In this case, please take your dog to a veterinarian. A prolonged ear infection can quickly cause serious damage. Your dog's hearing is important, and earaches can be very uncomfortable and painful for them. For dogs with ears that require special care, your veterinarian can also provide you with a medical rinsing solution that you can use according to their instructions.
Also, always pay attention to your dog's behavior: Does he scratch his head often, especially his ears? Does he press his head to the ground frequently? Does he hold his head at an angle or is he very sensitive to touch around his ears? If you notice any of these symptoms, take your dog to the vet for a check-up so that any problems can be identified and treated early on.
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