Dogs Don’t Have a Sixth Sense, They Just Have Incredible Hearing

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High-Pitched Sounds

Dogs excel in high-pitched sounds, hearing up to 47,000-65,000 Hz, while humans are limited to 20,000 Hz.

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"Dogs excel at detecting high-frequency sounds and hearing extremely soft noises, measured in decibels (dB), including those inaudible to humans."

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Dogs hear 3k-12k Hz sounds at -5 to -15 dB, more sensitive than humans. Above 12k Hz, their sensitivity surpasses ours.

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Wired for Prey

Predatory heritage: Dogs excel at high-pitched sounds for hunting. Humans prioritize human voice due to cooperative evolution.

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Dogs' sensitivity to high-pitched sounds explains their abilities: predicting earthquakes, anticipating arrivals, and being distressed by loud noises.

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Other Differences

Humans hear up to 2,000 Hz, ideal for speech, while dogs hear up to 8,000 Hz, advantageous for hunting. Different ears, different abilities.

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Dogs excel in frequency discrimination, detecting minute differences, while humans outperform them in sound localization accuracy.

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Testing a Dog’s Hearing

BAER test determines dog's hearing by measuring brain's electrical activity in response to sounds played through earphones. Quick and painless.

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Dogs can lose hearing due to age or ear infection. BAER test helps assess hearing loss. Communication through body language and signals is possible, and high-pitched sounds may still be detected.

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