• Question: Why can dogs hear higher noises than humans?

    Asked by lisaloo to Claire, Matt, Rob, Sam on 26 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Sam Geen

      Sam Geen answered on 26 Jun 2013:

      They have better ears! Dogs are hunting animals so they have better smell and hearing to find prey.

    • Photo: Claire Lee

      Claire Lee answered on 26 Jun 2013:

      Their ears can pick up vibrations at a higher frequency than humans can.

      Even with humans, our ears differ. As we get older the range of frequencies that we can hear decreases. As for me, I have discovered that I can pick up sounds higher than most people can hear, but I lose out on the low frequency spectrum – a great annoyance for my husband if he is mumbling to me from the other side of the house!

Comments

  • Photo: Sam

    Sam commented on :

    So certain grumpy shopkeepers have installed systems that make very high pitched sounds – adult shoppers can’t hear it, but it stops groups of children hanging around because it make a continuous annoying whine.