Dogs have far greater hearing than we humans. In addition to what the human ear can hear, he can detect fainter sounds from greater distances and on much higher frequencies. The human ear has a frequency upper limit of about 20,000 cycles, while the dogs range can be as high as 50,000 cycles. Dogs are able to determine the direction a sound is coming from much more accurately than we can, and can differentiate between similar sounds better also. Breeds with erect ears have better hearing than those with floppy ears due to their sound capturing ability.

Because dogs clearly distinguish different pitches, the tone of your voice and commands is as significant to him as the words that you pronounce. Since he responds most quickly to sharp sounds, you will find it easier to get a puppy to come when called if you reinforce your voice command with a whistling or hand-clapping at first. Instructions such as STOP should always be sharper in tone than ordinary communications. Any unexpected or unusual voice will alert a dog. His immediate reaction is to face the direction of the sound and then approach the spot warily.

Dogs perceive sound by feeling as well as through their auditive equipment. They react to vibrations of airplanes and earthquakes long before we are aware of them. Continued sharp or percussive noises can cause real suffering for a dogs sensitive hearing. A dog may seem to have a pathological fear of thunderstorms or explosives, when the real reason for his cringing behavior is simply physical pain. Oddly enough, given their sensitive hearing, dogs seldom suffer from vertigo, which begins in the inner ear.