Dogs are sensitive animals. Sensitive to scents, taste, and hearing. They can hear sounds over 30 meters away. They can detect high-pitched sounds with a frequency range of 67-45,000 Hz, compared to a human range of 64-23,000 Hz.
What’s annoying to dogs is not just the volume but the pitch in the frequency. Any frequency above 25,000 Hz makes them uncomfortable, uneasy, and irritated. Such frequencies like sirens, fireworks, thunder, some electrical tones, get dogs to whine, whimper, and even hide away.
Perhaps, you’ve noticed some of these signs from your dog and wouldn’t want them whining again. Here are ten sounds that annoy your dog.
Fireworks
Fireworks, firecrackers, and explosion of rockets can cause adverse reactions to your dog for four reasons;
- They’re loud – acute blasts of sounds that are uncontrollable and can’t be tuned down will cause even humans to skip a beat.
- Unpredictable – the fear of the unknown makes some dogs cringe and hide once they hear the sound.
- Triggering- the continuous, rapid, and regular blasting of sounds can force the dog to get into a fight and flight mode as if there’s danger approaching.
- No escape – the last thing a dog wants is trouble they can’t fix
Fireworks can cause your dog to behave differently. From hiding behind furniture, tail between the legs, or covering the ears, the sounds cause them to be frightened, agitated, and uneasy.
The reactions could worse if the dog is diagnosed with noise phobia. The condition requires you to ease their fears and find a way to calm them during the state.
The Vacuum Cleaner
Any appliance that gives off a suction sound like the vacuum cleaner or a hair dryer seems unknown to them. This means they could hide away from it, or attack by barking at it or even biting it.
Vacuum cleaners unlike other machines have annoying persistent sounds that could tickle or tingle a dog’s eardrums.
If you notice the dog walking away from the sound, trying to push the object away, or even urinating upon hearing the sound. Then you know the sound is unpleasant to it.
Bubble Wrap
Bubble wraps like the ones you use when wrapping presents or house items during relocation have a pop sound as well. They may not be as loud as fireworks or explosions, but the tiny, consistent pop pop isn’t enjoyable for your dog.
Balloons
Balloons are just like fireworks, no one knows when they’ll pop. Besides the static feel balloons have, the moment the balloon bursts with gas, they become a piercing sound to the dog’s ears.
Remember they have very good hearing abilities, therefore, the sound will be more intense. The same goes for the next sound.
Thunder
Just before lightning strikes, there’s an earthshaking deep ominous sound called thunder. There may be those mild mild claps, but the sound can get worse in storms and heavy seasons.
The sound is unbearable to dogs and for most of them, the clapping sound of thunder makes them feel trapped and unable to get away.
They become afraid and could cling to you for protection. Others simply hide behind furniture, maybe under the bed, or bury their heads in pillows so they don’t hear the sky’s horrendous noise.
Emergency Service Sirens
This has to be a no-brainer seeing as even human beings are often afraid and frightened by the sound of alarms, especially emergency service sirens like from an ambulance, police car, search and rescue, or fire trucks.
The constant bickering of the sound as it transitions from one tone to another emanating a sound of urgency gives dogs chills as they get nervous, afraid, and sometimes more alert.
Several breeds of dogs like the Siberian Husky or the Alaskan Malamute can howl to also communicate with other dogs.
Washing Machine
The washing machine has a dreaded turning sound that’s like mushing and crunching at something. It’s annoying because water moves in a circular motion agitating the dog. As the canine can’t comprehend what is happening, they often cringe at the sound.
Screams
The thing about screams is that it can be perceived differently depending on the intonation. Sharp sounds with a high pitch can cause the dog to be more alert as they react to terror or fright.
Breeds trained in search and rescue, watching, or guard dogs may be motivated to find the source of the screams. This makes them more aggressive and agile.
Loud noises like a loud party, frantic sounds from a gathering also make them uneasy as it makes them unable to make up what is happening. Less common triggers from sounds can be a baby crying, loud coughs or sneezing, and things falling abruptly.
Too Much Noise from Electronic Devices
Along with the loud noises, electronic sounds and tones can also agitate your dog. Here, the main issue is volume. Playing sounds higher than usual can cause the dog to even run away in search of a cooler, more calm, and peaceful environment.
Playing loud tones from entertainment devices like the speaker, television, maybe a concert, or your phone’s alarm and ringtone can cause sensitivity in your dog’s ears making them uncomfortable.
This also applies to electronic collars that beep while on the neck of the dog. This is often a trigger and can cause your dog to have a phobia of other sounds.
Less beeping sounds may also annoy your dog like smoke alarms, home security system alarms, and timers like those used by bakers.
Car Traffic or Airplanes
While in traffic you will notice cars hooting and honking at each other. Several pitches and tones from the different car makes. Car alarm systems that randomly go off, or the crashing and screeching sound when and before an accident.
As for planes, before they take off, as they land, and while on the runway, they have a rather loud sound that could be uncomfortable for your pet.
Barking from Other Canines
It’s no lie that some dogs can bark at you with a deep throat barking sound. Your dog can be sensitive to different barking sounds probably from massive breeds like the Mastiff, or tiny Chihuahua barks that sound high pitched.
Check on which sound could be offsetting your pet and find a way to calm them down.
Sources
- https://www.timeforpaws.co.uk/s/7-noises-that-dogs-are-terrified-of
- https://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/high-frequencies-make-dogs-uncomfortable-6339.html
- https://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/8-more-things-humans-do-annoy-dogs/79537
- https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/dog-sensitive-to-noise/
- https://www.petmd.com/dog/behavior/scary-sounds-understanding-noise-phobia-dogs
