Dog hearing test
Play tones from low rumbles up to the edge of human hearing and watch how your dog reacts. Dogs hear far higher than we do — this shows you the frequencies they catch that you can’t, and lets you find where your own ears give out.
Dog hearing vs. human hearing
Humans hear roughly 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Dogs hear from about 40 Hz up to 45,000–65,000 Hz — more than an octave higher at the top end. They’re also far more sensitive in the 3,000–12,000 Hz band, picking up faint high sounds we miss entirely. That’s the range where a smoke-alarm chirp, a rodent, or “silent” electronics live.
How it works
- 1Tap a tone and watch your dog — ears perking or a head turn means they hear it.
- 2Work upward: find the highest tone you can still hear (it drops with age).
- 3Notice your dog reacting to tones you can barely hear, or can’t.
- 4Use the rising sweep to gently scan the whole range at once.
Frequently asked questions
Roughly 40 Hz to 45,000–65,000 Hz, depending on breed and age — well beyond the human ceiling of about 20,000 Hz. Dogs are especially sensitive between 3,000 and 12,000 Hz.
Yes, by more than an octave at the top. That’s why dog whistles and many electronics that seem silent to us are clearly audible to dogs.
No — it’s a demonstration limited by your speaker, which usually can’t exceed ~20 kHz. For a genuine hearing assessment, vets use a BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) test.
Their upper hearing range extends far past ours, and they’re more sensitive to faint high-frequency sounds. Rodents, insects, distant alarms and “ultrasonic” pest repellers are all in their range.
At a moderate volume, yes. Avoid high volumes and prolonged high tones, which can be uncomfortable. Stop if your dog seems distressed rather than curious.
From what they hear to what they say
BarkScope measures the sounds your dog makes — pitch, tone and voice quality — and tracks them over time. Your first recording is free.
●Try BarkScope free