According to her, dogs' ears will start to hurt if they hear high-pitched music.
Some sounds painful for dogs
Grigg said because dogs have a wider range of hearing, some noises could also be potentially painful to a dog's ears, such as very loud or high-frequency sounds.
Dogs recognize your voice above all others, as has been shown in fMRI brain scans. Parts of their brain light up when they hear their person's voice more than just random humans. It comforts them to hear your voice, and you can use singing to relax your dog when they are feeling some stress.
Howling along with your dog is totally fine! Its actually one of the few primordial things we can do together with our dogs. Your dog might howl with you out of instinct, to communicate, or maybe just for the fun as an extra bonding experience. If your dog doesn't howl back, it doesn't matter some just don't.
Many dogs howl when stimulated by certain high pitched sounds like sirens and music, or in response to another dog's vocalizations. Howling acknowledges that they hear the sound and express their readiness to respond or desire to join in the action.
However, new evidence suggests that they may prefer a bit of peace and quiet. Dogs get stressed and agitated when left on their own and are separated from their owner, and studies have suggested that classical music, or the radio, may help calm dogs down.
Dogs appear most calm when listening to classical music, reggae, and soft rock. In addition to genre and rhythm, variety is key. Dogs tend to tune out music they hear all the time. The relaxing effect declines once music turns into ambient noise.
Because howling is a form of communication, dogs may also respond to a human's howl. If your dog howls back at you, you should know it is acknowledging the noise you are making and replying with its own howl. According to Not a Bully, dogs may howl with their owners to mirror their behavior and reinforce social bonds.
Ignore your dog's attention-seeking howling
To avoid accidentally rewarding your dog when he howls, totally ignore him as soon as he starts making noise. Don't look at him, touch him or speak to him. Don't try to scold him either.
Dogs are good at reading us, and they usually know when we are being affectionate, such as when we kiss them. Because they love affection from us, most dogs do like being kissed. However, they don't like the act of being kissed but rather that we give them attention and show affection.
Experts in dog behavior believe that, in general, dogs do not like being embraced. However, every dog has a unique personality. Some may dislike hugs more strongly than others, and some may actually adore them. The closest thing our furry family members do to a hug is something referred to as 'standing over'.
So, why do dogs howl when they hear a siren, and do sirens hurt dogs' ears? Now you know that they're either trying to chase it away or alert you of its presence, and you can feel safe knowing that the loud sounds won't cause any damage to your pet's ears, either.
Since their ears are so sensitive, loud, percussive sounds can make dogs ears hurt. Anything over 85 dB is known to cause damage to a dog's hearing.
Noise above 70 dB over a prolonged period of time may cause damage to you or your dog's hearing. Noises over 120 dB can do damage immediately. Download a mobile decibel-reading app, like Sound Level Meter or Decibel Meter, to measure decibels.
The Danger Of Above 85 Decibels
Joshua Leeds, the president of BioAcoustic Research Inc., would say that anything above 85 decibels (dB) is too loud for dogs to hear as these sounds could cause hearing loss in dogs (source).
Licking is a natural and instinctive behaviour to dogs. For them it's a way of grooming, bonding, and expressing themselves. Your dog may lick you to say they love you, to get your attention, to help soothe themselves if they're stressed, to show empathy or because you taste good to them!
Asserting boundaries & defense. One of the major reasons why street dogs bark at night is also for dominance & defense. Loud barking, crying or howling are ways in which streeties mark and protect their boundaries against other dogs.
In addition to being close to you, your dog may often want to mirror your behavior as a form of familiarity, and howling is something that they can do very, very well.
To express emotional pain: Dogs may howl to express fear, anxiety or sadness, and to signal their desire for comfort, says Rover. Dogs with separation anxiety often howl when their caretakers leave them alone.
A dog tilts his head to show that he is engaged much the way a human would nod during a conversation to indicate that he is listening. Social dogs that enjoy human interaction usually tilt their heads more often to encourage the continuation of the conversation and prolong the human contact.
Dogs love their owners and would spend every minute of their day with them if it was up to them. When their owner leaves, it causes a lot of uncertainty, anxiety and sadness thus dogs vocalize it through cries in hopes their owner would return sooner.
The research found that while classical music had an initial calming effect on the dogs, after a few days they became bored. Instead, reggae and soft rock came out as the best genres for reducing stress, barking and heart rates.
A 2002 study conducted by animal behaviorist Dr. Deborah Wells confirmed the relaxing effect on dogs of classical music. In this study, the dogs spent more time resting and being quiet, and less time standing when exposed to classical music compared to heavy metal music, pop music, or conversation.