Dogs have 18 muscles controlling their ears

Fun Facts About Dog Ears!!

Your furry friend’s ears are not only adorable they are super interesting Dogs have 18 muscles controlling their ears Here are some fun facts about your dog’s ears!

Some dog breeds are bred for specific jobs , for example herding dogs like Sheepdogs. The sooner they can hear a predator or other danger approaching the more quickly they can herd the sheep to safety.
Dogs have the ability to move their ears independently , they can tilt, turn and raise them all which changes their facial expressions and can communicate what they are feeling. There is around 18 muscles in a dogs ears!
They show there emotions through their ear movements as well as move their ears to a position to better hear certain noises.
If your dog’s ears are upright and facing forward, he/she is engaged. If they are pulled back a bit he/she is feeling friendly. if the ears are tightly laid back against the dog’s head , they are feeling fearful or shy.
Another function of a dog’s ear is of course, balance! That is why when a dog has an ear infection you can usually tell as they lose their balance easily.
A Dog’s ear canal is shaped like an L.
Dogs can hear higher frequency than humans but not as high as cats.
Cocking his head may help your dog tune in sounds far off in the distance.
Did you know puppies are born deaf? When they are born their ear canals are still closed, they begin to hear at a few weeks old.
Dogs have the unique ability to filter out certain sounds while remaining alert to others. That is why they can hear a car pull up to your house over a loud TV.
A Bloodhound from St. Joseph Illinois, holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest ears! His name is Tigger and his right ear measures 12.75 inches and his left measures 13.5 inches! The reason Bloodhounds have very long ears to help direct scents to their sensitive noses.
Dogs ears never stop working because they can hear so many things we can’t! Even while we are asleep and all seems quiet, they are able to hear high- frequency noises such as the pulse from your alarm clock, electrical buzzing , even the vibrations of termites in the walls
Read More: Dogs encourage you to move

There are about a dozen different dog ear shapes

You knew that different dogs have different shaped ears, but did you know there were so many? has a great illustrated chart. Some shapes include:

Pricked ears, like on Malamutes or German Shepherds
Blunt or round ears, like on French Bulldogs
Bat ears, like on Corgis
Drop or pendant ears, like on Basset Hounds
Cocked or semi-pricked ears like on Collies or Shetland Sheepdogs
Rose ears, like on Greyhounds

1. They have more than a dozen muscles.

Dogs have at least 18 muscles that work to tilt, raise, and rotate their ears, which helps them identify and capture sounds from different directions.

2. They have a long, narrow ear canal.

Unlike humans who have a very short ear canal, dogs have a long, narrow ear canal that makes almost a 90° bend as it travels to the deeper parts of the ear.

3. Dogs with floppy ears may have more ear problems.

Compared to cats, dogs tend to have many more ear problems and — especially breeds with floppy ears, such as Basset Hounds, and dogs with cropped ears.

4. Dogs can hear nearly four times better than humans.

Your dog’s hearing ability is dependent on their breed and age, but the average hearing range is usually around Human hearing stretches from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (or 20 kHz), but most adults actually top out at 16k Hz.

5. They have a higher hearing frequency than humans.

Domestic dogs can hear significantly higher frequency sounds than humans, although not as high as cats. They also have a different acoustic perception of the world. Sounds that seem loud to people often have high-frequency tones that can scare dogs. Ultrasonic dog whistles have been used in dog training because they produce sounds at frequencies higher than those audible to humans but well within the range of a dog’s hearing. Even during the quiet hours of the night, the world is a noisy place for dogs, who can hear the high-frequency pulse of the crystal resonator used in digital alarm clocks and bodily vibrations of termites in nogs