Is your dog frightened by the loud noise it hears recently?. If so, you will need noise canceling headphones for dogs to help keep them calm.
These headphones will protect the dog’s sensitive ears from hearing damage and I am sure you don’t want that to happen to your good friend. A dog can lose its hearing just like us human beings.
According to research conducted in the UK and published in the Applied Animal Behaviour Science in 2013, the findings were that 49% of dog owners indicated that their dog responded fearfully to loud noises.
Loud noises such as fireworks, gunshots, thunder, cars backfiring and other loud noise.
Quick Preview of Best Noise Canceling Headphones/Earmuffs for Dogs and Pets
Signs that Your Dog Needs Headphones for Noise Protection
Here are signs of a problem in your dog when they hear a loud noise. If you repeatedly notice these signs whenever there is loud noise around, then it is time to take action to protect their hearing.
- Trembling or shaking
- Panting or drooling
- Hiding
- Whining or barking
- Following you closely/seeming clingy
- Pacing or appearing restless
- Cowering
- Appearing hypervigilant (continuously looking around as if danger is nearby)
- Attempting to escape or chewing on furniture, walls, or crate
There might be other signs not listed here. however, if you notice one or more of these signs whenever there is a loud sound. It might mean your dog is noise aversed. You will need to take action.
Buying Guide on Noise Canceling Headphones/earmuffs for Dogs
When it comes to selecting headphones for dogs, there are a couple of factors you need to look at before you make a purchase. Dog headphones are limited compared to humans.
You need a pair that fit well on the dog and with no dangling wires that it can easily chew off or destroy the earmuff completely. Even though we train our dogs, but it is still an animal that has animal instincts.
Design
The design should be canine-friendly, the earbuds should be foam-filled and wide so that they can offer a maximum level of comfort.
Passive or Active Noise Canceling Headphones/Earmuffs
Passive noise canceling headphones use soundproof foam material as its design to block out a certain amount of noise from hitting the ear canal. The amount of noise reduction that the earphones have will depend on the noise blocking ability of the material used.
Most Earmuffs uses this design to dampen external noise.
Active Noise canceling headphones operate differently. Like they use active electronic components in the circuitry of the microphone, the headphones circuitry, and the amplifier.
Active noise canceling headphones work by generating an opposite signal that is able to cancel the noise signal been received from the background environment.
Adjustable straps
These straps help move around the headphones for optimum fit. Lastly, the headphones you choose should be engineered to properly meet the curve of your dog head.
Lightweight and comfortable
The more lightweight the earmuffs, the better your pet friend will feel comfortable. They need to sit well on their ears and allow it to move around without any difficulties. So use earphones that are portable to carry around.
Best Noise Canceling Headphones for Dogs
These are the best noise canceling headphones for pets that you can use to protect their hearing from very loud noise in any environment.
1. Mutt Muffs DDR337 Earmuffs for Dogs
The Mutt Muffs earmuffs come in different sizes consisting of x-small, small, medium, large and extra-large. You select the size according to how big your dog is. There are also four vibrant colors to choose from including; black, pink, red and blue.
You will choose depending on your preference and what you think your dog might like.
whether you are at the range, the concert, in the plane or at the races, these animals earmuffs are any dog’s companion against excessive loud noise.
Like I stated in the buying guide, these headphones are specifically designed for animals such as dogs and they employ passive noise canceling technology.
Check Current Price on AmazonThey use passive noise reduction to guard against hearing damage but not necessarily eliminate the noise. A sound reduction foam is used inside the ear cups to block out excessive loud noises and reduce the noise levels to a normal listening sounds that the pets can bear.
A side note: the manufacturer of the Mutt Muffs earmuffs do not recommend them for fireworks or thunderstorms.
Because they are designed with the pets in mind, a lot of considerations were taken into account to ensure your dog has maximum comfort when wearing these over the ear hearing protection.
When selecting the size of these headphones for your dog, you need to measure the overall circumference area of your dog’s head at the largest point to best determine the right size of earmuffs to select.
A mistake in this measurement could result in a larger size or smaller size that might not seal your dog’s ears well against his head and this can affect the sound reduction properties of the device.
There is another factor that comes into play as well. The dog’s own ear flaps are down and covering the ear canal, providing yet another layer of protection, better even than placing your hands over your own ears.
Your dog’s weight is also a fair indicator of which size to choose.
You may be wondering, what is the dB rating of the earmuffs?. Based on the materials used in these headphones, it is estimated that there is a noise reduction rating between 25 dB and 28 dB assuming they are a proper fit and have a good seal around your pup’s head.
These dog earmuffs are especially effective at protecting against high-frequency sounds.
2. Happy Hoodie
A happy dog is a happy owner. The Happy Hoodie is not necessarily dog ear headphones, but rather a hoodie that has noise compression capabilities. This hoodie is specifically been designed for dogs to help in reducing excessive external noise.
This Happy Hoodie has a swaddling effect that brings comfort and calms to the pets when they wear it. Do you know that you can actually use the hoodie with the dog headphones above, this will increase the levels of noise reduction.
See Price on AmazonLet’s say maybe, the noise is extremely loud and the headphones alone is not enough, you can choose to wear the pup, first, the hoodie, which already has noise reduction ability and then wears the pup the earmuffs and adjust it accordingly to cover the ears properly.
This way, the level of noise reduction will increase. Only do this, if you feel the dog is still not comfortable after wearing it the hoodie or the headphones alone.
In order to accommodate dogs of all sizes and all dog breeds, the package contains both large and small hoodies. Larger dogs such as the Mastiff can use the large hoodie and medium to smaller breeds such as the Schnauzer, Cocker, Shih Tzu, etc and even cats can make use of the smaller hoodie.
The hoodies are washable in case they get dirty. You just simply wash it and dry it for another use.
3. Zoni Pets, LLC Happy Hoodie
The Zoni Pets Happy Hoodie is just like the Happy Hoodie function-wise. They are two colors to choose from namely; black and white colors. There are two sizes included in the package as well consisting of large and small.
They work just like the Happy Hoodie by creating a slight compression and swaddling around the dog or pet ears in order to calm and comfort the pet.
See Price on AmazonWith both a small and large hoodie, the Zoni Pets hoodie will work for virtually any type of dog breed and may even fit cats. It’s easy to use, cost-effective, long-lasting, and fully machine washable without causing any loss in compression over time.
Actually, professional groomers often keep a couple of pairs on hand in order to make grooming anxiety more tolerable.
Wondering how these hoodies might be different from the Happy Hoodie I just mentioned above? well, the difference is material used in making the hoodie. The Zoni Pets hoodie is made with a slightly thicker, softer, cross-stitched fabric. This makes the Zoni hoodie provide much more consistent compression over the dog’s head.
What I found out upon long hours of research on this product is that many customers use the Zoni hoodie as an after-care product due to dog ear infection.
If your dog is prone to scratching their irritated ears, the gentle compression helps to both relieve anxiety and protect sensitive ear canals.
What Causes Sound Sensitivity and Aversion in Dogs?
Just like how some humans are more sensitive than others, dogs experience the same too. Dogs having noise sensitivity or aversion could stem from different factors. This includes genetic and environmental factors.
Noise sensitivity may be caused by a traumatic experience that some dogs when through which might have affected negatively. Some punishments or certain actions against a dog may have created their repulsion against similar sounds.
The average adult human cannot hear sounds above 20,000 Hertz (Hz) while dogs hear sounds as high as 65,000 Hz. Consistent, high pitched noises that you can’t even perceive may be a source of physical pain.
If your pet friend has also suffered some form of illness such as ear infection, it might also cause them to have a sound aversion. because their ears will be a little more sensitive than normal. Wearing an earmuff will protect their sensitive ears.
If your dog is suffering from an ear infection, it is recommended that you first take them to the veterinary before taking any action for treatment.
Noise phobias can affect dogs of any age, breed, gender, or neutering status. Results from an Internet survey published in the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association in 2001 indicated that herding breeds such as German shepherd dogs and border collies seem to be more susceptible to developing this condition.
Why Use Noise Canceling Headphones?
Your friend needs hearing protection and care in noisy environments. One of the best ways to protect them is to have them wear a noise reduction headgear to protect their sensitive ears.
There is no better way of taking care of their hearing from sounds such as shooting, fireworks, etc than to get them hearing protection headphones for pets.
Can Dogs Use Human Headphones?
This is a very common question many people have been asking. Maybe is because they have seen dogs wearing humans headphones on videos and stuff.
Yes, dogs can hear the music that they are listening to through your headphones but as to whether it makes sense to them will be a different answer.
You will probably have seen your pet moving its head up and down and wagging its tail. This is to help you know that it is hearing the sound. But, it can’t make up the sound and in its attempt to do so, you will see it nodding the head.
On the other hand, if the music sound is not pleasant to your friend’s ears, it will react by barking, moving anxiously, and probably try removing the headphones from its ears.
Well, if your experiment playing music on your dog’s ears isn’t going well, just remove them immediately.
It is not even advisable to be putting your headphones with music on your dog’s ears.
There are reasons why you shouldn’t be putting your noise canceling headphones on your dogs ears.
- Dogs have more sensitivity than humans.
Your dog friend can hear a lot more frequencies that you can and as such, their hearing is more sensitive. The music that might not be hurting your ears, will hurt theirs.
- Dog ear muscles are different from your ear muscles.
The anatomy of your pup ears is different from yours and putting your headphones on its, will damage the muscles in the long round. Therefore, it’s not good to be using headphones with music on the dog ears.
How Come My Dog can Stil Hear Me While Wearing the Headphones
Even though the title said noise canceling headphones, but there are no noise canceling headphones specifically designed for dogs yet. However, there are hearing protection earmuffs that provide passive noise reduction in decibels.
These earmuffs do not eliminate noise but rather reduce the noise levels that are getting to the dog’s ears.
So, now to answer your question, Yes, your dog can still hear you while wearing the earmuffs and this is because the headphones passively reduce dangerous noise to an acceptable noise level that does not damage the dog hearing.
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There is a certain amount of sound getting to the dog ears and it can hear you.
Are there Noise Canceling headphones for Dogs?
Not really. None that I and aware of yet. But there are noise reduction headphones/earmuffs for dogs and pets. These earmuffs work by reducing the level of noise reaching the dog ears but not eliminating it like active noise canceling headphones do.
These dog ear headphones use passive noise reduction methods by reducing the impact of the sound on the pet ears by blocking or absorbing the sound of the sound energy, especially high frequencies.
If unless you want to use your own headphones for the dog which is not also recommended.
Other Ways You Can Care for Your Dog
There are also many steps you can take to control exposure to loud noises or reduce their intensity to help your pet feel more comfortable.
- Avoid Triggers
If you have noticed that anytime your dog hears loud fireworks or you should be bringing it closer to where there is a fireworks display. Don force it either into a thunderstorm outside just because you feel by doing so, it will get used to it. It might just grow more aversion towards it.
- If Possible Remove or Modify Triggers
You should encourage your dog to stay in a soundproof area during loud sounds and try to soundproof a safe spot for it to stay in. You can sound insulate by installing acoustic tiles to muffle the sounds.
You can even play competing sounds from TV, use a white noise fan or machine to create an ambient environment to help it feel safe and less anxious.
- Comfort the Dog
Try to be home or have someone stay with your dog during a loud noise event. There is no evidence that proves comforting or ignoring your dog makes the situation worse or helps.
- Use Medication
The goal of using medication is to reduce the intensity of your dog’s fear and anxiety. These medications should be used in combination with a behavior modification plan outlined by your veterinarian
Final Words
Noise canceling headphones for dogs and pets is an incredible way to protect your pup from hearing damage. These earmuffs and hoodies are able to reduce those explosive high noise levels that might be coming from fireworks, shooting, thunderstorms and other external loud noises.
By wearing your pet these protective gear, you will be able to reduce barking, anxiety, and some of the uncomfortable feeling that comes with the hearing excessive loud noise.
Your dog has a more sensitive ear than you, therefore don’t dismiss them if you notice that they reacting unusually to certain levels of noise.
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Was wondering if noise reduction headphones would work for service dog. I have really rude neighbors. Have repeatedly called property manager and police.She leaves when she hears me call. Can you recommend a product? Dragon is about 71lbs and has body head.
That was boxy.