Understanding How Useful A Dogs Sense Of Hearing Touch Really Is

Dogs rely on their powerful senses in order to communicate and pick up information from their surroundings. When most people think about a dog's strongest sense, the first thing that comes to mind is their sense of smell. However, hearing is another powerful tool that a dog uses to gather information.

Some dogs have a much stronger sense of hearing than others. In fact, their sense of hearing can be so strong that noises can actually hurt their ears. For example, my adult Chihuahua literally darts to the other side of the room every time I turn on the stereo or television. At first I thought that he was just startled easily but after doing a bit of research and talking to my veterinarian, I realized that he just had a very sensitive hearing ability and could not handle loud noises well. He was also terrified of thunder because of how loud it was to him.

If you fear that your dog has a sound sensitivity problem and is experiencing high anxiety levels because of it, then you may want to have him checked out by your veterinarian. Although there is no quick remedy that will desensitize your dog's hearing (and you shouldn't want to), you can take strides in being more careful with the noises that are around your home when your dog is near.

Touch Sensitivity

A dog's sense of touch is also very important and is one of the greatest tools of communication when it comes to dog training and obedience. With a dog, he has a certain threshold of discomfort that is measured by only two things. These two things are his “touch sensitivity” and the second is whatever outside activity is going at that particular moment.

In order to properly train your dog you need to know what equipment to use and more importantly you need to have an approximate measure of your dog's touch sensitivity. This is a key issue and is the direct reason why some dog owners cannot seem to train their dogs to obey certain commands. These owners end up being too physical with their dog and end up crossing that threshold of discomfort which makes their dogs extremely uncomfortable and irritable.

Another interesting tidbit of information in regards to a dog's touch sensitivity is that their discomfort threshold levels typically seem to be breed-specific. For example, look at the St. Bernard. These amazing animals can cover great distances in cold terrain. On the other hand, using my Chihuahua as an example, this little critter has a tough time walking in the rain. Although these two examples are extreme towards one another, it gives you an idea of just how different discomfort thresholds and touch sensitivity can exist in different dog breeds.