Summer is wonderful, but it does come with a lot of thunderstorms. Those booms are enough to cause a dog afraid of thunder to cower in a corner. Unlike many other loud noises, there is nothing you can do to stop a thunderstorm from occurring. How can you help your dog? Let’s explore what makes a dog afraid of thunder and what you can do to calm your dog.
The Terrifying Sound Of Thunder
Did you know that a thunderclap can be as loud as 120 dB or more (source)? That is really loud! How loud is it? Let’s compare it to the levels of a few other familiar noises:
- Live Rock Music – 114 dB
- Riveting Machine – 110 dB
- Motorcycle – 100 dB
- Food Blender – 88 dB
- Vacuum Cleaner – 70 dB
Each increment of 10 dB represents a sound that is a tenfold increase in sound energy. So, a sound that is 20 dB is ten times as loud of a sound as 10 dB is. Depending on how far away the lightening is from you and your dog, that thunder can be one of the loudest sounds you will ever hear. It is important to understand this to know what makes a dog afraid of thunder.
What Makes Your Dog Afraid Of Thunder?
It is not uncommon to find a dog afraid of thunder. Why? Let’s take a step back. While human hearing is gear towards hearing one another speak, a dog’s hearing is geared towards hearing small prey in the wilderness. Just imagine the quiet sounds that a squirrel makes when rustling in the brush. That is what your dog is listening for!
Dogs can hear sounds that are as quiet as -15 dB and as high pitched as 65,000 Hz (source). For comparison, a human can hear sounds as quiet as 0 dB and as high pitched as 20,000 Hz. A dog’s hearing is far more sensitive than ours.
Any sound over 85 dB can be damaging to your dog’s hearing (source). So why is your dog afraid of thunder? Thunder is not only sudden and shocking, but loud enough to damage your dog’s hearing! It’s not always about just one thunderclap, but rather the repeated exposure to such loud sounds over time.
Helping Dogs With Thunderstorm Anxiety
There are many available solutions for a dog afraid of thunder. Many of them rely on comforting pressure or making your dog feel sleepy. Please be very careful with medications as they can have side effects that you don’t want for your dog. Very few solutions go straight to the source – the loud sound that thunder makes.
Our dog earplugs help to protect your dog’s sensitive hearing from loud noises like thunder. With a Noise Reduction Rating of 31 dB, our dog earplugs buffer down loud noises to the level of a quiet conversation. That helps to protect your dog’s hearing as well as give your dog a sense of calm.
Making The Best of Summer
You may not be able to stop the thunderstorms from coming, but you can prepare to help a dog afraid of thunder. Our CrittEar Calm dog earplugs come in a convenient 3-pack. This allows you to have a pair of dog earplugs for your home, your purse, and your car. They fit easily into a pocket too! Enjoy your summer adventures wherever they lead you. CrittEar Calm can go with you and help you through those pop up thunderstorms.
