Quick Answer
Humans typically begin losing the ability to hear high-frequency sounds from their late twenties onward, often without noticing. A dog whistle produces sounds between around 16,000 and 22,000 Hz, well within a dog’s range but beyond what many adults can detect. If high-pitched sounds have quietly disappeared from your world, a FREE Hearing Screening at angli-EAR Hearing is a good place to start.
A note from Teddy. Golden Retriever. Pawdiologist.
Mummy was sorting through the recycling bin last Tuesday when she found an old lanyard with a small silver whistle on the end. She raised it to her lips and blew. Nothing happened, as far as she could tell. Her niece, upstairs, shouted down asking what the horrible noise was. My brother Buddy and I both sat bolt upright. I almost dropped my tennis ball!
It was a dog whistle. Mummy simply could not hear it. And as the resident Pawdiologist, I thought this deserved some explanation.
What frequencies do humans lose first?
The high ones go first. Sounds above 8,000 Hz begin to fade for many people in their thirties and forties, with the loss gradually creeping downward. The consonants that give speech its clarity, sounds like ‘s’, ‘f’ and ‘th’, sit right in the range that tends to be affected. Which is why conversations can start to sound muffled even when the volume is fine.
Noise exposure plays a role too. The hair cells inside the cochlea that detect high-frequency sounds are easily damaged and do not recover. This is why it is worth paying attention to your hearing earlier rather than later.
Why can dogs hear a dog whistle when humans can’t?
Dogs can hear up to around 65,000 Hz. Our hearing is not just sharper than yours, it covers an entirely different part of the sound spectrum. (We can also rotate our ears toward a sound independently, which is a feature I feel humans were rather short-changed on.)
A dog whistle sits at 16,000 to 22,000 Hz, which is at or beyond the upper limit of most adult human hearing. The niece who shouted down was a teenager, so her range was still wide enough to find it unpleasant. Buddy and I immediately sat up to investigate. Buddy then got distracted by something near the back door, but that is a separate matter.
Buddy, for what it is worth, has marginally better hearing at the top end than I do. He is younger. I choose not to dwell on this.
Should I be concerned about high-frequency hearing loss?
As your Pawdiologist: yes, it is worth knowing about. High-frequency hearing loss is gradual and easy to explain away. The television becomes harder to follow. People seem to mumble more. Phone calls get difficult. The idea that your own hearing might be changing tends not to arrive with any fanfare, it’s a gradual thing.
That is what made Tuesday interesting. There was no room for doubt. The sound was real, everyone in the room could tell that, but only some of us could hear it.
The audiologists at angli-EAR Hearing offer a FREE Hearing Screening that checks how well you are detecting sounds across different frequencies. No pressure, no obligation. No dog whistles actually. Just information.
Teddy
Pawdiologist. Golden Retriever. Dictated but not read.
(Buddy sends his regards. He has found a sock to bark at.)
Frequently asked questions
What is a dog whistle frequency in Hz?
Most dog whistles produce sounds between approximately 16,000 and 22,000 Hz, at or beyond the upper limit of typical adult human hearing.
At what age does high-frequency hearing loss begin?
It can begin as early as the late twenties, though changes are often subtle at first. For many people, noticeable differences become apparent in their forties and fifties, depending on genetics, noise exposure, and general health.
What sounds are affected by high-frequency hearing loss?
Speech clarity is usually the first thing affected. Consonants like ‘s’, ‘f’, ‘sh’ and ‘th’ become harder to distinguish, making conversations sound muffled even at normal volume. Background noise tends to make this harder still.
What is a FREE Hearing Screening at angli-EAR Hearing?
A short, no-obligation appointment that checks how well you are detecting sounds across different frequencies. If a fuller assessment would be helpful, the audiologist will talk through your options at the same visit. Book your FREE Hearing Screening online or call 01223 661399.
