My Weimaraner barks VERY loudly (146dB measured with a precision meter)
What protects the dog's eardrums from this extreme noise? My human ears are stunned by this volume and would certainly be damaged if I did not block the noise. Dogs cannot block it - so what is the mechanism that protects them?
Simply speaking, when a dog barks, the positive pressure on the ear canal created by the physical motions of the bark close off, protecting the ear; much the same as you covering your ears. From Per Jensen, "The Behavioral Biology of Dogs."
...the utricle is activated immediately before a dog starts to bark and therefore offers protection to its own ear
For more detailed info, you can read at WikiVet
