Dog's Hearing Protection and drumming

pt3407

Senior Member
I am thinking of owning a dog sometime soon, but I would like to know about the effect of the volume of my drums on a dog's hearing.

I have the drumkit in the basement in the house, and a lot of the time my other family members are in the middle floor, which is right above the basement. There is a 3rd floor above the middle floor as well.

My family members tell me that from the middle floor, the drums are pretty loud, and I don't have any sound reducing products in the basement to make it quieter.

I know that a dog's hearing is more sensitive compared to a human's hearing, so I was thinking of getting this to put on my dog while I'm drumming so it wouldn't damage it's hearing, but I'm not sure if this is enough to protect his hearing. http://www.earplugstore.com/mumufordo.html

I would like to know if drumming in a situation like this is still okay for the dog's hearing.
 
Volume itself is an issue, and keep in mind that the harmonics of cymbals can really irritate them, too. I don't know if the earmuffs do enough on their own, but I'd isolate the dog in a bathroom on the third floor, maybe outside if possible, while you play.

Bermuda
 
My dogs go outside when I practice. We used to have a deaf dog and she would lie next to my hi hat when I was practicing.
 
Potential hearing damage is only one concern, the more immediate one would be that critters can tend to be sound sensitive in general when it comes to loud novel sounds (gunfire/fireworks/thunder), so the crack of the snare/cymbal crashes could cause anxiety/panic in the dog.

I'm quite familiar with MuttMuffs (I'm a professional dog trainer) - they're used to protect the hearing of working dogs such as search and rescue canines who travel in helicopters regularly etc. They work, but that doesn't mean your dog would accept wearing them - I used them with one of my dogs, but she is exceedingly easy going and will do anything for a treat, so not much freaks her out. On the other hand, my terrier mix is a "glass half empty" kind of dog, and would probably think I was trying to kill him if I attempted to put them on him. Not that it couldn't be done, but it would be a slow process of gradually getting him used to them, and making the wearing of them predict good things (treats/play). The dogs on the MuttMuff website all happily wearing them are working dogs who would be very used to wearing stuff related to their jobs (harnesses/reflective vests/protective footwear etc).

I probably spend half my practice time using Aquarian Super Pads on the drums to reduce volume, and the other half playing them with no sound reduction stuff (when the neighbors are out!) In those instances I just put the dogs in another room with the door closed, and I close the door to the room I'm in and they're fine.
 
my dog has very sensitive hearing but i have played 10 years of drums in the basement and she lays peacefully on next floor up. the trick it to close all doors leading to the upstairs and never play when dog is in basement.
the temperament of the dog can be a factor as well, some are very nervous, others pretty cool.
 
Yes, I just close the door to the drum room. Our two dogs will just stay down the hall in the living room. It's loud but not actually damaging their hearing. Dogs hear higher frequencies than we do so they would be most bothered by the crack of the snare and cymbals. Luckily, high frequencies are easily attenuated by closed doors and turns (such as down a hallway).
 
My old guitarist's dog used to lounge around in the rehearsal room while we practiced. It was at his house and the dog could come and go as he pleased, so I can only take it it never seemed to bother him. To be honest, I was more concerned he'd develop emphysema through second hand smoke, but that never seemed to bother him either. That same dog hated thunder though.....absolutely hated it. I always thought it funny that he could cop a rolling floor tom, yet panicked himself senseless in a storm
 
I have a one-year-old dog who is trained to assist me with sudden noises or interruptions, but according to my wife has never had any issues in the house while I am out in the third car garage playing. She shows no signs of hearing loss at all. But I never allow her in the same room as the drums when I am playing.
 
This is a very good question.

I never gave it any thought. My dog lays around while I play, so I guess I always assumed he was fine.

Take a look at drumtees. They will significantly cut volume while not annihilating the tone of the your drums.
 
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