Having Hyperacusis While Owning a Dog

I've had pain hyperacusis for 5 weeks. I own a yellow lab whose barks can go up to 80-90 dB. Every time she barks in the same room as me, I feel like I get setback. Pain, distortions, and fluctuating tinnitus occur.

It happened again today and I'm really frustrated because my ears were feeling a little better.

I'm at a loss for what to do.

Does anyone else with hyperacusis own a loud-barking dog? I need advice.

 

Hi,

I have a large dog with a loud bark. I have trained him to not bark at every little thing like some dogs do. I got him before hyperacusis and tinnitus and so I had barking mostly under control when hyperacusis and tinnitus came on. Get a bark collar and teach your dog not to bark.

Good luck.

 

Give the dog hyperacusis so it won’t bark and now you have a hyperacusis companion.

 

I have a large dog who barks and it’s terrible. He has a bark collar, but he will still get one or two barks out if he’s really riled up.

The worst thing is his tail! He feels the need to loudly whack it against every hard surface in the house. I have started wearing earmuffs when I leave my bedroom in the morning because I know he’ll be waiting outside my door just ready to whack his tail loudly against the hallway. It’s a losing battle...

PS the dog in question isn’t the one in my profile pic. I sure miss that quiet little guy ❤️

 

Yes, I give my dog treats to try and distract him from barking. If it's a hard day and I really need him to be quiet, I spray him with a spray bottle of water gently. Now, all I have to do is lift the bottle up and he will look away.

 

I'd like to get a dog in the future, since these conditions probably will leave me rather lonely (a cat is out of the question since I'm allergic).

I have pretty bad loudness hyperacusis, so I guess it's hard to reconcile that with barking, but do anyone have some recommendation for breeds with a quieter bark?

 

I had a pug that NEVER barked. He did make snorting noises, but they weren’t loud. Pugs are excellent companions, too. I’ve also heard that French bulldogs can be quiet.

I’m dying to get another dog since all of mine have passed away, but I need for my severe pain hyperacusis to improve first so I can at least take it outside for walks.

 

Hi. My Golden Retriever's bark is loud but he only barks when he's super excited, super hungry or desperate to go potty, which come to think of it is kind of often. But what absolutely kills my ears is when he wants to go for a ride and of course have the window down. We try and go early and take less traveled back roads but inevitably my ears get blasted and to be honest, it makes me super anxious and upset for the rest of the day... but he's my baby and I love him.

 

Hi - I’m experiencing the same with my barrel-chested and very communicative Catahoula pit mix.

Bark collar is a good idea as someone else suggested - a couple times of low level shock (or frequency, can’t remember) was all it took and now I can usually just put it on her with it turned off and she knows not to bark. I haven’t been doing this though lately, and I am currently in a setback of constant pain for days due to my dog barking at my friend and her young child coming to visit... the kid screamed next to me too, so that’s another. Seems like I have an accidental loud noise exposure every few days which makes me anxious and the steps backward makes me feel like this is never going to heal...

I love my dog though, we’ve been together 12 years, and will be willing to wear muffs around her for a while just to have her around as good company. I have already started to wear plugs in public just until the pain and reactivity to sound settles a bit.

I healed from a year or so time of hyperacusis with her around about 6 years ago and we were able to coexist but I was way out in the woods with few visitors.

Speaking of which, I also try to reduce her bark triggers - seeing stuff out the window (close the shades), people coming by (I will know now to put earplugs in), playing (I don’t get her as riled as I usually would), etc .

Good luck, it’s nice to have a friend around to go through this with, hopefully you two can work it out

 

You'll find lists on the internet of quietest dog breeds that includes the French Bulldog, Papillon and Shih Tzu. But what they don't tell you is that the Shih Tzu can howl like a Banshee to make up for it!

Oh and don't get a Lhasa Apso like we did. They're only small but they bark at anything that moves.

 

I agree! I have two! Talk about bring between a rock and a hard place! X

 

Get police training for your doge.

They’ll only bark on command

 

Get a cat. Dogs are coolio but only if they are quiet imo. Even before tinnitus.

I used to have an older dog that never barked unless the doorbell rang. And that she learned from other dumbass dogs.

 

This is my first time - first message in any sort of forum. Found out about it from University of Iowa! Thanks Iowa!

This is my pup. I've had tinnitus for 30 years but didn't know what it was until I developed hyperacusis. As a puppy he would bark for attention if I watched TV. I trained him to stop almost immediately by spraying/misting water on his face with a very small sprayer. A few more times and all I had to do was show him the bottle. Maybe that will work. I used to have labs and if they had barked I would have tried the same thing!

 

@Marin, how have you been?

 

I had a perfect dog for a person with hyperacusis. My dog almost never barked during her whole life. My poor dog also lost hearing so she was deaf in the old days and even lost her voice. She tried to bark sometimes outside to other dogs but not a lot of sound came out. The problem was though that other dogs did bark when they saw my dog. I made a mistake a week after my acoustic trauma when I went to a dog park. Usually it is almost empty. That time there were multiple bigger dogs that started to bark near me. I used to go there often and just automatically walked there without thinking my acoustic trauma induced hyperacusis. Ouch!

After my dog passed away I have been thinking about getting a puppy some day. I miss having a dog. I am a dog person, I have always been. I miss my old dog but maybe some day I could take new puppy. The problem is, I am not sure am I able to get a dog when I have hyperacusis. I have understood there are certain dog breeds that are quieter, that don´t bark as much. But of course it depends on the dog, some dogs bark more than others even if they are the same breed. Of course training is also important and matters.

I don´t know is it too big a risk of having a dog with hyperacusis.

 

@Sointu, I am in the same boat. I really want to get another dog. I feel like it would be so healing. I had a Chihuahua for many years who almost didn’t bark at all. I know that breed can go either way but it so much depends on the individual! I don’t think she barked one time for the first seven or eight years of her life. Perfect hyperacusis dog!

 

An update to my old post: I got a puppy after my old dog passed away. When I got the puppy, my hyperacusis had improved to the point I could walk outside using earplugs and did not have to use ear protection at home most of the time (only when I am doing the dishes or using vacuum cleaner etc). During my worst hyperacusis I did not even think about getting a dog. When I was waiting for the puppy, I experienced a hyperacusis spike and I was thinking what on earth am I doing, how I am going to cope with the puppy if it barks. I was even using double protection outside during that spike. But I decided to get the puppy anyways, taking some kind of risk. I decided to avoid breeds that are said to bark a lot. I got the same breed that my previous dog was. My previous dog was so quiet I first thought does it ever learn how to bark.

And this dog has also been a quiet one luckily. It is more "talkative" than my previous one, for example it whines more but it is not a barker either, which is great considering my hyperacusis. I have heard it bark sometimes outside but the bark does not bother my ears. I usually wear ear protection when I go outside with it. I have tried to socialize my dog and there have been some situations that have hurt my ears, like when one Great Schnauzer started to bark next to me (I had earplugs in) or suddenly multiple dogs started barking. I usually leave further away when I am feeling discomfort. I have been able to go to dog parks and dog training courses wearing ear protection.

I find having a dog and pet to be therapeutic when having tinnitus because it helps me think other things and not concentrate on my tinnitus as much. Of course it wouldn´t be as therapeutic if the dog barked constantly at home when having hyperacusis. But luckily it isn´t the case.

 

I had cats until they died over the last several years. Very quiet compared to dogs.

 

I was out walking with a friend who has a dog. It was barking and I thought - wow that is loud. She actually said to me that the barking is so loud it hurts her ears and it makes her angry with him. I said nothing about my tinnitus but have not been out walking with her again.