Top Dogs: Preventing Hearing Loss

Military working dogs play a vital role in a variety of roles, including tactical operations, patrol, detection, and specialized searches.

Hearing loss, either temporary or permanent, can impair the animal’s performance, compromise ability to hear commands, and shorten the dog’s working capacity. Hearing protection for canines has long-existed, but these devices were limited in their effectiveness due to poor fit and cumbersome design.

In response, the U.S. Army Medical Research Development Command funded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to develop a better option. Zeteo Tech, Inc., along with Pete “Skip” Scheifele, MD, PhD, developed the Canine Auditory Protection System (CAPS). CAPS uses a lightweight, acoustic absorption material that conforms to the shape of the dog’s head creating a proper seal.

Related Resources
U.S. Army: Innovative Hearing Protection May Safeguard Military Working Dogs