Hearing protection devices and methods for animals

A flexible hearing protection device for a dog comprising:

• a sleeve made of stretchable fabric including;
• an inside surface;
• a reinforcing wear strip disposed along a length of the sleeve and joined to a first region associated with an outside surface opposing the inside surface;
• and
• a pair of donning/doffing tabs, each attached to a respective end of the reinforcing wear strip and configured to be out of the line of the sight of the dog when the sleeve is installed on the dog's head, wherein the sleeve is configured to be slipped on to the dog's head by pulling the sleeve over the dog's jaws using the pair of donning/doffing tabs;
• a pair of flexible passive noise reduction components, each insertable into a respective housing cover joined to the inside surface of the sleeve, each noise reduction component configured to form a seal with the surface of an external ear of the dog when the sleeve is installed on the dog's head;
• a drawstring disposed opposite the reinforcing strip and configured to removably tighten the sleeve to the dog's neck to conform each flexible passive noise reduction component to each ear and create the seal between each of the noise reduction components and the surface of each of the dog's external ears;
• at least one of passive noise reduction electronic bypass components and active noise cancellation (ANC) components for adjusting the level of noise reduction in each of the dog's ear;
• and a communication component configured to enable the dog's handler to communicate with the dog, wherein the hearing protection device is conformable to the shape of the dog's head and external ears and minimizes peak pressure points on the dog's head.

A flexible hearing protection device for a dog comprising:

• a sleeve made of stretchable fabric including;
• an inside surface;
• a reinforcing wear strip disposed along a length of the sleeve and joined to a first region associated with an outside surface opposing the inside surface;
• and
• a pair of donning/doffing tabs, each attached to a respective end of the reinforcing wear strip and configured to be out of the line of the sight of the dog when the sleeve is installed on the dog's head, wherein the sleeve is configured to be slipped on to the dog's head by pulling the sleeve over the dog's jaws using the pair of donning/doffing tabs;
• a pair of flexible molded passive noise reduction components made of liquid silicone rubber, each insertable into a respective housing cover joined to the inside surface of the sleeve, each noise reduction component configured to form a seal with the surface of an external ear of the dog when the sleeve is installed on the dog's head;
• and
• a drawstring disposed opposite the reinforcing strip and configured to removably tighten the sleeve to the dog's neck to conform each flexible passive noise reduction component to each ear and create the seal between each of the noise reduction components and the surface of each of the dog's external ears, wherein the hearing protection device is conformable to the shape of the dog's head and external ears and minimizes peak pressure points on the dog's head.