While researching how the sound levels of goats compare to dogs, I read in several places that miniature goat bleats are quieter on average than a dog’s bark. ^{1, 2} I wanted to know exactly how much, though. A quick search online brought up several sources that listed a dog’s bark as between 80-100 decibels, and sometimes as loud as 110 decibels.^{3, 4} I could not find any online sources about the decibel level of a goat’s bleat, however. I decided to take some readings myself. I found a phone app with good reviews, “Decibel X,” and set off to visit a friend who owns miniature goats and a friend with a dog willing to bark.

I visited the miniature goats first. I asked when the Nigerian dwarf goats would be at their noisiest (around 6pm at feeding time). When I arrived, there were a few who were bleating regularly, and I got out my app and started taking readings. I wanted to be within a few feet of the animal making the sound to get a good reading. I got right in within a group of several miniature goats, a few of whom were excited that food was coming, and the decibel meter showed 80-85 decibels when right next to a bleating goat, and around 70 decibels for goats a little farther away.

Next, I visited a friendly dog who eagerly barks at visitors when they arrive. I got a similar distance away from the dog as he barked through the window screen and took a reading. Most of his barks came in just over 100 Db. When he barked less intensely a few times, the readings were around 95-97 db.  

In both cases, all my readings within a few feet of the animals showed:  

Miniature goats: 80-84 decibels

Dog: 95-102 decibels

The results matched what I read in several sources: a miniature goat’s bleat is quieter on average than a dog’s bark.

Sources:

1. https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/
   citycouncil/cd3/pdf/news/2012/goatskeeping120323.pdf
   
   
2. Bouvier, Jaime: How Cities Are Responding to the Urban Agriculture Movement with Micro-Livestock Ordinances 47 Urban Lawyer 85 (Winter 2015) pages 104-105
   https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2681319
   
   
3. https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/how-loud-is-dogs-bark-in-decibels
   
   
4. https://www.cuteness.com/blog/content/decibel-level-of-a-barking-dog