Why Do Dogs Howl?

This question has perplexed humans since centuries. Many a times you must have seen that when a fire engine passes with blazing siren sound then your canine companion may also start howling in response to that siren sound. Further, you must have observed that when you play piano or play your favorite song on your music system then your dog starts howling again.

Researchers admit that the howling behavior of dog is still a mystery. But if your furry friend goes wild at the siren sound, it is not because his ears hurt. It is his ancestry that has partly to blame. One of the reasons behind your dog’s howling is that it is trying to communicate with the sound source, which may be another dog howling or fire engine.

Dogs can’t communicate or speak like humans do, so their communication method is howling, growling or barking. By howling, dogs usually depict their presence and perhaps communicate to the other dogs present at their location. Dogs belong to the wolf family, therefore, the urge to howl is in their nature since birth, and they do this as a part of their natural instinct.

There is one more prominent reason for the howling of dog. Since the hearing aspect of dogs is more powerful and sensitive than that of humans, they howl to confirm their discomfort when they are subjected to the loud noises such as that of a song being played at high volume or fire engine siren.

Another theory is that if the dog feels anxious or lonely, it may howl to show his distress and pain. In such cases it is better to keep the dog occupied by taking him outside for a walk or playing with him, which would energize your dog and distract his mind.

What to do about excessive howling?

If your dog howls in response to some kind of trigger, like a nearby siren or another dog howling, he will probably stop when the sound stops. Usually, this type of howling in dogs is not excessive-unless, of course, the triggers occur frequently.

Some dogs learn that the howling is helpful to get them attention from the owner or people. If your dog howls for this reason, usually his howling will occur in your presence when he wants food, attention, or desired objects. If your dog howls to “ask” you for things he wants, like food or toys, or to get your attention; you need to teach your dog two things to be successful in curbing this behavior. First of all, your dog need to learn that howling does not work. He also needs to learn that being quiet will work. Therefore, you should ignore the attention-seeking howling of your dog and reward your dog for being quiet.

In some dog, howling behavior is seen because they are lonely, especially if they are kept outside for many hours at a time or left alone. Like humans, dogs are very social animals and need regular interaction with their human companions. If your dog howls often, you may need to spend quality time together. Bring your dog inside your home more often, play games and take walks with him. You can also take him to the fun training classes that focus on rewarding good behavior.