Are you sure you have a dog, not a wolf?" This jokey remark is often made when a dog starts howling. Those who don't have a four-legged friend themselves are probably quite confused when they hear this sound. But even for dog owners, a howling dog is always an interesting new experience.
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What the howling means and how you should react to it, you will find out in this article.
What is the meaning of the howling in the dog?
The term of howling doesn't mean crying, of course, although many a four-legged dog sounds miserable when it does. It is so that not only wolves howl, but also dogs. The reasons for it are partly similar. That is because our four-legged friends are originated from the wolf and carry thus also still its genes in itself.
Nevertheless, dogs have changed strongly by purposeful breeding not only in their optics but also in their behavior. Therefore, howling no longer occurs equally in all. Both wolves and some dogs howl when they have perceived something threatening and want to warn their social group about it - i.e. you. But they also howl to keep their social group together. They communicate their whereabouts, so to speak so that the others are informed about it.
The positive mood at the howl
Another reason for howling is to build cohesion within the social group. It's like a common song that more and more people tune into and feel connected as a result. In the case of howling, one person starts it - you, for example - and your dog follows suit. You can consciously use this to strengthen the bond with your four-legged friend.
Some dogs also start howling when they hear a piece of music. These sounds can sound similar to the howling of conspecifics to them, so they will cheerfully tune in to express their feelings of belonging.
Negative reasons for howling in dogs
However, it can also happen that a four-legged friend howls. He is afraid or under stress, for example, because he has to stay alone. He tries to make contact with you in this way. The howling in this case is based on a completely different feeling than if it was triggered by a siren.
Other reasons for howling dogs can be territorial, but also sexually motivated behavior. In the first case, the dog wants to defend its territory by howling and communicate that it is the boss here. In the second case, a male dog may have noticed a female dog in heat, to which he now wants to make contact.
When and how to respond to a howl?
For your dog, howling is a method of communication. To stop him from doing so would not be fair to him. However, it strongly depends on his basic mood when it comes to how you should manage howling.
For positive reasons, you can try to focus his attention on something else, such as giving him a task to do. This is a pleasant way to divert his concentration to something else. However, if the howling does not bother you, you do not need to stop it in such a case.
In the case of reasons with a negative mood, you should look into the cause and think about how you can help your four-legged friend. If your dog howls constantly because it is sexually motivated, you can try to distract it or think about neutering it. If your dog howls because of separation anxiety, then in this case he needs support to learn how to stay alone.
Conclusion - not only wolves howl
One howls to keep his pack together, the other because he is afraid or lovesick. As different howling can sound with dogs, as different are also the reasons for it. When a dog howls, he gets pleasant feelings or relief. Therefore, it usually does not help to simply ignore it. Especially when it comes to triggers like fear, stress, or high sexual motivation, you should work on the cause, because by doing so you will influence the howling at the same time.
We are interested in your experiences:
Do you also have a dog that howls? If so, in which situations?