It does not matter where you live, you have definitely had the experience of being in the porch or stoop late night and heard the well-defined noise of dogs howling in the street. So have you ever wondered why do dogs howl? Howling is the form of communication that is used by them.
Dogs howl to seek attention or to get in contact with other dogs and to show their presence. Dogs may also howl to respond to the sounds that high-pitched such as sirens, musical instruments or emergency vehicles. So, what should you do when dogs howl?
Reasons Why Do Dogs Howl?
First of all, we will see what are the reasons which cause the dogs to howl?
Separation Anxiety Howling: If you are at work and your neighbors call you to inform that your dog is howling excessively, it might be due to separation anxiety. This howling occurs when you leave your dog alone or is separated from his owner in any other case.
This type of howling is basically followed by any of the given symptoms of separation anxiety, like destruction, depression, elimination, pacing or any other symptoms of distress.
Medical Causes: Maybe your dog is howling because he is sick or hurt. If your dog suddenly starts howling or howls quite unusual, take him to his veterinarian to get him checked.
Your dog might be severely injured or hurt or maybe he is not feeling well. Take him to the vet so that he can rule out any illness or injury before testing or trying anything else with your dog. The best way to lower your dog’s fever is to do it with natural remedies at home.
Community Organizing And Homing Beacon: Well, in the wild, street dogs and wolves are believed to be howling to bring their guardian back to them after a hunt. Mostly, dogs remain behind their howl to give the location of their camp.
It is believed that dogs howl because they give a vocal homing beacon or a type of audible pharos which tells them the path for other members of their pack to get back in the camp. Pet dogs may howl to get their guardian back home.
Boundary Demarcation And Defense Mechanism: Sometimes dogs howl just to inform their pack that they are entering a “not safe zone” or that area might be occupied already. It is their way to give warning to the outsiders and risks the threats of violence.
In your home, dogs might howl for the same reason to tell others that it is a danger zone. Some dogs may bark while some howl when an unknown person passes by them or comes near their door or a car stops by their driveway.
Attract Attention Or Express Anxiety: A dog howling may just want attention. Most dog owners believe that dogs can be as emotionally manipulative as human. The sound of the howling dog attracts his owner.
Maybe you hear howling so you walk around your house to see what is missing and you find your dog who wants you to play with him. Go through this exercise several times and the dog will know how to call you for playing.
If you have a pet dog and is not feeling well due to an upset stomach then you should carefully choose and feed your dog.
In Response To Stimuli And Bonding Exercise: Howling dog may be due to the environmental triggers. Basic inducements include fire-engine sirens or police sirens, ambulance, etc. These sounds always prompt the dogs to howl.
The reason being that they never howled at the reaction of other dogs who are howling. But the pitch of sirens may awake some other dormant genetic memories of their past. Most of our study confirms that howling of the dogs occurs when they perceive sounds.
To Alert You To Injury Or Discovery: Dogs may howl to show that they are hurt or injured or maybe because they have discovered something new. People often express feelings when their dogs are hurt so dogs also howl in this situation.
Dogs howl to show that they are in severe pain. Hunting dogs howl to show that they have found something suspicious or pursuit of prey. If a dog has found something out of the bloom he will howl to alert his owners.
How To Control Excessive Howling?
Howling can be controlled if you know the real cause of it. There are a number of ways to take care of it. Usually, dogs do stop howling only on account of their owners. But, owners must also know the cause of howling.
Howling In Response To Sounds: In this case, your dog will stop howling once the sounds stop. This type of howling is not excessive unless the sounds occur frequently. The dogs may howl at the sirens if they do not feel safe around these sounds. In this scenario, you may use Desensitization and counterconditioning (DSCC) to help your dog.
Systematic Desensitization And Counterconditioning: When you have got the real reason about how the dogs feel about anything, it maybe is not enough to teach him a basic behavior like to get a toy instead of howling.
Systematic desensitization and counterconditioning are the two major treatments for phobias, anxiety, aggression, and fears or any other problem that involves emotions or arousal. It is most effective to use any one of the two techniques when trying to help a dog from stop howling.
Bottom Line On “Why Do Dogs Howl?”
One thing you should know is that if a dog is howling in the form of any vocal expression, it does not have any fixed meaning. The answer to the question “Why Do Dogs Howl?” is a signal whose meaning is dependent on the situation.
If your dog is not feeling well or have any problem then you can visit the American Kennel Club as it is an organization that makes sure the treatment of diseases in all dogs.
If you like my article about ‘Why Do Dogs Howl?’. You can also visit some other interesting posts like “Why Does My Cat Lick Me?” For more related articles you may visit the ‘Animals‘ category at Try Articles. Please leave a comment below that how much you find this article helpful. You may also hit your queries in the comment section below if any.
