Howling is something that may send a shiver down the spine when you are watching a werewolf movie. However, when your dog starts to do it, this can become either frustrating or worrying. Many dog owners are concerned about their dog howling, particularly pets that do this excessively. It is important to remember that there are various reasons why dogs may howl and there are also different solutions that can help.
So, how can you stop your dog from howling? You can stop your dog from howling if you understand the reasons why. You can tackle the solution by solving the possible problems listed or by using a special collar to discourage the behaviour.
Reasons Why Dogs Howl:
• Communicating with other dogs
• Protecting their territory
• Separation Anxiety
• Seeking attention
• Feeling lonely
• Excited
• Feeling unwell or depressed
In order to address the problem of your dog howling, it is important to try and work out the root cause of the howling. Dogs are territorial creatures by nature, and their howling could simply be down to their link to wolves and a means of communication and defending their territory. On the other hand, it could be something more serious, so you need to try to get to the bottom of it.
Why is my Dog Howling?
It is important to try to determine why your dog may be howling in order to address the problem, and there are various reasons why this may be happening. So, let’s take a look at some of the common ones:
A Means of Communication
One common reason dogs howl is because it is a means of communication, which is inherited from their wolf origins. Dogs instinctively do this because of their ancestry, as it is something that wolves do to provide other pack members with information about where they are.
Being Territorial
Like many other animals, dogs are territorial – another trait that is picked up from their link to wolves. They may how because they feel as though their territory is being encroached or threatened by another animal.
Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety is common amongst many dog breeds and can be a major cause of howling. This can include separation from other animals, such as their pups or siblings, or it could be due to separation from their human owner. See below for more detail.
Seeking Attention
In some cases, your dog’s howling could simply be down to good, old-fashioned attention-seeking. Many dogs are eager to have their owner’s attention whenever possible and they may use a variety of tactics to achieve this goal. If they are struggling to get your attention via other means, they may resort to howling.
Feeling Lonely
This is a reason that is closely linked to separation anxiety. Your dog may feel lonely and isolated if left alone for lengthy periods, and this is something that they may express in various ways. This could include anything from soiling and destructive behaviour through to barking and howling.
Feeling Excited
Another reason your dog may start to howl is through excitement. If their owner is not around and they want to express their excitement or show off some sort of achievement, they may howl to get attention.
Medical Problems/Illness
It is important to bear in mind that howling could be a sign of some medical issue or illness. If there is something wrong with your dog, such as injury or pain, it may howl because of the pain and also draw attention to the problem.
Irritation or Depression
Dogs can and do get depressed and irritated, and this is something else that could lead to howling. The irritation could be caused by various factors including certain sounds and noises. Often, sound can trigger howling in dogs for various reasons. For instance, some dogs howl when they hear bagpipe music or a harmonica.
As you can see, there are many different reasons why your dog may howl. It is important to take into consideration not just the howling but other signs and symptoms that may give you an idea of why your pet is howling. If you are still at a loss as to why this is happening, it is always best to speak to your veterinarian just in case there is a medical issue that needs to be resolved.
Why Does My Dog Howl When I Leave?
One thing that many dog owners are curious about is why their dog howls when they leave the house. There are many dog owners that have to go through this on a daily basis when they leave to go to work or college.
It can be distressing for the owner as well as the dog. The most common reason for dogs howling when you leave or when they have been left alone is separation anxiety.
What is Separation Anxiety in Dogs?
This is a condition whereby dogs become very anxious and upset at the thought of being left on their own.
Your dog may have become accustomed to you leaving at a certain time each day, so it will know that once you leave it will be left alone for a considerable period of time. Of course, your pet has no idea that you have to go to work and earn money or that you must go to college. All it knows is that once you head through that door and step outside, it has a long stretch of loneliness ahead of it without you there.
There are a number of clues that may indicate your pet is suffering from separation anxiety. Some of these include: –
• Causing destruction in your absence
• Reports from neighbours that your pet has been howling and whining
• Soiling in the house when you are not there
• Visibly anxious when you are preparing to leave the house
The condition basically means your dog starts to exhibit behavioural problems and show signs of distress whenever it is separated from you for a period of time. Often, the dog will start to manifest the symptoms of separation anxiety within around half an hour of you leaving.
Why Do Dogs Howl Together?
In some situations, you may have noticed dogs howling in pairs or even groups. You have to remember that howling is instinctively a form of communication for dogs – one that they have inherited from their wolf ancestry.
So, when you hear dogs howling together, there is a good chance that this is their way of communicating. It is not just a form of communication either – sometimes, howling together is a way of bonding for dogs.
Another thing to remember is that a howling dog can act as a trigger to another dog. So, for instance, if there is a dog howling somewhere in your street, you may find that your own dog suddenly starts howling alongside the first one.
This reaction has been triggered by the howling of the first dog. Remember, dogs have very keen hearing and even if you cannot really hear the other dog howling, the chances are your pooch can hear it as clear as day.
Solutions to stop Dogs Howling
The Stop Dog Howling Collar
There are various solutions to help combat dog howling, and this includes a range of specialist products. One such product is a dog howling collar, and these can work in a couple of different ways to try to help you bring your dog’s howling under control.
Of course, as we have reiterated previously, it is vital that you ensure the howling is not due to a medical issue or injury, as there is little point using stop-howling products if your pet is in pain.
So, if you are in any doubt as to the cause of the howling, it is always best to get your dog checked out by the veterinarian first. Once you have established that the howling is not down to injury or illness, you can look at the most suitable products to use with your pet.
More about Stop Dog Howling Collars
Over recent years stop dog howling collars have become increasingly popular with pet owners, although people have their own personal preferences with regards to the type of collar they choose. There are two main types of dog howling collars, which operate and work differently. So, let’s take a look at both of them:
Electric Anti-Howling Collars
While using an electric collar on your dog may seem very harsh, many have found that it is actually a very effective means of ‘training’ your dog not to howl.
The collar is not designed to shock or hurt your dog. Instead, it produces electric stimulation between two particular points on the collar. This then limits the sensation and feeling in that area for a while.
One of the reasons behind the popularity of this type of collar, in addition to its effectiveness, is that it is not activated by other dogs.
With some collars, activation can occur due to the proximity of another dog howling, so your poor pooch basically gets the blame for another dog’s howling. However, with these electric collars, the only howl that will activate it will be one that comes from your own dog.
Air, Citronella, or Sound Anti-Howling collars
You can also get collars that try to reduce your dog’s howling using other methods. Some will release a blast of air if it picks up on the dog howling, some will release a spray of citronella, and others will emit a high-pitched sound. Again, these can be effective solutions to help control your dog’s howling and to train it not to howl at every given opportunity.
However, as mentioned above, one of the issues with these collars is that they can be triggered by other dogs. So, if there is a dog standing close to your pet and it starts to howl, the collar your dog is wearing may be activated.
With citronella spray collars, the spray is not harmful to your pet in small doses, as it is simply the extract from lemongrass plants. However, it is something that dogs do not like the smell of, which is why some people turn to citronella spray collars to try to control their howling pets.
Other Ideas?
Of course, in addition to the various collars, there are other solutions you can consider, such as ultrasound devices. However, again you have to weigh up the pros and cons of any solution you are considering using.
For instance, with ultrasound devices, your dog will need to be pretty close to the device in order for it to detect howling. In addition, it can be set off by other dogs if they start to howl.
Conclusion
It can be a challenge for dog owners to decide how to try and control their pet’s howling, as it is often difficult to determine why the dog is howling in the first place.
Once any medical issues have been ruled out by your vet, you will know that it is down to something more basic such as attention-seeking, separation anxiety, or simple communication.
While you may not be bothered about your dog howling, there is a good chance your neighbours will have something to say about it if it happens on a regular basis. This is why you need to address the situation sooner rather than later.
The key to dealing with this problem is to observe your dog’s behaviour. For instance, does it tend to howl as you are getting ready to leave or do you get reports that it howls all day while you are at work?
If so, it is probably down to separation anxiety, particularly if your pet is also being destructive while you are out of the house.
Does your dog only howl when there are other dogs in the area doing the same thing? If so, it could be down to communication and the howls from the other dogs triggering your own dog.
Making sure you look at the bigger picture will make it easier for you to determine why your dog is howling. This will then make it much easier for you to find the most suitable solution.
