In this article, you will discover 10 reasons why dogs howl and the meaning of their howling.
You’ve probably seen a dog that got agitated all of the sudden and started howling in the street, in the park or at home at certain sounds such as siren, at night, the moon. And you start wondering why do dogs howl?
Chances also are that you’ve seen the scenes from “101 Dalmatians”, where howling was the code by which dogs communicated. Indeed, dogs howl to communicate a message. But why they choose to howl at certain circumstances and what they mean?
Here are 10 reasons why dogs howl
Dogs Howl to Communicate Their presence and location:
Like wolves, dogs opt for howling as a form of vocal communication. They use it as a means to inform their mates both about their presence and location. Howling is, thus, their method to finding each other.
Dogs Howl to Defend Their Territory:
While other animals usually only pee and leave their scent all over their territory, dogs also using howling as territorial marking. In fact, when a stranger dog encroaches their boundaries, canines trigger a howl to both warn the intruder and inform their own pack members, if they have any.
Dogs Howl Because They Are Isolated:
This is also known as “Pack Separation Anxiety”. As a matter of fact, like their ancestors wolves, dogs originally live in packs. Thus, when they get separated from their group or whilst a fellow pack member is missing, they howl to indicate their location and search for the other party. Domestic dogs may also use this behavior when left alone for a long time.
Dogs Howl When Separated from Their Owners:
As they say, dog is man’s best friend. Our canine companions certainly are known to be the most loyal and affectionate among pets. They surely get deeply attached to their owners. It’s the reason why, when separated from their masters, dogs howl in an attempt to be found.
Dogs Howl to Seek Attention:
There’s no denying the fact that dogs love getting attention: They are keen on being patted, played with, etc. Thus, when lacking physical exercise or feeling nervous and bored, they may try to seek attention by howling.
Dogs Howl to Express Joy and Success:
Have you ever seen your dog howling right after achieving something as simple as catching Frisbee or chasing away another dog? In this case, howling is one of the dogs means to express their excitement or victory.
Some Dogs Howl Because Of Medical Issues:
Although this isn’t generally the case, dogs may howl when they suffer from physical issues such as injuries, illnesses and internal pains. Thus, if a dog is howling consistently although it’s been fed and cared for, seeking medical help is essential.
Dogs Howl to Express Annoyance or “Canine Pain”:
Dogs can feel irritated or pain at certain sounds that are insignificant for us, sirens. In fact, this is the most common answer for why do dogs howl at sirens. When feeling irritated, upset or sad, a dog may howl. They can actually be annoyed because of consistent noises as simple as alarm clocks, electronic beeps and sirens.
According to the veterinarian and research scientist Dr. Laura Hungerford, “dogs may associate the sound with particular events or have learned that if he howls, the noise is ‘chased’ away…They could feel pain from sounds that weren’t painfully loud to us. Very loud sounds can hurt the ears and if a sound seems too loud to you, it is probably more so to your dog.”
Dogs Howl as A Response to Other Dogs Howling:
Even if you can’t hear anything, the dog’s ear will surely detect the howling’s high-pitched noise or sound even if it comes from afar, exactly like in the scenes of “101 Dalmatians”. The natural pattern for canines surely is to respond through the same means. It may also be interesting to know that other high-pitches noises, including ambulance or fire truck sirens and even some musical instruments may trigger the same howling response.
Dogs May Howl Because They Are Dogs
Like wolves, the instinct urge to howl is embedded in their genetic code. Sometimes they may just do the howling without knowing the real reason. So, we humans don’t know the exact reason either. Howling is totally normal and natural for dogs.
These are 10 main reasons why dogs howl and most of them are completely normal. However, like with most habits, their many other reasons. if you know other reasons why dogs howl, kindly share them with our readers by commenting below.