Important Facts About Why Do Dogs Howl — Read to Find out!
Before we go on to discuss in details to why do dogs howl at night, let’s have a concise understanding of what we actually mean by howling of the dogs.
Howling is basically uttering of a specific prolonged mournful cry of the dogs, wolves and other animals to communicate with various other species including humans.
As we humans feel the need to communicate via medium of tongues, body language and others, so as our dogs want to convey their emotions, reactions and responses. Dogs use their powerful tool of vocal communication “Howling” to attract attention, to announce their presence, as a reaction to something and for communicating various other things. I read about this behavior in a really good dog training guide last week.
At times you would have thought about “Why do dogs howl?” Seeing the dogs howling around, howling midway in your path, at some corner of the street and somewhere in your vicinity. You would have wondered to know what actually makes him howl and how to react. Sometimes you might have felt frightened and tried to get away from the place where the dog is howling, but you don’t always need to worry because the dogs don’t always howl to make you afraid but it is their language of communication, which we need to understand a bit because at least they share this planet with us.
Dogs really mean so much to most of us. Being loyal and loving, dogs share a good part in our lives. Sometimes we are so much adored by their unconditional love and loyalty that we make them part of our families. Dogs generally make the best pet courtesy of their loving nature and cute habits. People keep dog pets to feel accompanied and fulfilled.
Dogs and humans even share so much of history together, earlier dogs were used to spy, they fought wars together with humans, and were experimented for so many medical discoveries. Dogs have specific olfactory abilities that enable them to detect, track and locate any thing or person having certain odor or smell.
Basically as we humans, being social animals who communicate with familiar language so are the dogs. More likely we are not familiar with the dialect of these dogs but howling is their way of sending signals, reacting and communicating. Howling is their most powerful vocal tool of communication, which they use to make you realize their presence, sometimes to show their annoyance with something, to seek your attention, to show their hunger, in a reaction to some unusual happening and anything which they feel like.
Now we will endeavor to clarify all of your curiosities by elaborate details and reasons to let you know exactly, why do dogs howl?
Dogs Howl to Keep Away Intruders
Dogs know well how to defend their claimed territories and homes. You may have noticed dogs howling at other dogs, animals and humans as when the dogs see them turning towards their arena. So the dogs use this powerful vocal weapon of howling to keep away the intruders that can challenge their presence. Howling is the clear remainder for the predators that if you are going to mess up with the dogs then it will end up with the strong retaliation of the dogs. So Howling of dogs provides a potential defense mechanism against approaching dangers or annoying meddling in the dog’s arena. Like we humans, dogs claim their particular territories and places and are the boss of their own arenas and are really annoyed with any sort of meddling in their respective arenas.
Dogs Howl to Guide Their Fellows Back Home
Dogs like we humans leave their backyard in search of food. Not all the dogs go out for hunting the food, few go on to scout the food for themselves and their fellow breed back home. So when scouts are done with their hunting for food and turn back to their home then the dog’s back home use vocals of howling as a source of navigation for dog scouts. Dogs howling is the signal communicated by dogs back home for the safe and timely arrival of dog scouts to their abode. It saves dogs from going astray to a place unknown and dangerous.
It may also happen when dogs on their way home, lose track of their route and howl to send signals to their fellow dogs to guide them safely back home. Howling is a spontaneous reaction of dogs, when they hear scouts walking back home.
Dogs Need Your Attention Too
It is the natural instinct in almost every animal that these want to be loved, cared for, and given significant attention. As it happens with us humans that when we are not attended well and not given wanted importance, we feel disturbed, annoyed, and leftover. Like we express our annoyance in various ways, similarly when dogs, especially as your pets, are not able to seek enough attention and share of their love then the dogs are overwhelmed by the feelings of annoyance and depression. This howling is then their way of expressing annoyance and disappointment.
So when you find your dog howling unnecessarily by the door of your room, on some sofa or somewhere in the balcony then it might be asking you for better attention and care. You don’t need to rush to your dog to cuddle but be patient and give him your love and care when it is calm, otherwise he may harm you. Your dog as well as all other pets adore you and make you feel better, it’s also your responsibility to take good care of these pets and love them equally so they don’t feel despised and annoyed.
Your Dog Howls When Hurt
Sometimes everything seems fine and you find your normally quiet dog constantly howling miserably and you are unable to sort out the real concern that is bothering your dog then there are quite a chance that your canine companion is hurt, suffering from sort of illness, injury, arthritis, abdominal pain or some painful medical problem. If this is the case then the dogs vocalize pain and suffering before you by howling constantly.
If you are happened with this scenario then don’t wait and rush to a good veterinarian for better diagnosis and treatment of your dog. I have seen people delaying the treatment of their pet not actually understanding the suffering and pain a dog is going through. This behavior is drastically inhumane and unethical that prolongs the suffering of a poor soul. If you really care for your dogs and are concerned about it then you will notice this unusual howling pattern of your dog and endeavor to get his ailment cured before the suffering worsens.
Dogs Howl When They Are Excited
It is not always true that dogs howl when they are met with awe or some discomfort but dogs also express their emotions of excitement, love, and happiness by vocals of howling. Just like us, when excited express our emotions by uttering peculiar phrases like hurrah, yeah, ouch, wow and others, similarly dogs expresses these emotions by howling. If you and your canine companion have a good attachment, then seeing you will make him happy and he is likely to howl from the excitement of you being around.
More likely you would have seen when dogs find something appealing to them like some caterpillar, flower, and some yummy eatable then they rush towards it howling with excitement.
Here the concern for you might be how to depict when your dog is howling with awe or with excitement, so the answer lies in understanding the human behavior a bit because dogs also react similarly as we do. Just as we read the faces of people around regardless of what their words are trying to portray. Why does it happen so? Have you ever thought? It is because we have developed a strong feeling of attachment with people around and this attachment of love and care reads faces, irrespective of what words sound like. Similarly a loveable bond with your canine partner, quality time spend with him will make you realize if he is howling in awe or it is super excited.
Have you ever wondered why your puppy get along with you, when dancing on some good hip-hop music, jazz music, or on some great classical music? You know why?, because you and your pouch have same hearing at lower level frequencies ( between 20 to 250 Hz) and your pouch has good sound depicting potentials like you. Various studies have shown that dog’s response is different to various genres of the music, this is why your pouch is more likely to feel calm and relaxed listening to classical music. The dog’s hearing is different from us when it comes to listening higher frequency sounds, this is why you may be reacting passively while listening to some hip-hop or rock music. So be careful when playing a music for your puppy because it should be one he gets along with.
Dogs Howl to the Siren and Unusual Happenings
Have you ever stopped for a while to end the curiosity that unleashes on you when listening to some kind of strange siren, it might be of the ambulance, the police van, advertising bus, or other but consciously you want to discover what this siren is about?. Dogs have a very similar pattern of curiosity when listening to some strange siren or any sort of noise that is unusual. It might have happened with you that you are on a morning stroll with your dog or working out in hour house lawn then a strange siren or unusual noise bursts out that ends up your dog staring around with curiosity and howling. This genuinely happens when your pet dog is confronted with unusual sirens or sounds.
Research confirms that there are certain sounds when perceived by dogs trigger stimuli that make them howl as a reaction.
When I was a child, I used to hear dogs howling at night which then made me so scary that I used to give my mom a hug or pull over my blanket. Your experience maybe different from me but at least once in your life, dogs howling at night would have made you terrible as well. I as a child used to wonder so many ominous things about why dogs howl at night but there is nothing ominous or superstitious about it. Now here we tell you the reasons why dogs howl at night?
Sometimes it is continuous cycle of howling which all the dogs in same vicinity follow. It is the one dog who start howling and all the dogs follow the same suit and then the whole vicinity is roaring with howling of dogs. Dogs start howling at night when you don’t provide them with suitable and comfortable sleeping environment. Sever atmospheric conditions like very cold winter and too hot summer will be troublesome for your canine companion and it might start howling. It might be too noisy or too bright surrounding which comes in the way of sound sleep of your dog. There are chances that the space you have allotted him too sleep is too limited or uncomfortable. So next time you see your dog disturbed and howling then be kind to provide him the best suitable environment to sleep.
Make Sure Your Dog Is Not Staying Hungry
As the most animals live to eat, so you need to take a very good care of their meal. Virtue of love and companionship demands, you should serve your pet dog meals it likes and in a bulk that is sufficient enough to fulfil its appetite. Scarce of good diet will not only weaken its health but also affect it’s mentally. Sometimes there is a big time gap between two meals and your dog keeps on striving. These all factors will make your dog annoyed and disturbed and it may express it by continuous howling and unusual behavior. You also need to consider that the diet you are giving him is healthy and enriched in nutrients that don’t adversely affect its health and especially disorder in the functioning of stomach.
A Sudden Change In Routine Can Also Makes Your Dog Howl
It is not only with the dogs but with most of the animals that they generally follow a set routine. If you have suddenly changed your routine then it is likely to make your dog disturbed resulting in the howling of the dog. Dogs like most of the animals take their time to adapt to the change in routine. After a certain period the dogs adapt to the new routine and things get normal.
Dogs Howl When Suffering From Separation Anxiety
Dogs being loyal are very loving and caring. If you are spending quality time with your pet dogs and acting kind then dogs get used to you and your presence around. They want to adore your equally and start loving you. It is this attribute of the dogs that make these the best lovable pets. But if it happens that you distance yourself from your canine companion due to some reasons then dogs miss you and your separation results in their anxiety. Suffering from the separation anxiety dog’s start howling, may be to make you realize that they want you around. Let you and your dog sleeps together but you have stopped letting it sleep with you then this will make it anxious and your dog is likely to communicate its anxiety with you by howling.
Don’t Let Your Dog Getting Bored
Dogs unlike few other animals are very active. It loves to be busy and getting a good daily exercise. You may have found your dog strolling and howling in your house. Boredom can be the reason because when you keep your dog idol and it is not getting enough exercise to thrive then it results in abnormal behavioral attitude in your dog. It feels depressed and ends up howling around.
If you have a dog pet in your home then be mindful it needs your attention and time. It longs for you so much so spare a time for your canine companion, play with it, cuddle it and if possible take it with you going to exercise or on your walks to the streets.
Now let’s conclude it —
Howling like all other vocal expressions has no specific meaning and its meaning varies from situation to it. The reason that makes your dog howl can be different from what that makes your friend’s dog howl. So for the better understanding of your dog’s howling, spend time with your dog to get accustomed to it. Discreet interpretation of dogs howling vocals is an art in itself and to master it, notice your dog’s behavioral patterns along with its routine activities.
