Why Do Dogs Howl? What Does It Mean?

Why Do Dogs Howl?

Howling has ancestral origins, including many canine habits? The forerunners of domestic dogs in the wild howled. Safety-conscious wolves bellowed through the woods to signal their position to other members of their family pack.

Dogs howl to alert other wild animals to keep away from their territories, valiant wolves howled.

Our pets do not howl to locate their location or hold intruders at bay, but dogs howl as a means of communication now, as in generations past.

Because dogs are part of the human family, we need to know why dogs howl to interact?

In reality, although we don’t completely understand it, howling is the way your dog interacts instead of barking and yelling. There are some explanations for why dogs howl. And while it might sound irritating or alarming to you, some of the explanations are quite simple:

For consideration of attention
To warn their owner of danger
Make touch with other dogs and remember them
Answer to sounds or high pitched noises

All of the howls of your dog might not be so innocuous and may signify a serious concern with your dog, as innocent as those explanations are. The disturbing explanations of why dogs howl:

BestOfCatsAndDogs.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This means we may promote and supply links to products on Amazon.com and earn a commission for any resulting sales made. This comes at no extra cost to you.

Separation Anxiety

This arises whether the dog is left isolated at home or is split for a prolonged period from you. However, the howling is more frequently associated with other movements such as pacing, scraping, and searching.

Health Concerns

Perhaps the dog is attempting to warn you that there’s something medically wrong with them.

You can search your dog for apparent injury if you notice your dog howling too loudly or maybe in a shrieking way. There is no underlying medical condition to survive, and you can take the vet.

The Noises

Certain noises in your dog will cause howling like individual dogs howl when they hear sirens. In general, this kind of howling is based on when the trigger ceases and continues. It can be distracting, but it’s just your dog being a dog.

Howling is the dog’s initial response. The dog plays with you and any pets around it. You have a regular dog who only likes to let you know what is going on unless it is continuous or urgent.

Dog Communication

If you think of the origins of a lone canine, a domestic dog, about 15,000 years ago, it makes sense for dogs to howl, much as wolves and coyotes do.

One hypothesis is that the dog that howls is either tired or unhappy for lengthy periods. Another shows that they are looking for another canine or supplying a distant pack member with a spot.

As the long-drawn-out sound will reach for lengths of many miles, the howl is called a long-distance doggie phone call, alerting other dogs of their presence or needs.

Dogs also commonly howl today as they detect other noises they consider to be a canine calling card at a local firehouse, such as a siren.

Howling is yet another manner in which dogs engage with each other, just like dogs use many barking forms to express multiple needs.

There is the bark of “I’m happy to see you,” the warning bark of “stranger in the yard,” the bark of “I must go outside to relieve myself,” and so on.

Types Of Howling

Let’s not ignore the “bay” aside from the howl and the bark. Beagles also bay, which can be defined as a sounding warning that the quarry is nearby or in range.

Below are three Merriam-Webster descriptions, which very neatly summarize the variations in canine communication:

Howl:

To utter or produce a doleful sound or outburst typical of dogs and wolves that are loud and sustained

Bark:

It’s signature quick; the noisy explosive cry is to emit or utter

Bay:

To bark, particularly with deep sustained tones (as at a robber or at the game that is followed)

So, if your dog is howling for mates, barking for pleasure, or baying while hunting, it’s not so necessary to wonder why they’re doing it, but to listen to what your dog is attempting to tell you.

Why Do Dogs Howl At Sirens?

The predominant explanation dogs howl at sirens is due to their ancestors. Your pet might now be adorable, cuddly, and tame, but it wasn’t always that way.

Dogs are offspring of wolves, and while the relationship is evident when it comes to howling, it is not always visible in their actions and disposition.

As a means of contact, howling is used by wolves. Wolves (and dogs) have a range of hearing that is much stronger than humans. Through far distances, they can detect high-pitched noises.

They use howling, which involves high-pitched noises, to interact with the rest of the wolves to find their way back to the pack if a wolf is split from the pack.

Your dog may not be part of a wolf family, but their DNA is already built into these howling habits. And what else do you realize has high-pitched sounds? That’s correct—sirens.

Some dog researchers assume that dogs detect a siren’s high-pitched noises and conclude that it’s another dog howling in the distance.

So, when the dog hears a siren and howls, they might genuinely imagine that in the distance, they hear another dog and react to let the dog know where they are!

Your dog could be howling at sirens for another cause that has to do with security.

They can use howling as a way to let you know that anything is not right if your dog detects something different, strange, and potentially dangerous in their area.

They will perceive the sound as a hazard and howl as a means to get your attention and make you aware of the risk if they are not accustomed to hearing sirens.

Some may claim that dogs howl at sirens because the blast hurts their ears, but whether your dog displays any indicators of fear (jumping under furniture, moving away from the alarm, or tucking their tail between their legs), they are not disturbed by the sound.

What Should You Do If Your Dog Howls At Sirens?

In pets, howling is a regular activity. It’s nothing to think about if the dog sometimes howls at sirens.

Although you might want to focus on changing the action if you learn your dog’s howling is repetitive (and it’s pushing you up the wall!).

The easiest way to cope with a howling situation is to discourage and motivate the dog to remain silent from howling.

If your dog starts howling:

Disregard them. You want to show your dog that they’re not going to get any attention from the howling behavior.
Whenever they hear a siren, reward your dog and do not reply with howling, both with encouragement and a treat.
It can take some time (after all, howling is an instinctual behavior), but finally, the dog may realize that keeping quiet when they hear a siren keeps quiet is a path to love and rewards, and they may hold the howls at bay happily.

You will want to consult a dog trainer if teaching them on your fails, and they also howl at any siren in the distance.

They will work with the dog to help them get more used to sirens’ sound to manage the non-stop howling.

Does Dog Howling Mean Death?

There is a long tradition that dogs have spiritual or psychic powers, and it is found in many societies. The idea that the howling of a dog is an omen of death is nearly common.

The connection with dogs howling and death is traced back to ancient Egypt by some people. The God who took care of the dead was Anubis in that time and location, and he was depicted as having the head of a dog. A howling dog was therefore thought to be calling Anubis a spirit.

In Ireland, dogs were thought to howl when they heard the phantom pack of hounds guiding their riders into the skies on a wild chase, capturing the souls of the dying.

An old Norse legend has a more humorous interpretation. They’re talking about Freyja, the goddess of passion, fertility, sorcery, but also death.

She drives the crest of a hurricane in her chariot, driven by giant cats, while she serves as the goddess of destruction.

Since cats are the natural rivals of dogs, it is said that when they heard the approach of Freya and her magical felines, dogs would begin to howl.

Conclusion

Howling is a fundamental trait of the canine that has been passed on over centuries. Your dog is howling with his other furball mates and with you to interact. The vocalization is the language of Your dog, and he’s not afraid to use it.

Even you know how much noise you can live with, and if Your dog’s howls become an issue, with some constructive reinforcement preparation, establish some definite boundaries.

Be mindful of howling that is out of the norm and followed by other events such as limping or property loss.

Your dog’s howling may be something more in these situations, and you can take them seriously. It looks like Your dog is howling for you to play with him; it’s easier for you to get moving, otherwise for days, he’ll be hounding you.