Why do the dogs howl?
Why do the Dogs Howl?
Surely at some point we have all heard our dog howling. At that moment, we are reminded of their ancestors by the wolves without hesitation and we wonder why the dogs howl. The truth is that there are several reasons why our pet can utter a howl. Let’s see them!
As you know, dogs are directly descended from wolves. From them they have inherited various instinctive behaviors and abilities, such as hunting, but also howling as a form of communication.
Without a doubt, if someone wanted to highlight a characteristic of the wolf, they would speak of the howl, since this represents them.
These animals, since they live in herds, require this sound to be heard from miles away. In this way they alert each other to dangers or go together, simply to meet.
By inheriting the howl, dogs also use it as a way to communicate. And not only between them, but also to express different emotions in front of us, like the ones we will see below. Let’s see why dogs howl.
Why do the Dogs Howl?
As has been said, howling is a communicative expression of wolves and dogs, but also of other animals such as coyotes, hyenas and foxes.
On this occasion, we are going to focus on the reasons why your faithful four-legged friend can howl.
Howl of joy
Have you heard your pet howling when it’s time for a walk? Or when you finally get home after being out all day?
The reason is because dogs can show their joy through howling. It is something like if he felt happy because his herd, that is, his human family, is reunited or because he is going to do what he likes most in the world (go out for a walk).
Howl of anxiety
When a dog suffers from stress or anxiety, one of the ways they show it can be through howling.
Typically, if this is the answer to why dogs howl, that sound will be accompanied by other anxious behaviors, such as rolling over.
Marking Howl
Have you heard your pet howl and then they have knocked on your door? In addition to showing that dogs have a much finer hearing than ours, howling, on this occasion is a response due to their defense instinct.
That is, when they detect that a stranger is approaching, they howl to alert us of their arrival and, incidentally, to delimit their territory.
The Imitation Howl
Parrots are not the only animals that have the gift of sound imitation. Many dogs like to do it too, especially when they are high-pitched.
For this reason, it is not surprising that if your dog sees or hears a video or audio of wolves howling, he will begin to howl. It also happens with other sounds, such as police, ambulance or fire sirens.
Howl for abandon
Sometimes it happens that we leave home and, as soon as we close the door, we begin to hear the dog howling.
This happens because many dogs feel that they are being abandoned at that moment and are afraid that you will not come home.
Howling as a way to get attention
It can also happen that dogs howl as a way of claiming your attention to play, ask for their food or that you take them out on the street.
emotional identification
It can happen that when we get sad, cry or get angry, our dogs howl.
This is due to a form of emotional identification that demonstrates the degree of empathy they can have for our emotions.
lack of attention
The dog can also howl when it is not being fed well, when it lacks hours of games, walks or water to drink.
It is his way of showing his discontent and his unmet needs.
Findings
It is very common for dogs that are used in hunting or tracking, to howl when they find what they were asked to notify people of the finding.
