The dog howl arouses a lot of curiosity in us humans. Unlike barking, this sound is much louder and involves a very specific body expression: standing or sitting, dogs tilt their head back, raise their muzzle, look up and then emit the howl. It is a gesture that is very reminiscent of their ancestors, the wolves, and that serves basically for communication. Continue reading andfind out all about dog howling!

Dog howling meaning: the emotions behind the vocalization

All canids howl, although each species has its own specific motivation. Wolves, for example, often howl to mark territory and ward off predators, as well as to find other members of the pack. Among foxes, the habit of howling begins in infancy. The loud, high-pitched sound serves to threaten intruders or even other puppies. Howling is a survival strategy in the wild.nature.

When it comes to dog howling, however, the reasons can be many:

• Pain
• Hunger or Thirst
• Boredom
• Fear
• Happiness
• Some high-pitched sound in the environment
• Danger alert

Dogs can also howl with joy or to the accompaniment of music, for example.

Dogs howl in different situations because, although some similarities with wolves are still maintained, the process of domestication over time has perfected their communication, especially towards humans. It is no coincidence that breeds closer to wolves, such as the Siberian Husky, the Samoyed, the Akita and the Alaskan Malamute howl a lot.

For the guardian, who lives with the animal on a daily basis, it should not be too difficult to identify the reason for the howl, which always has the purpose of communicating something. Just pay attention to the context in which the vocalization takes place and take preventive care of the dog's health, ruling out the worst of the alternatives, which is the howl of suffering caused by some disease. Excluding this possibility, you will feel likemore relaxed and confident to investigate the causes of the howling and thus get to know your four-legged friend better.

Sound of dog howling has more range than barking

Dogs will often resort to howling when they find that barking is not enough to get the attention they want, and they are right: howling is louder than barking and its sound propagates over a much greater distance. In the wild, when wolves howl to locate their companions after hunting, for example, it can be heard for miles around. Domestic dogs do not haveso much vocal power, but still howls can cause annoyance to other residents of the house or to neighbors. In this case, it will do very little good to punish the animal. On the contrary: harming the furry one's well-being in some way can leave the dog howling much more than before. The key is not to react to stimuli, but to try to find out the cause of the behavior and solve the "complaint" of the dog.Here are a few more reasons why you might be getting howls from your pooch.

Dog howling by day: is it separation anxiety?

Wolves are nocturnal animals, so it's more common for them to howl at this time. Dogs have inherited the habit of howling from wolves, as you already know, but it's not always the case that a dog will only howl at night.

A very common situation is to observe dogs howling during the day, when their owners go out to work, for example. Separation anxiety is a panic condition that triggers several reactions: some dogs destroy objects around the house, others do their business outside the designated place and some will find howling a way to ward off loneliness and boredom.

In addition, by howling the puppy may be trying to communicate with its absent guardians. It is more or less as a wild dog - or a wolf - would do to locate the rest of the group to which they belong.

If you identify this situation at home, you can use some strategies to try to prevent the behavior. Environmental enrichment is one of them: leave toys available to the dog or make use of videos or songs made to entertain dogs, for example. Schedule a walk with your pet before you leave, so that he spends a lot of energy and takes advantage of your absence to resthappy.

Dogs howling together: a female in heat may be nearby

When you hear a symphony of howls, you can bet: there is a female dog in heat nearby! To attract males, the dog exudes a specific smell, produced by its pheromones. This odor is not perceptible to the human sense of smell, but other dogs can sniff it out from a distance. Then, when they can't access that female, the answer comes in the form of howls. It is common for several dogs to howltogether for this reason, in an attempt to meet for mating.

Puppies howl together in an attempt to meet for mating.

Just as someone yawning can stimulate another person to yawn as well, howling has that "contagious" power among dogs. So if a dog howls for any reason in the neighborhood, chances are your dog will howl too. There's not much you can do: just let your dog be a dog!

Why does the dog howl before it dies? Does howling really have anything to do with death?

There are many legends involving howling dogs, but most of them are not true. Some people believe that a dog, when howling, may be sensing its own death or the death of someone close to it. But there is nothing scientifically proven about premonitory powers in dogs. The same goes for the relationship between howling and the moon: the image of a wolf howling on a full moon nightis part of the popular imagination, but the explanation for the scene is quite simple. The full moon makes the night lighter, which is good for predators. So the wolves howl to drive them away. There is also no scientific proof of the influence of the moon phase on dog behavior.