Most dogs start howling like wolves because of loneliness, fear or stress. Sometimes it is also a response to a noise, a warning or even an indication of pain or an underlying illness.
Incidentally, the reasons for howling in dogs are usually the same as for wolves. Even today, dogs are still 99.9% genetically identical to their ancestors. [1]
Howling is also just one of a total of 8 acoustic means of communication used by dogs. These include barking, whining, growling, screaming, panting and yelping. [2]
Here is an overview of the most common causes and their meaning:
CauseMeaningLoneliness“Come back!”Territory defense“Just stay away from here!”Fear and stress“Help! I'm scared!”Reply to noises“I hear you! And I'm here!”Warning“Watch out, something's coming!”Pain“I need help!”Attention“I'm really boring!”Dementia“Where am I? And who are you?!”Breed-specific behavior“Howling is my favorite hobby!”Old myths“A soul has passed away.”
Then let's look at the individual causes with a magnifying glass.
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#1 Loneliness
To this day, wolves and wild dogs use howling as a callback to reunite the pack. Domestic dogs, on the other hand, see their family as a pack. So you.
If your dog starts howling at home, it is often triggered by loneliness. By nature, these pack animals are not used to being alone.
But why do dogs howl even when individual family members are at home? Good question. Simple answer. Dogs instinctively form hierarchies within their pack.
There is the Alpha, several Betas, Deltas and finally Omegas, which are located at the bottom. The alpha is usually the master of domestic dogs.
If this is missing, the wolf's howl should show him the way back to the pack. Dogs that feel lonely often also tend to howl at night. [3]
The solution here is to reduce loneliness or even avoid it completely. Dog sitters and dog care centers can help here.
A great way to be there for your dog even when you're out and about is with a dog camera like this. This means you can always see your dog on your cell phone via the app.
In addition, the camera allows you to hear your dog, talk to him and throw him a treat via the app. This is a great solution, especially for very trusting dogs.
For dogs, the pack represents the family. The master is the alpha. If the family or owner is not at home, dogs howl like wolves to call them back. To avoid this behavior, the period of loneliness should be shortened.
#2 Territorial defense
For free-living wolves, it is still important for their survival that they have a territory with enough food and water. Without that, hunger and thirst are part of everyday life.
For this reason, most dog breeds also instinctively have strong territorial behavior. Specifically, this means: If necessary, they will defend their territory to the death.
In this case, howling like a wolf is used to defend one's own territory. This is particularly common when your neighbors get a new dog.
And yes, even if neither you nor your four-legged friend have ever seen the new dog, they can often still notice it.
In dogs, the nose is the primary sensory organ. With up to 60 times more olfactory receptors than us, they smell between 10,000 and 100,000 times better. [4]
And no, that's not a number twister. Under good conditions, dogs can smell up to 20 kilometers away. [5]
In addition to the neighbor's dogs, in theory other predators such as bears, pumas, jaguars or tigers can also cause the howling. But these don't exist in Germany.
The solution here is to be proactive and get your dog used to the new neighbor dog. So why not say “Hello” with your four-legged friend?
Strange dogs or other predators in the area can trigger dogs' territorial behavior. Very territorial dogs howl like wolves to defend their own territory. To solve this, the dog should gradually get used to the “threat”.
#3 Anxiety and stress
If your dog not only howls, but also behaves very restlessly or even trembles, then stress or fear could be behind it.
Small dog breeds and very sensitive dogs are most often affected by this. Typical triggers here are:
- Severe weather such as storms, thunderstorms or hail
- Noise from trains, cars or fireworks
- Separation anxiety due to the absence of the master
- Diseases such as “Cushing’s syndrome” [6]
In all of these cases, the fear experienced leads to the release of the stress hormones “adrenaline” and “cortisol”. The most common symptoms of this are:
- Heavy panting
- Trembling of the body
- Howling, whining and whining
- Incontinence
- restlessness [7]
The worst thing you can do here is ignore the howling. Because this is exactly where your dog needs a lot of attention and affection from you.
The solution here is to find out the trigger for the fear and, if possible, prevent it. In individual cases, anxiety-relieving medication may also be necessary.
Among other things, frightened and stressed dogs tend to howl like wolves. In young puppies, this is usually caused by separation anxiety. In any case, paying more attention and eliminating the trigger of fear helps.
#4 Respond to sounds
Police sirens and sometimes music use sounds that are around 3 to 5 times higher than our human voice. Such sounds rarely occur in nature.
Dogs therefore more often confuse sirens with the howling of a dog. In order to communicate their own position, dogs often mistakenly howl. [8]
In this case it is a communication error. This also explains why many dogs start howling as soon as you start.
However, if the police siren is very close, dogs usually perceive it as a threat. Here the howling is more of an expression of fear.
In dogs, the acoustic pain threshold is already reached at around 85 decibels. And a police siren is usually between 110 and 120 decibels loud. [9]
On the other hand, people can hear volumes of up to 140 decibels without hurting their ears. For us it is loud, but not painful.
It's completely silent and your dog still howls like a wolf? Then it could be because your ears are far inferior to your dog's sense of hearing.
Dogs have an auricle that is up to 5 times larger and can align their ears precisely to the sound source. This means you can hear around 4 times further into the distance. [10]
In addition, compared to us humans, they can also perceive ultrasonic frequencies of up to 45 kHz. For us humans, on the other hand, it usually stops at 15-20 kHz. [11]
Sounds that are inaudible to humans, sounds that are too loud, or sounds with a frequency similar to that of a wolf howl can cause dogs to respond by howling. By introducing the “no” command, the howling habit can be stopped here.
#5 Warning
In many areas of South America, Africa and parts of Asia, theft is still part of everyday life. Predators are also still a problem in large areas.
This also explains why dogs are still often kept for their own protection. Fortunately, life in Germany is much more peaceful than anywhere else in the world.
And yet dogs still have the appropriate instincts for this because they have been kept as guard dogs for thousands of years.
Specifically, this means: If your dog senses danger or a threat, he will often bark or howl to alert his pack. And with domestic dogs, the pack is the family.
Guard dogs and sheepdogs in particular are prone to this behavior. In the past, some of these were specially bred to sound the alarm at any noise. [12]
What is noticeable here is that dogs often run to the window or door. This is especially true in densely populated residential areas or in apartment buildings.
Since this is an instinct, breaking the habit of howling is particularly difficult. Such an anti-bark device is probably the most effective method here.
I also recommend deliberately placing the basket where your dog sees, smells and hears the least. That really helped with my Labrador back then.
When dogs start howling like a wolf at night or when there are noises, it can be an instinctive warning, among other things. Even domestic dogs have this instinct within them. However, the howling can be reduced with training and appropriate aids.
#6 Pain
Dogs usually try to hide any pain. Wolves and wild dogs that appear weakened are often the prey of other predators.
In addition, weakened wolves also pose a danger to the pack. For this reason, weak members are sometimes rejected by the pack.
Specifically, this means: If your dog howls because of pain, then it is usually serious. In addition, other symptoms usually appear here:
- Whining and whining
- Stooped posture
- Restless behavior
- Limping or limping
- Sudden night activity [13]
Personally, I have often seen and heard this type of howling from sick street dogs in Cairo. It almost breaks your heart.
Typical causes here are joint pain, splinters in the paw and stomach and intestinal problems. The latter is often triggered by allergies and intolerances.
In more serious cases, illnesses can also be behind the pain. Here you should consult the vet immediately for diagnosis and treatment.
When dogs start howling like wolves, it may be a symptom of underlying pain. In most cases, other pathological symptoms can usually be identified. The veterinarian should be consulted here.
#7 Attention
Puppies in particular use all sorts of techniques to get attention. What babies achieve through screaming, dogs achieve through howling.
This most often occurs in combination with a lack of physical or mental activity. This type of “whining” is how young dogs test their limits.
In mature dogs, howling is often directed at other dogs. Especially when male dogs are ready to mate and have sniffed out a female dog in heat.
This behavior is sometimes triggered by another animal suddenly receiving more attention than the dog. Because dogs are pretty jealous.
In young dogs, howling is, among other things, an expression of joy and enthusiasm. You often see this when your dog howls when you visit. [14]
Typical signs…