Why Do Dogs Howl? 5 Reasons
No matter where you live, you almost certainly have had the experience of being out on the stoop or porch late at night and hearing the unmistakable sound of dogs howling in the distance. Sometimes, I have the same thought as Bram Stoker’s famous vampire, “Listen to them — the children of the night. What music they make!” That often leads me to think of Dracula’s strange and threatening agenda, and I start to wonder if the howling dogs are, in fact, making music, or if they are plotting the overthrow of humanity and the establishment of universal dog empire. So, why do dogs howl?
Researchers believe that dog howling is bound up in dog genetics. The ancient dog breeds are recognized for how closely their DNA matches that of the wolves from which they descended. When answering the question, “Why do dogs howl,” we have to examine the following questions, too — Is dog howling an atavistic expression of a shared wild ancestry? A lingering vestige of wolf times and pack activity? Communication seems to be at the heart of things, so let’s investigate why dogs howl and what they might be saying.
1. Dog howling is a community organizing and homing beacon
Why do dogs howl? There are many different reasons! Photography by Africa Studio/Shutterstock.
Why do dogs howl? Well, in the wild, wolves and feral dogs howl to bring scouts back to the pack after a hunt. Dogs who remain behind howl to provide the location of their base. Dog howling acts as a vocal homing beacon or a kind of auditory lighthouse which guides other pack members back. Pet dogs howling can be a similar expression, particularly if you’ve been out of the house all day. Dogs howl to beckon their loved ones back home.
2. Dog howling is boundary demarcation and defense mechanism
Dog howling signals to other dogs that the area they are entering has been claimed and occupied. It is a warning to outsiders that encroachment risks the threat of violence. Howling dogs announce their presence and alert their community to changing circumstances. In this context, dog howling functions as a defense mechanism, warding off potential predators and ensuring the safety of the dogs in the pack. In a domestic setting, like your home, the answer to, “Why do dogs howl,” might be for the same reason. Some dogs bark, others howl when a stranger comes to the door or a new car pulls up in the driveway.
3. Dogs howl to attract attention or express anxiety
A simple answer to, “Why do dogs howl?” A howling dog may simply want attention. Some dog owners know that dogs can be as emotionally manipulative as any human. The sound of a dog howling attracts the attention of his owner. Maybe you dash across the house to see what’s wrong, only to find yourself greeted by a dog who wants to be played with. Go through this routine enough times and the dog will learn that howling is an effective way to bring you running.
Of course, there are two sides to this coin. If your dog knows that you leave for extended periods of time, he may howl as an expression of separation anxiety. Dogs that don’t have toys or sufficient things to entertain them in your absence get sad, lonely and depressed. So, the sad answer to, “Why do dogs howl,” could be that your dog is howling in protest of being left alone. Imagine if someone put you in a crate all day or left you in some other space for an extended period of time. You’d howl, too!
4. Dogs howl in response to stimuli and bonding exercises
Dog howling can be a response to environmental triggers. Common provocations include ambulance, police or fire-engine sirens. The sound of these noises were the only times that my dog ever howled. The distant sound of approaching sirens always prompted her to sit up and join in the wailing. The reason remains uncertain, since she never howled at the sound of other dogs howling. Perhaps the pitch of sirens awoke some otherwise-dormant genetic memory.
Much of our research confirms that dog howling occurs when certain sounds are perceived. The prompts and triggers can be anything: music on a stereo at a party, popular television theme songs, or the sound of musical instruments. People who enjoy dogs howling even seem to encourage their dogs by howling themselves! It would seem that one reason dogs howl is the experience of community or of bonding. Why do dogs howl at sirens? Why do dogs howl when you howl? Perhaps it’s to join in and be a part of the action.
5. Dogs howl to alert you to injury or discovery
Another answer to, “Why do dogs howl,” could be that dogs howl to express injury. People weep when they get hurt; dogs howl in similar situations. Dogs howl to vocalize pain. Some dogs are also trained to howl when they make discoveries. Hunting dog breeds howl to signal the pursuit or apprehension of prey. If a dog has treed, cornered or caught something, he may howl to alert his owners to the location of the prize.
Does your dog like to howl, or “sing”?
Some dog breeds certainly tend to howl more than others. Breeds known for howling include Alaskan Malamutes, American Eskimo Dogs, Beagles, Coonhounds (Black and Tan, Bluetick, Redtick, English, Redbone and Treeing Walker), Dachshunds, Foxhounds (American and English), Hounds (Bloodhound, Basset), Huskies (Alaskan and Siberian), Native American Indian Dogs and Tamaskan Dogs, among others.
Some final thoughts on the question, “Why do dogs howl?”
One thing to consider is that dog howling, like any other form of vocal expression, has no fixed meaning. The answer to, “Why do dogs howl,” is a shifting signifier whose interpretation is situation-dependent. I enjoy going to karaoke; is it so difficult to imagine that a dog might not howl out of necessity, but out of joy?
Tell us: Is your dog a howler? When and how do your dogs get the urge to sing? Why do you think your dogs howl? Share your experiences with dog howling in the comments! Let us know the breed or mix, if you can.
Thumbnail: Photography ©srugina | Thinkstock.
This piece was originally published in 2015.
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60 comments on “Why Do Dogs Howl? 5 Reasons”
I have an Irish Water Spaniel that howls. He mostly howls at sirens, sometimes howls for no discernible reason and, I’m told, howls when he is left alone. I also had a Samoyed that howled when he was left alone. I imagine he was calling the family to come back home.
We live with two highly competitive stumpy-tailed red cattle dogs and a pointer-boxer mix named George. He has all the coat and look of a German short hair, fraught with the bulgy eyes and psycho-emotional issues of the boxer. I know that he howls (sings) out of anxiety, while leading the other two in falsetto. He does start up the howl when I leave every day, so it probably is separation related. What I don’t understand is why every morning, just before sun up, he performs the aria from the death scene from Camille, usually at the single bark prompting from one of the stumpies. They don’t get along, so I think bonding is out. What gives here?
This happens every time the MyPillow commercial comes on. Not any other commercial; just this one.
This is so funny, because my dog will wake up from a sound sleep to watch a local flooring commercial. You’ve got to wonder what they’re thinking, lol!
https://youtu.be/hfbDJsEA83E
I had 2 Miniature Schnauzers Boris and Natasha.They howled with the coyotes in the neighborhood and the wolves on TV.
MY AMERICAN DINGO IS 2 YEARS OLD AND WE SING TOGETHER EVERY MORNING AND EVENING..SHE ENJOYS A FAMILY SING.
We have 3 adorable sweet female Bearded Collie. These silly girls have started howling – in three part harmony – when we return home after a few hours gone. They start as soon as they see us come down the drive. Their singing, as we call it, is so funny and so sweet we never yell or scold them, but come in and stand and listen, until they realize we are in the house. They stop when they see us, and then give us a happy welcome. We always thank them for their pretty songs. 🙂
My precious Oreo a springer spaniel has sometimes howls while he’s sleeping and once in a while for whatever reason I don’t know. However since Oreo and I lost our Ralfie our sweet baby five months ago to congestive heart failure, he howls when I go out and I know it’s because he misses his brother so much, we are both having a hard time losing our baby.
Maybe he or she wants a new pillow. LOL
I have and had Greyhounds, don’t know if you call it howling , but we call it
Roo-ing.
When we all get together for a yearly fundraiser, or picnic, we can get the whole group of like 50 dogs to “Roo” , just a person can get a Greyhound to roo and they all join in.
I also had a Doberman who started howling when she heard a siren come down the street
We have two Tamskans, one malamute mix and a 30 pound mix. The big dogs only howl at fire engine sirens. My smaller boy Tyler will only howl when he is outside with them. He hears it first, but waits for them to start. His howl is a hoot.
Sorry Tamaskans, dropped the a by accident
My sheltie howls when left alone.
Our Barkley is a Shihtzu. The first time he howled we called it yodeling because my Grandaughter & I were trying to yodel. It was pretty funny. He went on from there to howl, yodel or sing during the day whenever he feels like it. It might last up to 2 minutes. Usually about 4ish and around 9pm he almost always does it.
Our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel howls when he knows the dogs next door are in their yard, or sometimes when my husband and I leave the house. A-woo-woo-woooooo!
Remember the Basenji! They do not bark, only yodel. Ours would yodel when prompted.
We now have a Papillion that sings and talks. He can, after a few minutes, say “I love you.” or what really sounds like that. He hears each of our cars and welcomes us unless he’s sound asleep.
When in the car, my chiweenie, Maggie, howls when we turn on the road home….almost to tell the neighborhood “i’m back!” Makes us laugh because she will do it everytime..only when turning onto the road and continues the entire 1/2 mile to the house.
My dog, a mixed bred 25% lab, howls when the phone rings and he hears the answering machine. Other than that he is very quiet, even when I come home after leaving him alone, except when strangers or critters approach the house. He will also howl if I play woof howls on my phone. This is how I finally, after nine years, managed to teach him to speak. It doesn’t come readily to him though, he really has to be stimulated by treats of favorite food.
My lab/husky mix rescue will how/yowl when I say “walk” because she’s so excited to get to go for a walk. She and my other rescue mutt (lab/hound) definitely let me know when it’s time to eat as well.
My lab/hound will bark LOUDLY when she spies a squirrel or bird looking out the window. My lav/husky mix will throw a FIT with howling and yowling at the neighbors’ cat.
Had a Lhasa Apso that howled just like a wolf while lying on his back sound asleep in the middle of the night. A bit eerie at first, but then it just became a good laugh for all of us. He was Barney, a most shy and reclusive of my pack so that made it more hilarious.
Our dogs howl together every evening, as if singing a song. Our Doberman used to bark at our husky until she started to howl. After our Doberman barked for a few minutes while our husky was howling, the Doberman’s barking would turn to howling as well and they would go on for up to 10 minutes. We lost our husky in July, but not before we adopted a rescue dog from the S. Korean dog meat trade (DMT). She listened/witnessed our husky and Doberman singing together but would remain silent. About a week after our husky was gone, our Doberman started barking at our DMT dog, just as she had with our husky. It took a few attempts, but our DMT dog did respond by howling in her own way. They sing their duet every single evening. We stop talking and/or turn down the TV to hear their beautiful voices more clearly. There does not seem to be a purpose to their howling other than they like to communicate and hear each other’s voices.
My mastiff howls when I play piano, when I get to certain parts of a piece. The funny thing is, she is in tune with the music! She likes to howl to the dramatic chords in Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, and also Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude.
My little dog half Chihuahua and half Chinese Crested Terrier loves to howl and even on command. It was something I discovered about her at an early age. She’s 2.5 years old now. I have also learned when she kicks in on the howling you can turn her upside down, on her back or in any position and she’ll continue to howl on un-phased by her body position. It’s actually very comical. If I mimic along with her and I go into a deeper rumbling howl she’ll start mimicking the same tone. If I do more of a staccato pattern she’ll also try and mimic the same pattern. Often when we play “hand crab” and she gets all excited she’ll go into a howl just from the roughhousing. She’s a nutty little hoot, but she’s all mine. 🙂
I have small dog that will howl with me. I start and he quickly harmonizes. He really gets soulful about it. Each howl begins with a yip or two and then the mournful Long howl.
I used to have a mini Dashound that did the same song with me.
Both dogs seem fulfilled afterwords. They both became quiet afterwards as if in meditation from connecting with a hundred dog generations before them.
Foolish I know, but I believe howling can be a spiritual event for a pack — even a pack of 2.
Riley, our 4-year old standard poodle sings/howls only when he hears our songs playing – our original tracks. We can play a CD of another artist, with no response. But as soon as we play our CD, he starts howling/singing with changes in high to low pitch and breaths in between lines and verses. He seems to be particularly in tune and excited when we play the CD in the car. He is also in raw fashion when we join in or encourages him. If we say, “Riley, that’s enough.” he seems to quiet down but continues to sing. Keep in mind, he only does this when we play the CDs with our voices singing. It can be the same song sung by another person and he will not sing.
My husband and I and our dog howl together. Not sure if it’s good or not. Sometimes when my husband starts to howl, Duncan turns away or toward me. It appears the howls are an irritant, but then when I join in, he joins in as well. Not sure about all this. Wish he could tell us.
I have a rottweiler/coonhound mix who does not howl, and a purebred rottie who howls with us in song. They are so entertaining!
We have 3 yorkies and I was recently hospitalized for a few days and our son stayed with them and said every evening after dinner they sat in front of the door and howled until bed. They did this every evening until I came home. 2 males one female 10 yrs and 8 yrs.
I have a black lab and two rat terriers. They never howled until these people moved in Nextdoor a year ago. I have lived here three years and they never howled. Now at 2:30am, 3:30am and 6:00am they start howling. I know my neighbors don’t like my dogs and are doing these high frequency sounds to make my dogs howl and wake me up. How do I stop this?
Hi there,
These articles might help:
http://www.dogster.com/dog-training/why-do-dogs-bark
http://www.dogster.com/dog-training/dog-barking-and-annoying-neighbors-tips-on-how-to-stop
http://www.dogster.com/dog-training/stop-dog-barking
http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/how-to-teach-your-dog-the-stop-barking-command
My deer dogs (all beagals) are highly socialized. They are not confined (except at night) and “sing” together when in the backyard during the day. My wife’s Schnauzer joins in, as does my Foxhound.
What beautiful music!
I have a pit bull who howls every morning an evung .I think he does it to say he is lonely
Our Australian shepherd rescue howls whenever we sing and tries his best to mimic the notes. He is most excited by familiar songs. His favorite is Happy Birthday.
We have a 2 year old blue heeler that loves to howl. We have trained him to howl on command. We say sing and he starts his song. His buddy a toy rat terrier chimes in with her high pitch yap. Our healer harmonizes with me and we have a sing daily. So blue Heelers are joyful howlers.
We had an American Staffordshire Terrier his name was Gabriel he used to dance and sing to the harmonica we posted some videos of him doing so on YouTube because he used to just love to sing and stand on his back legs while he used his front legs in motion to lift and down lift and down dancing while howling singing,we miss him so much.
Our Annie is a rescue. Her DNA tests reveal that she is Bichon and American Eskimo, and she is a howler. The only time she howls is when she is sitting on our bed alone and hears the neighborhood dogs bark in the distance. She begins by barking, which rolls into a full blown howl with her head thrown back. I like to say that she is “singing the songs of her people.” She appears to enjoy singing and if I join in, she continues enthusiastically.
I have two Yorkie boys that are 9 and 8 years old. Neither boy has EVER howled in their lives–except they did during the last total eclipse that we experienced in the last year. Took them outside, and they both were acting strangely and anxiously. The younger one (who is almost NEVER “vocal” at all started howling and his brother joined in with him. It certainly “added” to the overall “oddness” of the event!
WOW that is amazing. Like coyotes howling at the moon.
My Alaskan Malamute with 1/64 wolf Border Collie mix would actually howl when the moon was big and bright. She also loved to howl with people she was bonded with, in harmony. We loved howling ourselves. It feels good.
well well, my bulldog does the same to howl at the moon, especially full moon (Twilight mode). but i love it. and if i am not wrong red tiger bulldog howl the most loud.
well well, my bulldog does the same, but is it a sign to worry?
I was just online looking up “howling dog” and found this site. We have a 3 year old Chihuahua, the last time (until today) I heard him howl, was when we had to leave our Beagle at the Vet’s overnight…. Now today my husband went out with a friend to pick up car parts, so needless to say he couldn’t take the dog. He went and looked out the living room, and howled, than he went into the kitchen and did the same thing. Now he is lying on our bed.. He never has done this when left with me alone before, any thoughts, anyone?? I feel so bad, bothing is working as far as getting his attention elsewhere.
Hi Sandie,
You might want to ask a vet or behaviorist what’s going on. Here are some other articles that might add some insight:
https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/why-do-dogs-howl
https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/dogs-love-to-sing
https://www.dogster.com/dog-training/why-do-dogs-bark
https://www.dogster.com/dog-training/dog-barking-and-annoying-neighbors-tips-on-how-to-stop
https://www.dogster.com/dog-training/separation-anxiety-in-dogs
that last line should say “nothing” lol, not bothing.
All I have to do is say “Throw down” or “Sing Sing” and it’s on! 2 Beagles and a Silky Terrier. They howl for a minutes, each different in pitch. If I go to long without starting it Axe the Silky will on his own. A couple soft growls and they are throwing down. The beagles have to climb up onmy shoulder or back of the couch. Axe is like a conducter. Don’t know why they do it, but they are a tight bonded pack of 3.
I took my puppy from a dog foster home about a year ago. I love him to bits; he has a great personality, and I feel that he loves our family so much. BUT he barks A LOT… So, leaving home is always a challenge for us. My husband and I were thinking about taking him to ‘doggy school’, but then again, it’s extremely expensive, and the nearest ‘doggy school’ is far away from us. Maybe you have some advice? THANK YOU!!!!
Hi Christina,
Thanks for reaching out. Please research dog trainers in your area. These articles might provide some insight, but your dog would probably best benefit from working with a pro:
https://www.dogster.com/dog-training/why-do-dogs-bark
https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/how-to-teach-your-dog-the-stop-barking-command
https://www.dogster.com/dog-training/dog-barking-and-annoying-neighbors-tips-on-how-to-stop
We have 2 Catahoulas and also a Jack Russell/Rat Terrier mix. We live far out in the country. Almost like clockwork, the male Catahoula starts the ‘singing’ at some point each morning. Sometimes they’ve been barking at something they may have seen across a field, sometimes there’s nothing around. Dexter starts barking and then howling; the other two join in. The three of them also join together to howl when I’ve returned home after being gone a few hours. They also respond to coyotes howling off in the woods at night. We describe Dexter as either feral or autistic. He’s a happy boy who will willingly follow us around the yard but refuses to approach us if we’re looking in his direction and does not show any response at all to being petted. Gracie is just the opposite. Scooter, the small guy in the group, is a typical little dog – full of energetic affection! We’ve had several groupings of dogs over the years. This is the first that has an organized howling chorus!
I have 2 shelties and the boy howls more. He is the more sensitive of the two. He will howl sometimes when he’s in the basement and we are up stairs. He always has his sissy with him, but I think he does it when he thinks we are not home or wants us to come to him. I’ve only heard the girl howl once. It was when they were at the vet and our boy was taken by himself to be weighed outside the room. She’s way less nervous than him at checkups, but when he left the room she let out a wimper and howled! She may have been calling to her brother, knowing he was scared, or expressing sadness that he was gone. Maybe both!