Dogs Howling At Night

Find out the reasons behind dogs howling

Similar to barking howling is also a part of your dogs communication. They will howl for a number of reasons, Some of them being natural and some howls may be your dogs way of telling you something is wrong. Lets look at the reasons behind howling and what to look out for.

Types Of Howling

Separation Anxiety

If your dog howls at night or when you are away from the property then this could be down to separation anxiety. Due to dogs being pack animals when they get lost in the wild they will howl to signal their location, This is also common in a lot of stray dogs. When it comes to domesticated pets then it is most likely cause by separation anxiety. If your dog is suffering from separation anxiety it's howling will be accompanied by one of the following signs:

• Destruction

• Elimination

• Signs Of Distress

• Depression

Territorial Presence

As well as marking the territory with their scent dogs will howl to protect their boundaries. This is another characteristic from wolves to warn off potential threats and to make other members of the pack aware.

Dog Howling

Attention Seeking

Did someone say attention? If you haven't already noticed your dog loves to have your attention and sometimes will do the craziest things to get it. Just like humans dogs need to have their basic needs fulfilled such as good exercise, Discipline, Love and attention. If any of these is lacking then it will result in problems in your dogs behaviour such as howling to get your attention.

Excitement

When dogs get over excited or perform a task that pleases you they can howl if they don't have your attention. Sometime they will be on their own and will do something and will start howling to get your attention so you praise them.

Irritation & Medical Issues

As we mentioned earlier dogs howl as part of their communication. If your dog is constantly howling then this could be a sign that they have some bowl irritation or they are suffering from some medical problem. Check for any physical injuries or visible If your dog is constantly howling through the nigh and day then you need to consult your VET immediately to make sure they don't have a medical condition.

How To Stop A Dog From Howling

You won't be able to completely eliminate the behaviour however you can reduce the amount your dog howls. Just like our previous posts the number one thing is exercise, You need to make sure your dog is walked regularly and gets rid of that pent up energy. The majority of cases we come across where dogs won't stop howling is due to lack of exercise and discipline. So remember to walk your dog and keep them engaged mentally, Check out these brain games you can play by clicking here.

Desensitising

If your dogs howling is triggered by something then you need to look at desensitising them to the trigger. Lets imagine the howling is triggered by the doorbell, Your dog will be quite, When the doorbell sounds this will trigger the howling. When the doorbell has stopped ringing the howling will also stop.

You will need to be with your dog when the trigger sets them off. In a calm and assertive voice say no when they start to howl and when they stop reward them with a treat or lost of love. Keep doing this until they associate the behaviour (not howling) with a good thing (treat,hugs).

If the trigger is something that you can't control or you are really struggling to make a difference after a few weeks then you need to consult a professional trainer who is CPDT-KA certified. There some programmes that you can look at online to help resolve constant howling. One that we recommend is "Brain Training For Dogs" by Adrienne Farricelli. Adrienne is a professional dog training expert with over 10 years experience in training dogs and dealing with extreme behavioural issues. The techniques used by Adrienne are heavily influenced by research from many top universities that focus on the neuro-plasticity of the brain. Imagine your brain being like a soft plastic which can be moulded and sculpted in new ways when it is engaged on a certain level. Your dogs brain is also the same so they can unlearn bad behaviour and replace them with new behaviours.

Click Here to get a free trial of the programme.