How to Teach Your Dog to Howl?: You went to an animal shelter to adopt a little doggo. You looked from dog to dog who were running free, until your eyes saw THE ONE.
There was this one little pup sitting in a corner, sitting there frightened as if the other dogs were there to hurt her. You step towards that little pup, to grab her. But it turns out that it’s backing towards the corner even more now. “Poor thing!” your mind releases a thought.
Just then it hits you – “I should adopt this one”
You fill in the forms and go through all the paper work and the registration stuff. You are legally its parent now. You pick up the frightened little thing and scratch its head, you realize that it’s too skinny too (a bag of bones). As you pick it up you realized that now with you it’s not so frightened!
And you know it well in your heart – you made the right decision!
You want to give everything that is good in this world to your newly adopted pet pal. You run to the grocery pick the perfect food, get the perfect toys, you even get crates for it to sleep in and outdoor mats to keep your home clean!
You ask your friend to suggest the best veterinarian in town and you save his contact details (just in case).
Now you are all set to start a new journey with this little one.
You want to make it the coolest dog in town.
“What’s cooler than a howling dog?” You ask yourself.
Just then you make your mind. You want to teach your dog how to howl. Perhaps you watched a lot of werewolf shows (and liked them of course) or you just think that wolves are very cool.
The image of the frightened little thing backing into the corner of the shelter comes to your mind. You never want her to be afraid from now on, that’s why you think howling can tackle this problem very well by warning other dogs (or humans) that might be there to harm her.
But how to do it? Is it really possible?
It turns out that it really is possible to teach your dog how to howl. And it is not that hard either! Today’s your lucky day because we over here have come up with some techniques that are sure to help you in teaching your dog how to howl.
However, before getting ahead we should know that some dogs learn to howl much easier than others. For others it is really hard getting them to howl. For those dogs you need to first try out a lot of sounds and then see to which sound your dog reacts to. That is the sound that will get it going (or howling!).
Before getting into the technicalities of teaching your dog how to howl, we should first answer one basic question – why do dogs howl? Mhmm…
So without wasting any time let’s get on with it!
Why do dogs howl?
Like Newton said – every reaction has a reaction. The same is the case with dogs. They react to high pitched sounds, and this can be in the form of howling! Whoa! Cooool!
It’s perfectly normal for dogs to howl and is considered normal behavior. It’s just a natural instinct gifted to them by their ancient ancestors – wolves!
Howling is considered normal for dogs because it’s merely a form of communication for them. It’s no different than their usual barking or whining. Oh! We are getting somewhere…
Mostly, dogs howl to communicate with others, direct the attention towards themselves, as a response to a high pitched sound, or perhaps to warn or alert someone. Wait, it gets cooler!
Here are some messages that your dog might be trying to give you by howling.
- “I am alert and responsive to my environment.” – This is mostly as a response to some high pitched sound such as music or a siren. It means your dog is very alert to its environment! You have a vigilant doggy on your hands!
- “I’m over here! Come this way.” – This is mostly when they run wayyyy ahead of you and just when you think you have lost them, they howl. How convenient! They just cannot think of being away from you!
- “Stay away from here.” – This is to keep intruders away from their territory. An intruder can be anyone, a human or an animal. This howl is more like a warning. Mr.Doggo just applied for the position of ‘Head of Security’!
- “I want some attention!” – Who doesn’t want attention? The same applies to your pet, maybe they just like to bask in the attention and admiration of others by howling! Don’t worry, we will definitely give you the attention you deserve!
- “I’m really nervous!” – This shows that your dog is anxious or nervous. They give out a howl to let you know of their current state. This is mostly when your dog is very attached to you that it suffers from separation anxiety! (Aww! We won’t leave you little one!)
- “I’m hurt.” – Some howls cannot be ignored. If your normally quiet dog begins howling, he may be injured. People cry when they are hurt, and dogs do, too! Dogs will howl to vocalize pain, so bring your canine companion to your veterinarian to rule out illness or injury. Hmm…
- “Look what I found!” – Your doggo thinks that it has just found treasure and gets excited (you wish it was some real treasure) and wants you to see its accomplishment and get excited over it too. What a Cutie! This can also be thought of as attention seeking behavior.
With that being explained, it is essential to explain that some breeds of dogs like to howl more than others. Huskies, German Shepherds, Beagles & many other hound breeds tend to howl more than others. They look like big bad wolves, why shouldn’t they act like one?!
We know the basics now, let’s get started with the well-researched guide that we brought to you in teaching your dog how to howl. AAOOOOOO!
Teaching your little (or giant one) to howl!
In the steps below we will guide you and walk you through each step in teaching your dog how to be more like its wolf ancestors!
This process is basic and isn’t too hard either. However, it should be first understood that some breeds of dogs have this naturally built in them, while others have to try hard to learn it! But don’t stress over it! You’ll get there.
So if it gets challenging, know that it is NOT your pet’s fault and don’t punish them for it, EVER!
Howling comes easy to some breeds. If it gets challenging when you teach it to YOUR pet (just because it doesn’t come easy to its breed), remember that hard work is THE KEY here. Don’t give up, but don’t exert your pup too much either. It will take time but it will definitely bear a fruit that is sweet! Yum!
Don’t give up and you are half way there. Also remember that you don’t have to be mean to your little one either, this training should be well structured and give you and your pet a healthy and happy bonding time. These memories can last a lifetime (both for you and your pet pal!). Make it worth it!
If your training doesn’t bear fruit soon, don’t let go. Be PAW-SITIVE as Mr.Doggo Greene would advise it! And think of it as getting more bonding time with your pooch!
Now let’s get our hands deeper into the process!
STEP NUMBER ONE – Stimulating your dog enough to make it howl in the first place!
Before the training begins, you have to get your dog to howl in the first place. Again, this could be a challenge if your pet’s breed isn’t meant for howling. You first need to get that howling instinct out of those bones (we mean mouth)!
Some dogs, like huskies and beagles, are more inclined to do this naturally (as mentioned above), which makes your job a lot easier. However, worry not mate if your dog isn’t a husky or a beagle. In this article we have all the breeds covered. Talk about a lucky day! This surely is one for you!
Some tips mentioned below will definitely help you pull out that howl from your doggo’s little vocal chords! Just as nature intended for Mr. Wolf Greene’s ancestor!
1. Try singing or making howling sounds.
Ugh the idea sounds dumb? It may sound like that but it very much isn’t, trust us! So sing along your favorite song that has some squeaky ring to it or just let out a howl by yourself. Who knows your dog might react to it and in turn do what you want it to do. La la la!
You need to go easy here though, don’t sing slow songs or you dog might just snooze off instead of howling! Try every type of song and howl, you never know which one might just do it for you.
2. Try using musical instruments
Sometimes a musical instrument is just what to need to force out that howl from your dog’s mouth! Bring in your flutes and pianos, they might just help!
There are certain types of music that your little one might react too. It may be a high pitched or maybe a slow one! Try them all out. And when you hear that howl, you’ll know which tune is the right one!
When it comes to selecting a tune that might make your dog howl, you have to try everything out. We can’t ever be sure which tune your dog will react to because it’s different for every dog. Good luck pal, but you have to do this on your own! We can wish you luck, though.
3. Try whistling
Make out that ‘small O’ from your mouth and give it a blow, and oh, you’re whistling! You might want to whistle if you are to train your dog in making that howl that you so desire.
Try this technique as whistling gives out a high pitched sound. This might just be the sound that your dog needs to get it to start howling.
Tried making that ‘O’ and still can’t whistle? Don’t fret it because you can always buy one! An added advantage of store bought whistles is that they give out an even higher pitched sound from just a blow. This might just be what your dog needs. Easier on your lungs too!
This might just get your pooch howling in no time! Heavenly…
4. Your dog makes noises similar to howling while it’s playing? Take advantage of that!
Perhaps you have a very vocal little boy who likes to make all sorts of noises when it comes to having a healthy play session! It’s definitely cute, but you know what? You can use these sounds to get it to start howling! Talk about added benefits!
What you need to do over here is that when your dog takes out these noises while playing, select a sound that is very much similar to a howl!
When you have picked that sound, you can shape it up to make it more like a howl that you so desire! Treat your little one when the sound is near to reinforce that behavior.
This also works for other sounds as well, but we are only here to talk about howls!
5. Use other puppies that howl!
You can always take your little one to your neighbor’s pup which howls and let it learn the tricks of the ‘howling trade’ from that pup! Who knows they might even become friends.
Have no such neighbor? Use the internet! Type ‘puppy howling sounds’ on the internet and hit the ‘search’ button! You will find millions of recorded audios here. Have a good time selecting the one that YOUR pup responds to!
Neat!
6. Use other audios
Still no luck in getting that howl out of your pup? Maybe you haven’t tried all the other sounds that are out there!
The world out there is vast and so is the internet, maybe you just haven’t found out the right sound yet!
We suggest that you try playing sounds of some sirens ringing, you can try out some car horns as well. You can find these sounds easily on the internet (Google is your friend!).
But you need to make sure of one thing here – don’t select any sound that might scare your pet (you don’t want that). If it gets scared, forget about making it howl that particular day.
If sirens don’t work either, go for other shrill and high pitched sounds. You never know that the next sound might just work out for you! Best of luck!
We are sure that one of these techniques will definitely make your dog give out a howl, and a glorious one too! You are in good hands!
But now we must move on to the next thing that should be on our minds!
When you have successfully made your dog howl, reward them! Pets like dogs need rewards to encourage good behavior.
Perhaps give them a treat, or give them their favorite toy! You can even praise them for their good behavior or give them a rub behind their ears. They will absolutely adore you for that!
The science behind this is that rewards create a paw-sitive stimulus for your pet. They start associating that behavior with the reward. This encourages the behavior even more. I guess we now know why we have so many good boys on our paws – THEY WANTS REWARDS!
So when your dog lets out its first howl, be sure to reward the good boy (or girl) and be generous with it. By doing this you’ll get your dog trained to howl in no time! Phew! Rewards for the right behavior really do wonders in dog training.
Now we are all set to move onto the next step of the process. Here we go…
STEP TWO – Teaching your dog to howl on YOUR vocal command
This deep in the process, you must have already heard your dog’s first howl (or a few more). But the howls you heard were as a response to the stimuli you gave it!
You now might be wondering – how do I get him to howl on my command?
We have this covered as well!
What you need to do now is; first you need to match that howl with a vocal command.
Don’t get it? Let’s get further into this!
Perhaps your doggo responded to that siren you played on your laptop or maybe he gives out a howl whenever it hears you whistle. But now you want to add a cue word, so that your dog howls when it hears that particular word. The training is just beginning, Mr. Doggo.
As soon you are able to make your dog howl, say some word!
For example, let’s say that a particular sound has made your dog howl, as soon as you hear the howl, say the cue word! The cue word can be anything, it can be “howl”, or “shriek”, or perhaps “sing”. It can be anything. The sky’s the limit!
But you when choosing the cue word, you have to been consistent in using that word and no other word should be used as a cue word for the same act (for obvious reasons)! Use that SAME word again and again as it howls. No changes.
After hearing the howl and saying your cue word, reward your pup (for it has been an outstanding little boy!). By doing this you are positively reinforcing the howl and your dog starts to learn. Classy!
You need to repeat this process again and again – howl-cue word-reward-repeat (say it with us!).
After several trials, your dog might be able to make out an idea of what’s really going on. It will start to howl when it hears your cue word while expecting a reward for its good behavior! They think that howling is getting them this reward and they aren’t wrong about that! Hands deep into training!
Now we are talking! AND WE ARE ALMOST DONE WITH OUR TRAINING! YAYY! *proud pat on the back*
Just one last thing and you are done. Yes! You have successfully taught your dog how to howl!
So without further ado, let’s move on…
In this final step what you need to do is remove that initial motivation that brought your dog to howl in the first place. It’s time to remove the sirens, the whistles and the online audios. Your pup knows what to do now on its own! Yes, they have learned the tricks and don’t need the help anymore. Bright!
Gradually take away the initial stimuli and rely on using your cue word only. And when it listens and responds to your cue word, you know what to do (well, reward them of course!).
And now you are able to cue the howl (flying confetti in the background). Congratulations!
Now you need to remember just one thing; you need to reward your pup for its howl only when you call out the secret doggo word (the cue word!).
You know what happens if you don’t? Your naughty little gem might just start howling every now and then for no reason at all just to get its paws on its favorite treat (or its favorite toy) and you don’t want that to happen *sighs*. Yes they can be extremely naughty and witty too! Beware of the naughty doggo!
With all of this done, you have the most perfectly splendid doggo (obviously) in your home and it even knows how to howl when you ask it do! Now that is what we call cool! Magnificent!
Your friends will applaud your dog’s howl after this. That’s a guarantee!
Beware other doggos! Our pup’s howl might just send shivers down your spine (no offence!)! Bring on all the wolf packs, they might just find their leader in your pet!
Ending note…
After a lot of research and grunt work we have provided you with this little guide in training your dog how to howl. And it’s sure to help you and your little one.
It’s true that training your dog to make a sound can be challenging. But challenging does not mean impossible. Everything is possible or at least that that’s what we tell ourselves every night before we sleep. We should be paw-sitive as Dr.Doggo Greene advised! No negative thoughts. Period.
With a little hard work everything is possible. Yes, training your dog every trick in the book is possible, you just need to have the will and stamina to do it. You need to work for it, nothing comes easy.
Dogs are such intelligent creatures, they can learn everything and it’s truly amazing. IT REALLY IS! They just require a little bit of time and attention.
These are such pure souls, for a petty (or pretty) reward they’ll learn just about everything. As dog parents and trainers this brings tears to our eyes (WE ARE NOT CRYING IT JUST THAT OUR EYES ARE ITCHING A LOT!).
However, this should be highly emphasized that every dog has a different learning capability. Some are quick to learn and some are not (just like us humans). This doesn’t mean that it’s your pet’s fault or that you are not a good trainer. It’s none of those things! Stop telling yourself that and don’t give up!
You are perfect and your pet is perfect, you need to just give them more time. This absolutely doesn’t mean that you start exerting your pet beyond its limits. Please don’t as this is highly likely to have a negative impact on them and you don’t want that.
Just give them more time and room to grow and learn. Training a pet is a challenging yet fun task. You learn so much about your little one and it learns so much about you. Make this time constructive in which the both of you grow and learn. Consider it as a good bonding time! Growth is all we desire.
So, make sure that you aren’t cruel or mean to the little just because it didn’t learn the trick today. Maybe tomorrow’s the day, maybe the day after tomorrow, maybe later. But you’ll definitely get the outcome! We are here to guarantee you that.
Don’t let today’s failure make you sour to your furry friend. They would go up against the world just to be with you, they are your best friends. We can be good dog parents.
So let’s go guys, let’s find the perfect sound to trigger the perfect howl. The work begins!
