Dogs imitating you when you howl might make you question why do they act that way?You may often wonder about your dog howling. Read on to find several common reasons for a dog howling or imitating its owner.Dogs are pretty fascinating pets. They are a gregarious species with a friendly and loyal temperament. The form of communication between a dog and a person is quite similar. We both use vocal communication, although we cannot understand what a howling dog is trying to communicate any more than a dog can know what we are saying. Thus, all that is studied and speculated about dogs are all mere well-educated guesses justifying their behavior. Though several reasons such as separation anxiety, seeking attention, boredom, hunger, excess energy, injury, illness, and needing to pee are common reasons for a dog howling, you might find a dog howling as a response when you howl!Do you know that a wolf and a dog are genetically related? 20000-40000 years ago, wolves and dogs were considered conspecific. Although dogs and wolves are pretty different yet have similar behavior. The behavior of dogs howling is ancestral. It is in their genes. In the wild, dogs and wolves were known to howl when they heard high-pitched sounds like noises of musical instruments or emergency sirens. It was often to warn other members of the species. Thus, ancestry is one of the common reasons why dogs start howling when they hear you howl. Also, a dog howls when you or another dog howls to either respond, bond with you, or get your attention.If you enjoyed this article, why not also read about why do dogs bark at night and why do dogs like squeaky toys here on Kidadl?Why do dogs respond to howling?Do you know what your dog’s favorite habit is? They are an incredible attention seeker, and since they get anxious if left alone, dogs have separation anxiety. Does your dog start howling at sirens or when another species or dog is howling? Wondering why? Though there might be several reasons justifying its behavior, read on to get your answer and explore more about the behavior of dogs howling. No, howling dogs do not always require medical attention but might need your love and attention. Howl at your dog, and it starts howling too! You might find that funny, but it is often because it wants to communicate with you or is willing to bond with you. Also, it can be because either the dog wants your attention or is too excited with your grooming.Ever heard one wolf howling after the other? Dogs have the behavior of howling in their genes, similar to wolves. In the wild, dogs respond to howling to warn and alert other members of their species when they sense a threat. Therefore, your dog is programmed to howl when it hears specific noises such as other howls and sirens. Also, while a dog howls when you howl, a dog may howl when its owner leaves home or fails to reach the dog. Yet, this may be another sign of separation anxiety.Are dogs happy when they howl?A dog may howl when it is happy, but it may also howl when it is hurt or alone, has an injury, or need medical attention. Dog dementia or canine cognitive dysfunction is one of the severe medical conditions which leads to the disorientation of a dog’s brain and causes a dog to howl for no reason. A dog may howl due to several other causes such as separation anxiety, seeking attention, boredom, hunger, excess energy, injury, illness, and needing to pee. Although a dog howling sound may irritate you, you should try to understand what your dog is trying to convey to you as a pet parent. Confused how?If your dog is quiet and randomly starts howling, you start howling too! If it responds to you, it is either trying to gain your attention or wants you to join it during playtime. Also, it can be a sign that it wants you to hug it or pet it. Likewise, it is essential to reward your dog when it is quiet for long and doesn’t disturb you while you are busy. After all, it’s pretty rare for a dog to stay quiet for long periods of time!Should you howl with your dog? Do they like it?If the dog is playful, your dog may want you to howl back at it. On the other hand, if the dog is irritated or in pain, you howling back at it might annoy or irritate it further. Also, the breed of a dog can determine its reaction. While some breeds are pretty engaging, others lead a solitary life.If you howl back at a howling dog, you are encouraging it and if you don’t want your dog to howl all the time, stop promoting it. Instead, as a pet owner or parent, reward your dog when it is quiet. Also, pet training is fun when you teach your dog to stay calm and howl only to communicate its emotions or respond to your instructions. Moreover, if you find your dog howling at high-pitched noise or sound, let it howl unless it is howling excessively. Let your house pet communicate with you using its form of communication. The more you bond, the more you earn a dog’s loyalty and love.Why do dogs howl as a response to other things?You talk, don’t you? You react to different situations differently! Similarly, dogs are living creatures and have emotions too. They, too, can respond to stimuli. For example, you may shout if you are scared, scream when you are hurt, laugh when you are happy, and cry if you are sad or upset. Likewise, howling dogs respond to things too.When a dog needs to pee, it howls. A dog also howls to convey if it is hurt or is in pain. A dog howls if it is scared or anxious. You may find your pet howling if you leave or stay away for an extended period. Similarly, it may howl when you return. If a dog howls when you are going, it is anxious, whereas a howling pet, when you return, states the pet’s happiness and excitement to greet its owner finally.Dogs howl when they hear some noise, or sometimes specific species enjoy howling. Sing in front of your dog, and it howls. Why? It is because dogs find the song quite attractive and portray their excitement by howling. Likewise, dogs howl to communicate and convey their emotions. Since vocal communication isn’t the only form of communication for dogs, dogs are also taught body language to express their emotions and feelings during training. Observe your pet dog, and slowly and steadily, you will learn to bond with your pet.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for why do dogs howl when you howl, then why not take a look at why do wolves howl or Hokkaido dog facts?
Dogs imitating you when you howl might make you question why do they act that way?
