Howling is such a serious problem that it often results in dogs being given away to a shelter or other owners. At the same time, this problem can be solved in 2-3 weeks, even if the dog is over 5 years old.
Our article is about how to stop a dog from howling. Of course, each specific case has its own nuances. The article cannot replace contacting a specialist or your knowledge and experience (if you are a specialist yourself). But, I hope, it can become for you a convenient “matrix” of what you should pay attention to and what principles to adhere to.
What behavior is typical for “howling” dogs?
Many dogs stay at home quite calmly, but neighbors complain that she “voices.” In this case, you need to install a video camera or voice recorder for at least 10-20 minutes after you leave home. Once such a recording helped prove that a dog living on the floor above was howling. The neighbor's grandmother, who tormented the owners with her complaints, could not tell by hearing where the dog was howling.
Typically, a problem dog will try to sneak in with its owner when he is about to leave the house. She may even grab his clothes, growl and bark. As soon as the owner closes the door behind him and the dog is left alone, he begins to howl. It seems that she is doing this out of annoyance or not realizing that the owner left her on purpose. Left alone, she runs from room to room, into the corridor or into the kitchen, climbs to an observation post by the window, jumps off and runs again. From the video it becomes clear that the dog is very excited and active.
Behavior correction will be aimed, firstly, at showing the dog: the owner leaves it on purpose, he wants it to wait for him at home. And secondly, to ensure that the dog feels calm and can sleep while you do your business outside the house.
Preparatory work is required! Before dealing with the problem, you need to improve the dog’s life. Without changing her life, you can't do anything about her behavior.
A basic tenet of animal welfare states that every pet has
How to stop a dog from barking and howling in the absence of its owners?
Traditional dog training includes teaching the “voice” command from the first months of life. First of all, this is necessary so that the pet can warn its owner about possible danger and protect him. But there are often cases when the owner teaches the pet to bark for fun. For example, while playing with a stick, a dog brings it and barks asking to be thrown again. The owner likes it and encourages the pet.
Such situations often cause the dog to bark and howl to attract the owner’s attention.
. And when he is not at home, this is how the pet tries to bring him back.
Galina Gaskarova, senior veterinary consultant, Hill's Veterinary Information Center,
talks about the basic techniques for weaning a dog from inappropriate barking:
- There is a method of “reinforcing the absence of unwanted behavior.” According to him, you should return to the dog the moment it stops howling. This way you will let your pet know that only silence will help bring you back. Remember that you need to increase the time you are away gradually.
- You can stop your dog from barking using the “incompatible behavior” method. Its essence is to teach your pet to carry an object in its teeth, for example a stick, which will prevent it from barking.
The well-known tactic of “negative reinforcement” is described in the book by F. Granderat: “It happens that a dog, left alone at home, howls and barks so much that the neighbors complain. This can be corrected as follows: tie the dog in its place on a chain, put on a parfors (collar), pass a long cord from it through some hole or crack in the door, into the corridor or kitchen or other rooms sufficiently distant from the dog where it will not sense a person; an assistant should hide there. The owner should leave, stomping loudly on the stairs, and the assistant will pull the cord as soon as the dog begins to howl or bark, and say “You can’t!”, and then “Get in your place!” This method is very effective when used correctly.
The following method can help train your pet to stop barking on command: put the dog on a leash, give the command “voice”, then “quiet” and do not allow him to bark anymore, for example, by holding his mouth and giving him a piece of pet treat or toy. When the barking stops, be sure to praise your pet.- Changing the command will help stop your dog from barking during games. When your pet is about to bark, wanting to continue the fun, give him another signal, for example, “Sit!” and reward your pet only after completing this command.
- It is important to know that using methods that are painful and unpleasant for your pet is undesirable and ineffective. This can cause the dog to be afraid and avoid you, but continue to bark and howl for no reason.
Remember, it is easier to train a pet to do something than to wean it off. Therefore, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to training your pet from puppyhood. A well-trained dog is not only the owner’s joy, but also his pride.
Right to “5 freedoms”:
1, Freedom from hunger and thirst The dog must eat portioned meals and have access to fresh water 24 hours a day. Her nutrition should be balanced, not excessive or insufficient. “Howling dogs” often have difficulty digesting food and have difficulty gaining weight. Separate feeding in small portions also has a beneficial effect on the dog’s behavior.
2. Freedom from disease The dog must be healthy and not experience pain. The owner is obliged to carry out timely prevention - get vaccinated, give the dog anthelmintic, as well as vitamins and probiotics when necessary.
3. Freedom from discomfort The dog should have its own place in the house (even if it is allowed to lie on your bed, it should have its own lounger!). Sit on her lounger with a book and try to spend 1-2 hours there. If you cannot read calmly for one reason or another, then the dog does not feel comfortable in this place either. She needs to be allocated another place.
4. Freedom to be a dog (freedom to carry out species-specific behavior) The dog should walk 2-3 hours a day and, if possible, more, but not less. The dog must communicate with its relatives. If she cannot do this due to behavioral problems (aggression, cowardice), we need to address these problems. If the dog is not a breeding dog and has a high sex drive, it must be neutered.
5. Freedom from grief and suffering It is in order to give the dog its legal right to this freedom that we are engaged in correcting its behavior. By solving her problems, we free her from fear and worry.
How to get rid of howling
First of all, when moving from room to room, you need to teach the dog to stay outside the door and wait. To do this, the animal trying to sneak behind it is pushed away from the door and at the same time they tell it that it needs to stay in this very place. The voice should be calm, and you should not skimp on praise.
At the next stage, you need to train the dog to stay outside the front door. At the same time, you need to do this exercise as often as possible. At the same time, be sure to ensure that the animal does not get tired.
The next exercise needs to be done with an alarm clock. They turn it on for one minute. Leaving the dog outside the threshold, they themselves move a few steps away from the doorway in another room. If the dog follows the owner, you should push him back and ask him to stay in place. When the alarm clock rings, enter the room, give your pet a treat and be sure to praise it. You need to spend the next minute with the animal, and after the call, repeat the exercise.
The same exercise must be done with the door already closed. And when the dog learns it, increase the intervals. At the end of the training, the owner must go out the front door fully dressed and listen to how the pet will behave. If he whines or howls, he needs to be scolded. And if he behaves quietly, praise him and give him a treat.
By following all these recommendations, in just three weeks the dog will stop howling, remaining alone in the apartment and will calmly wait for the owner to return.
Host family. Psychology.
Dogs are very sensitive to everything that happens in the souls of their owners. And for us, the owners, it can be difficult to leave the house ourselves. We spend a long time getting ready, worrying, checking that everything is turned off, locked, put away... We don’t want to leave our familiar and safe home world for a big and unpredictable city. In my practice, most often families with a small child (the child is one year old, the mother wants to go back to work after a break) and married couples about 50-60 years old, whose children have recently “flyed the nest”, have freed up time, but a new stage of life causes fear.
Some owners admit that they are ashamed to leave a dog at home that is so scared and lonely alone. No correction of a dog’s behavior will bring success as long as the owner has such beliefs or his own fear of the outside world is strong. Consciously or subconsciously, at some point the owner will refuse to leave the dog alone, even if it has stopped howling, or will do something that will reduce all the efforts previously expended to zero. A howling dog and threats from neighbors are a good reason for one of the owners to be forever tied to the house.
If you recognize yourself in these descriptions, consider that the dog, even through problematic behavior, seeks to contribute to your happiness. Decide what is actually good for you, and then explain it to your dog. You will see that when you are ready, the dog will easily accept the new rules of the “game”.
Causes of a dog howling
Dog howling is a feature of the behavioral dialect of animals, inherited from their wild ancestors - wolves. Many people are terrified of howling dogs, believing that it is a harbinger of trouble. In fact, this is just a sign, which it would be wrong to rely on. A dog can howl for many reasons:
- Stress, loneliness, fear, longing for the owners, moving to a new place of residence. By howling, the dog is trying to attract attention to itself, to communicate a problem of a psychological nature.
- Establishing contact with relatives. Domesticated animals use their voice to communicate with their fellow animals, especially if they hear a response sound from mongrels from the street.
- Pain. A dog can be sick, and the only way to communicate the illness to people is to howl.
- Cold and hunger. Perhaps, when leaving for work, the owners left the dog insufficient food or water, or left the window open.
And finally, the dog can hear some sounds, for example, playing a guitar, piano, or a person singing, and thus react to music. It should be noted that most animals are completely indifferent to musical sounds.
Behavior correction: 8 exercises
First. Start the exercises not with the front door, but with the interior door. Go into the room with the dog. Then start opening the door to exit the room. If the dog tries to get in front of you, stop, turn towards him and push him away from the door. If she looks into your eyes, praise her. You can command her to sit down, or you can simply not let her through and push her away from the door a step and a half every time she tries to go out with you. Say at the same time: “No, stay!” This will help you remember your goal, and the dog will begin to look for meaning in your actions and listen to you. All this must be done very calmly and friendly. Praise your dog, you can retell this article to him. Try not to let her perceive your actions as threatening. It will take one or many repetitions (10-15) for the dog to calmly remain a meter from the door and you can leave without feeling the dog squeezing at your knee. Give your dog plenty of praise and treats for his first success.
If the dog is aggressive towards you and you have not yet established contact with it, before starting training, put a muzzle and leash on it. Push it back not with your hands, but with an improvised “shield” - a badminton racket or a folder for papers - just put up the “shield”, then you won’t have to bend over the dog and it won’t feel threatened by you. Do not look the dog in the eyes, do not scold, do not punish. Now you are only dealing with the problem of howling. Don't let yourself be distracted by any other problems your dog has.
Second. Once your dog is good at staying in the room, practice leaving him at the front door as well. You don't have to go away for long. Try to log out and log in as many times as possible. If you see your dog yawning nervously or hear him start whining, take a break for 5 minutes and then continue again. When you go out for a walk and come back, use a leash to prevent your dog from running through the door and pushing you away. On average, it takes 4 to 10 times to go through the interior door and the same number through the front door for the dog to understand this simple rule of politeness.
Third. Another interior door. Set a timer or alarm so that it rings every minute. Leave the dog in the room, but do not close the door. Exit, take a step away from the door. The dog should remain in the room, and you should remain at the entrance to the room. Only a threshold will separate you. If the dog starts to come towards you, immediately go towards it and push it into the room. Once she is there, take a step back, cross the threshold and stand at the entrance again. As soon as the bell rings, go in and praise and reward your dog. Set the timer again for 1 minute. Spend this minute with your dog in the room. After the call, praise and encourage her again. Set the timer again and leave the room for 1 minute.
So, for 1 minute you are together with the dog, for 1 minute you are separated by a threshold (but not a door). Be sure to set a timer - the dog will learn to wait for the call. After each call, praise and treat the dog, no matter whether it was silent during that time or not.
This exercise must be repeated until the dog begins to stay in the room without crossing the threshold or trying to leave. On average, this will require 10 minutes of practice 2-3 times a day for one to 3 days.
Fourth. Repeat the same exercise, but now give the treat only before you go out the door.
Fifth. The same exercise, but now with the door closed. Remember to give your dog a treat every time you leave the room after the timer goes off. And don’t pay attention to whether the dog makes any protesting sounds or scratches the door with its paw. It doesn't matter now. Usually, at the 7-8th repetition, the dogs silently and calmly wait for the bell and the next action of the performance.
Sixth. And again the same exercise, but now with the front door.
Seventh. Now we increase the intervals a little. Some owners (and dog handlers) mistakenly believe that it is necessary to increase the interval gradually from 1 minute to 10 hours. You can spend months on this, but still not get results. So do everything exactly like this: set a timer for 2 minutes. 2 minutes you are together with the dog, 2 minutes apart. A total of 3 times with a dog, 3 times without. Total 12 minutes. After half a day or a day, do the same exercise, setting the timer for 5 minutes. Stay with the dog twice, go out twice. Just 20 minutes. No more is needed.
Eighth. Don't set a timer. Dress as if you were going out, leave the apartment, lock the door and wait quietly, silently counting to 100 (or clock 1.5 minutes). If you hear that the dog has started to bark or howl, you return and scold the dog, then go out the door again and again time a minute and a half. If the dog is silent, go back and give the dog a treat and calmly praise it.
There is another very important nuance here that needs to be discussed in more detail. All dogs are susceptible to reprimand to varying degrees. Some dogs are so happy that you are back that they don’t even notice your displeasure and continue wagging their tail and jumping around their owner. Others are already waiting for your displeasure and, when you enter, they tuck their tail between their legs. You must scold the dog so that it understands you, but is not afraid.
How to teach a dog not to worry
Most adult dogs suffer from anxiety when left alone due to improper training in puppyhood. With positive motivation and gradual training, a puppy, young or adult dog can be trained to remain alone and not worry.
Gradual training will not help if the dog's anxiety is related to a mental disorder. In this case, despite all your efforts, the dog will continue to howl or destroy the apartment when it is left alone.
This is interesting! Howling, barking and damaging property when owners are away are the most common behavioral problems in dogs.
Before training begins, it is necessary to equip a sleeping place for the dog. It is important that the lounger is spacious, soft and comfortable. The fabric used to cover the lounger should not have the smell of other animals. During the training process, you will need toys and various small things that the dog can consider as his personal belongings.
The sleeping area must be located in a safe area . If the home does not have a separate room where you can place a sunbed, it must be placed in the bedroom. Remember that the dog’s place is untouchable for you, that is, you do not have the right to disturb, punish or worry your pet while he is resting.
Advice: if your pet is still a puppy, it is better to place the bed in a fenced enclosure. Up to 4–6 months of age, keeping the baby in a fence (while you are not at home) will protect the baby from dangers - wires, household chemicals, etc.
The next step is to attach positive emotions to the dog's place. If the puppy is not interested in his place, take his favorite toy and throw him on the bed. Praise your pet loudly when she climbs onto the bedding and grabs the toy. Praise your pet every time he shows interest in the bed.
If you notice that your ward has gone to bed on his own, praise him with your voice without violating his personal space. When the dog gets up from the bed, be sure to praise him and treat him with a treat.
Tip: during training, try to say the “place” command at least 10-15 times a day. If the puppy ignores your order, use a toy or treat to guide your pet to the bed.
Maintain a certain intonation and volume of your voice when giving a command. This rule must be followed until the command is mastered to perfection. Do not substitute concepts and word forms, for example, the first time you say: “place”, and the second time: “go to the place” or “I said go to the place.”
The next stage is considered the most difficult, in which you have to train the puppy to stay in place despite the fact that you leave. It is necessary to begin this stage when the dog has completely mastered the place command. Send your pet to the bed on command and make sure that he remains in place for at least 10 seconds.
If the dog tried to get up and came towards you, send it back to its place with a command. Usually, after three or four repetitions, the pet is convinced that he will return to his place if he does not begin to obey. When the required time range has passed (at the first stage no more than 10 seconds), call the pet to you and praise it.
According to this algorithm, the dog must be trained to remain in place for at least 1 minute. After that, you can move on to the next stage. Stand in the doorway and send the dog into place with a command. When your pet is lying down, reach out to the doorknob, but do not close the door. Wait 1-3 minutes, call your pet to you and praise him. You guessed it, the next steps are: the doors not closing completely, a small gap in the door, and finally a closed door between you and the dog that remains in place.
When you reach the final stage, close the door for just a few seconds. Open the door and check that the pet is lying in place, if everything is fine, do not show any emotions and close the door again. Listen, if the pet gets up, you will hear the sound of its claws hitting the floor.
Note! The time range increases in 5 second increments. Take your time and remember that retraining a dog is much more difficult than teaching it the first time.
To reinforce the skill, send your dog to a place even when you are at home. After the first stage of training, do not make a big event out of the execution of the command. Try to control your emotions, even if you are very happy about success. Your task is to let your pet understand that returning to the bed and being alone is normal.
If your pet shows too much anxiety, whines and howls, but remains in place, you can try to reduce his anxiety with the help of personal items. Cover the lounger with your old sweater. Next to the lounger you should place a box with pet toys.
Tip: You can use a trick to train temperamental and restless puppies. Make a slit in a tennis or other rubber ball and place a treat in the cavity. Take the puppy to the place and give him the ball, the baby is guaranteed to be interested in the smell of the treat and will spend several minutes in place.
Punishment too weak
If a dog raises its head, puts its ears up, jumps around you, stands on you with its paws, wags its tail and stretches its lips in a smile when you scold it, it does not understand that you are unhappy. Scold her harder, push her into the room. Lower your voice. Imagine that at this very moment she is doing something completely inappropriate - climbing on the table or lying in rotten meat. Your tone should be perceived unambiguously by her.
Note, however, that I only suggest that you scold the dog; do not hit or throw “Fischer discs” at her. In this exercise, you express dissatisfaction only with the timbre of your voice and words!
Unnecessary punishment
If the dog tucks its tail, crouches on the floor, pees itself, or tries to run away or hide, then you have just punished it too much. Remember this and don't repeat this mistake again. Continue the exercises, but next time be more careful and express dissatisfaction only by lowering your voice slightly.
Many emotional dogs react so sensitively to punishment that owners for years see only a manifestation of fear and do not see the correct reaction to punishment. The owners are angry, believing that the dog is only pretending to be afraid. But that's not true. The more afraid she is when punished, the more she feels the need for protection. And only her owner can protect her. Therefore, the more you scare her, the more terrible it will be for her to remain without you. And the more actively she will howl in your absence. Therefore, it is important to never punish your dog too much.
Yorkshire Terriers, Chinese Hairless Dogs, Jack Russell Terriers, Belgian Shepherds and Border Collies – dogs of these breeds are very sensitive and emotional. Often the owner should say, “What is it?” without even raising his voice, the dog demonstrates the reactions that it should show after proper punishment. Yes, dogs can persist in their bad behavior for a while even after punishment, but you should not pay attention to this. If the dog flattens its ears, freezes and lowers its tail, do not come closer to it and continue to scold it. Shut up, go out and continue the exercise. You have already been heard!
So, walk out the door 4-6 times. Praise and treat if the dog has been silent the entire time. Scold and walk out the door again if the dog barked or howled. Repeat this exercise for a couple more days. If you did everything correctly, on the second or third day of these exercises you may go away for a few hours and be surprised to return home and find your dog calm, silent and at the same time quite happy.
Now that you have completed 8 exercises , over the next 2-3 months you should do the following
It's bad for a dog to be left alone at home. What to do?
A very unpleasant situation for the owner and his neighbors - the dog barks or howls when he is left at home alone. In addition, the dog often chews furniture, spoils things, and misbehaves in every possible way if left alone. We hope that you have not encountered this problem, but still, let’s figure out how to stop a dog from barking and howling at home. The main reasons for a dog's bad behavior are fear of loneliness, boredom and anxiety caused by the owner's departure. It is impossible to stop a dog from barking and howling by using punishment. Our goal is to teach the dog to calmly react to the owner’s departure, relieve stress from being alone and reward the dog for good behavior. Typical situation: if the dog is too fixated on the owner, then it is logical that his departure will be perceived negatively by the dog and will force him to resist it as much as possible moment. Probably, one day you took pity on a whining puppy and did not leave or took the puppy with you. The dog quickly realized that by barking and howling he could get what he wanted from his owner, and now he practices this constantly. And even though the dog has now grown up and no longer feels such horror from parting, the habit of howling and barking remains and has become entrenched.
A few simple ways to help stop your dog from howling and barking at home while you're away.
1. If a dog howls from boredom and loneliness, the owner’s job is to show the dog that being alone can also be fun, interesting or tasty. The main helpers are toys and treats. Before leaving, leave your dog a couple of toys or chews. Your departure should be associated with something cool! It is very important that the toys are new and offered to the dog ONLY while the owner is away. 2-3 of these toys are enough, which you will alternate from day to day, so that the dog retains the effect of novelty. An excellent chewing option would be deer antlers for dogs - they cannot be eaten quickly, and at the same time they are extremely attractive to dogs. Remember, such treats and toys should only be available to the dog when the owner is away. They left - they gave it, they returned - they took it and hid it until next time.
2. We encourage a calm reaction to the owner’s departure. As a rule, the peak of a dog's hysteria begins with the door closing in front of its nose. To fix this, be patient and treat him. The exercise is simple as hell. They went out the door, came back, and encouraged him. An important point: we reward only a calm dog that has courageously and silently withstood your departure and return. We increase the interval between leaving and returning gradually from time to time. We don’t come back if we hear howling and barking outside the door, and we wait until the dog calms down and only after that we go in and reward it. You will have to repeat this exercise more than one day and more than once. Reinforce your dog's good behavior with regular training. 3. A tired dog is a calm dog. Anxiety, which results in howling, barking and bad behavior at home, most often occurs in dogs that do not have the opportunity to fully exercise. Increase your walks, make them as physically intense as possible through games, load the dog’s brain with new commands. This is a general rule to keep your dog's nervous system healthy. Do not use anti-bark collars without an in-person consultation with a dog handler. As a rule, they do not stop the dog from barking and only worsen the situation with the dog’s neurotic state. Another strange and supposedly simple solution for lazy owners is cutting the dog’s ligaments. Firstly, the risk of complications after such an operation is very high, even death. Secondly, this does not solve the problem with sounds - the dog will begin to make an even more unpleasant hoarse sound, which your neighbors will also not like, rest assured. To solve any problem with dog behavior, you need to find its cause. We have looked at just a few of the reasons and made some basic recommendations.
Three rules:
First. Leave your dog alone at home every day. It doesn’t matter - for 5 minutes or 9 hours. But you must find a reason to get dressed, take your bag, and get ready so that the dog cannot understand how long you will be leaving. And get out.
Second. Never return to a howling dog (so as not to reinforce its howling with your arrival). If you come home and hear a dog howling, enter the apartment, scold the dog, immediately leave, count to 5 and enter again. During these 5 seconds the dog will be silent and it will turn out that you will return to the silent dog.
Third. Don't forget your dog's right to the 5 freedoms! When this minimum of well-being is provided to the dog, it feels good and is able to show its best qualities.
Other measures
There are several ways to keep your dog quiet in your absence that I find unacceptable.
- It happens that dogs have their vocal cords cut. Besides the fact that it interferes with the 4th of the “five freedoms”, the hoarse sounds that dogs nevertheless make after this operation will make the owner feel guilty for many years...
- Electroshock anti-barking without the exercises described above will only increase the dog’s fear of loneliness. Often she will continue to howl without a collar, and while wearing a collar she will begin to spoil things, dirty the house, or develop some other bad habit. In addition, the use of electroshock anti-bark is inhumane and violates the animal’s right to 5 freedoms.
- Ultrasonic anti-bark (stationary and collar) can replace your punishment at the 8th stage of behavior correction. Without preliminary exercises, the dog will get used to the ultrasound and stop responding to it after about 2 weeks.
