Whether a dog or a wolf howls is a phenomenon that usually raises many questions. A modern city dweller can only hear the howl of a wolf in films about nature. And the howling of their own dogs is quite common. Why do dogs howl? Does this mean something bad? What to do if your dog howls? Often, when we go and leave the dog at home alone, he begins to howl, whine and bark, annoying the neighbors in our absence. Of course, listening for several hours to someone howling terribly behind a wall is not very pleasant. And it’s clear when neighbors complain about you to the House Committee or even to the police. This is a very common problem for dog owners. So how do you understand why dogs and wolves howl? How can you help your dog to stop these terrible noises?
Why do wolves and dogs howl at the moon?
The scene with a wolf howling at the moon at night can be seen in many films, read in books. This is true? Will this be exactly what happens in nature? I hasten to disappoint you - this is not true. This can only happen by chance. The moon does influence life on Earth, but it has no effect on the dog's behavior. About 3-4 billion years ago, the Moon was young; the Moon was much closer to the Earth - at a distance of about 150 thousand kilometers. Today its orbit is at a distance of about. 400 thousand km.
The influence of the Moon on our planet was once much stronger than it is now. The tides of the world's oceans were much stronger than today's levels. The water broke so deep that it washed loose mineral materials into the ocean. Many biologists believe that this phenomenon is formed by the so-called. “primordial broth”, which contributed to the emergence and development of life on Earth. However, today, the tides are low, and the proximity of the Moon does not matter and does not affect the behavior of dogs and wolves. In addition, the color and brightness of the Moon only improves the quality of hunting at night. Why films are shown, as a rule, wolves howl at the moon - this is understandable. This is just a beautiful picture that should evoke certain feelings of admiration and fear in viewers. This is the perfect stereotype for a scene from a horror movie. The question of why dogs and wolves howl at the moon is the wrong set. It would be better to ask - why do dogs and wolves howl?
Hear the dog howl
I dream about a dog howling
Since a dog is a symbol of friendship, its heart-rending howl can warn you that trouble has befallen a good friend. Interpreters advise, if possible, to identify the person who needs help. Believe me, you will be rewarded for this.
What will Gustav Miller say?
Miller believed that a dog howling in a dream is a sign that you should urgently reconsider your state of affairs. You need a clear analysis of what is happening in your financial and social spheres.
Why do you dream about howling dogs? Try to remember if you have had any negative events recently. It is possible that something is depressing the dreamer, and he is on the verge of depression. This vision can symbolize troubles not only for a loved one, but also for the dreamer himself.
If you notice that you are mentally tired, that everyday activities are weighing you down, then you should stop and rest.
Miller approached this vision quite carefully:
- the dog howls quite quietly - you will be in a depressed mood, you will be overcome by blues;
Hearing the song of a pack of dogs in a dream - a howling pack of dogs - the dreamer’s well-being may deteriorate sharply; it is worth carefully monitoring your health;
- hear a howl, but not see the dog himself - the weather may change;
- if the dog howls because it is in pain, then trouble awaits you.
What will other dream books say?
This vision is considered by a large number of interpreters. To find a prediction you like, you should review them.
Interpreter of the modern woman
Watching dogs howl and worry means beware of a fire.
If the dogs looked like wolves, then this dream promises you a situation through which you will be able to expose the insidious plans of your enemies.
The dream dog howls like a wolf
Interpreter from “A” to “Z”
Hearing a howl means news or a letter; its contents will shock you.
Howl like a wolf - you will be able to outperform your competitors. Enemies will not be able to harm you.
Interpreter Hasse
A dream in which you heard a dog howling is more of a warning than a threat. You should be careful when handling fire and any objects that could cause a fire.
21st century interpreter
When you hear a howl in a dream, it’s worth remembering how you felt at that moment. If you do not react to sounds, the dreamer will soon learn the news.
It’s worse when the sounds make your skin freeze. This vision promises you real troubles and misfortunes.
The dreamer himself howls in his sleep
If a dog and a wolf howl, then you will need something. Also, the dreamer will be left without the support of friends and loved ones.
Modern interpreter
Mournful sounds made by a dog in a dream are a negative omen. Such dreams promise you health troubles, financial losses, and other sorrows.
Newest interpreter
You dreamed of a howl - the illness of a person close to you.
It is negative to howl like a dog yourself. This vision is considered prophetic and promises serious misfortune.
Where and when can you hear the howling of wolves?
The howling of wolves can be heard both day and night. However, most wolves howl in the evening, between 20 and 24 hours. And they howl early in the morning from 3 to 5 am. The howl of wolves also depends on the length of day and night, the seasons and the current phase of the moon. The latter phenomenon has more to do with temporal cyclicity than directly with the Moon. As you can see, it cannot be said that wolves howl only at the moon. Research conducted in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the USA, and Canada showed that howling for wolves is primarily a way of communication. In this way, wolves communicate with each other and strengthen relationships within the pack. They inform their flock of their whereabouts: “I am here.” This makes their life easier.
Features of a wolf
Throughout the year, the intensity of the wolf changes. Wolves howl the least during childbirth and when caring for small cubs, because they can bring enemies and hunters into the den with the cubs. Wolves' howls are at their greatest intensity later in the summer and fall. At this time, the wolf cubs learn to communicate and howl. The second period of intense wolf howling occurs during the rut in January and February, when males call females. This howl is very characteristic and different from hunting. First, during the rut, the wolf's song is usually taken over by a lone wolf, the dominant male. Then more and more people join him. This boring, monotonous howl lasts from a few seconds to several minutes. The howl repeated again and again, one can take a long time.
Does a dog's howl have the same meaning as a wolf's howl?
Today, dogs differ from wolves in evolution. The domestication of dogs occurred about 30 thousand years ago. Despite such a long history, dogs still have a lot in common with wolves. For example, it was found that the genetic code of dogs and wolves is 99% compatible! However, dogs eat slightly differently, lead different lifestyles, have different appearances, and are very attached to people. They typically use barking and whining to communicate rather than howling like wolves. Howling dogs are not as common as wolves.
However, there is no such thing as dogs not howling. They just do it a little differently than wolves in situations. Scientists also argue that the dog's howl, although different from the wolf, but its main functions are genetically similar to the wolf. Now I understand why a dog howls - it’s just like a wolf, it’s trying to communicate, calling for help, signaling danger.
Debunking the myth
Experienced dog handlers do their best to debunk myths about the relationship between a dog’s howl and the full moon. It is believed that a large night luminary attracts the attention of intelligent four-legged animals in the same way as people, and therefore dogs simply express their interest by howling and nothing more.
Any explanation for howling at the moon in dogs is nothing more than a theory. There is, perhaps, no real evidence in favor of one or another argument.
People who observe wolves - direct relatives of dogs - claim that wolves use howling as a means of communication, and therefore this is how dog howling should be explained.
By the way, wolves only howl to notify about the birth of a new member of the pack, a change of leader or his death; howling at the moon is considered a reaction to a change in lighting, as well as a notification that you can hunt in its bright light (it is known that in twilight or thick the wolf does not go hunting in the fog). By howling at the moon, a dog also expresses sadness; this opinion is supported by the fact that only stray dogs and those who are experiencing separation from their owner “show up” on the full moon. All you have to do is pet the dog and it will stop howling.
Why do dogs howl? Call your owner
Wolf packs are a family of wolves. For dog packs, human families. Therefore, when the entire human family goes to work, shops, schools, being alone in the house, the dog tries to reach its close pack members so that it howls. The dog is disappointed, shocked, because dogs are afraid of loneliness, afraid that they will leave, leave, leave. Especially if one is sitting in the yard, on a chain. The howl of a dog here meets the howl of a wolf separated from its pack. This is how lonely and lost wolves howl. The howling of a dog has absolutely nothing to do with idle speculation related to the death of one of the family members. This is just one of the ways of verbal communication, and not a bad omen. The dog knows that its howl will be heard much further than whining or barking. She was just worried, calling for her master, but she didn't know what had happened or would happen in the future.
Why does a dog howl: common reasons
To restore silence in the house, you need to try to establish the reason why the dog is vocalizing. The male and female are social animals that develop fully only when they receive constant human attention.
Fear of loneliness as the root cause of howling
Almost every dog, even feeling the love of its owner, fears that it may be abandoned. The fear intensifies at the moment when she does not see her owner next to her. When she is alone for a long time, even if in an apartment where there is a familiar environment, she begins to speak loudly and drawlingly, thus expressing her melancholy.
The same goes for street dogs. The four-legged friend does not understand why the lights are on in the house, voices are heard, and he is forced to sit in the yard. By his behavior he is trying to express disagreement with this circumstance.
On a note! There are breeds that cannot stand being alone. Left alone with themselves, they howl, and can also do other actions prohibited for them: spoil home furnishings and scratch furniture. Some pets are even capable of driving themselves into a mental disorder.
Unmet physiological needs
In the life of every person, a situation arises when, due to lack of time, he can take his pet for a short walk, solely for the purpose of satisfying his physiological needs. Also, some owners, being late, may forget to give their pet food or pour water into a bowl. As a result, the animal runs around the house and, straining its vocal cords, tries to express the desire to go to the toilet or eat. Puppies who are just getting used to a regimen that includes eating and walking twice a day are especially affected.
The inconvenience must be eradicated, and the howling will stop
The influence of improper upbringing
If the owner is not involved in raising the dog, it may feel permissive. With her howling, she expresses dissatisfaction with a person’s behavior or tries to attract attention when she is bored. It will not be easy to wean a dog from such behavior, but if you are persistent, the result will not be long in coming.
Attracting the owner's attention, desire to communicate
With a long howl, the four-legged friend tries to attract the attention of the owner and force him to play with him. If a four-legged friend feels sadness, then vocalization is the way to express it. Especially often, pets begin to behave this way if a small child appears in the house, and all the attention of the household is switched to him.
Fear, fear of darkness and loneliness
Some animals may howl when they are afraid. The reason often lies in the sharp sound of a car siren, fireworks, the sound of gunshots, sharp screams or any other loud sounds.
Some four-legged companions experience panic attacks due to darkness or loneliness. In this case, you need to pay more attention to the pet, play with it in the fresh air, or, as a last resort, get another animal to give it a friend.
If your pet howls out of fear, you need to calm him down
Other explanations for howling dog behavior
There are other reasons for this behavior:
- If the owner is absolutely convinced that the dog is not hungry, does not want to go outside and does not experience the pangs of loneliness, then the howl may mean that he is experiencing pain or malaise. If, in addition to everything else, he loses his appetite and usual activity, then he should be urgently taken to the veterinarian for examination.
- Many owners claim after the disaster that their pet warned them about impending bad weather by vocalizing. And most often this is actually true. It is known that dogs can predict trouble because they have an excellent sense of smell and sense things that humans cannot. If the threat of death hovers over household members, their body emits a special smell that is unpleasant to the animal. In this case, the four-legged friend howls and lowers his nose to the ground.
- Cold. Hypothermia is stress for the dog’s body. Sensing a danger to his health, he may begin to howl.
A dog's drawn-out voice may indicate an illness.
Every dog, like a person, has its own voice
Each person has his own, individual timbre of voice, because we are different people. Dogs too, they each have their own voice in order to be recognized from a distance.
Why do dogs howl? They convey different messages. Like the wolf, the dog claims territory, warns rivals, stays away, finds out the location of other dogs, which is on friendly terms. The dog howls when he feels confident in his territory. If not, then other dogs provoke her howling. Dogs howl from loneliness and the desire to have companionship with other dogs. Most often - out of fear that they are left at home alone, within four walls, as if in prison. A howling dog communicates loneliness or feelings of danger. Try not to provoke the dog, do not overdo it, because your joint “exercise” can only increase its desire to howl. A small puppy should learn to be left alone in the house when you need it.
REASONS FOR DOG HOWLING
Let's look at the most common situations in which a beloved pet may make unpleasant noises:
Instincts
It is worth understanding that even the smallest and kindest dog is essentially a “tamed wolf.” We all know that wolves in the wild use howling to communicate with their own kind. Such vocal signals are a way to be heard by other members of the pack, alerting fellow tribesmen about the prey found. In the same way, animals give a certain cry that they are driving strangers away from their lands. Thus, a dog that suddenly starts howling may be looking for simple companionship with other dogs. Thus, pets can simply “talk” to each other.
Not feeling well
Not every dog can howl for no reason. In this way, the animal can signal pain, thereby calling on its owner to help it.
Loneliness and boredom
The dog can start this “song” when the owner is not at home. In such a situation, a pet that is left alone simply yearns for its owner. The dog has nothing to do, so it makes long, noisy sounds. It is for this same reason that a dog sitting on a chain in a personal plot can howl.
Lack of socializing or play
The dog may howl, calling for communication or play. Perhaps in this way, your pet is simply trying to attract attention.
Fears
An animal may begin to howl when it hears shots, fireworks, sirens of alarms or special services vehicles, and any other loud and incomprehensible sounds. In the case of a fright in a person, he often shouts something - approximately the same thing can happen with an animal.
Hunger
If you hear your neighbors dog howling, then perhaps the animal just wants to eat. Unfortunately, situations are often common when people simply forget about the animal. In such a situation, the fact that the dog “howled from hunger” is not surprising.
Warning
Everyone knows that dogs have an excellent sense of smell, which is hundreds of times better than that of humans. The animal can detect even the most subtle odors. A dog may howl if it smells something burning, for example.
Sometimes dogs howl in unison like wolves
The general howl of this entire pack of dogs strengthens the bonds between individuals and declares the defense of their territory - most often the howl of sled dogs. Fans of the hunting breed howl because they usually announce the capture of prey. Why do dogs like to howl at night? Yes, it's just quiet at night and their voices are heard, so they try to communicate with each other at night. In the kennel, the dogs howl with anguish of loneliness, because in the cages they sit on one, and they both want to communicate, to find a friend!
