Such a question was asked by anyone who had at least once heard these sounds squeaking to the bones. So why dogs howl? Each of them is, to a greater or lesser extent, a master in the performance of mournful “songs”. By the way, the undoubted leadership in this matter is confidently held by Dobermans, Husky and some other breeds. It is known that dogs emit such sound signals as barking, growling, howling. All of them have only one goal - communication between relatives. That's why dogs howl - they talk.
It's no secret that our home spoils come from wolves and jackals. It is not surprising that their anatomy, physiology, and behavioral characteristics are similar. So, barking is an effective way to “speak out”, it is loud, and they will definitely be heard. However, it is energy-consuming, the dog uses this signal to express strong emotions: joy, aggression, delight, fear. In the latter case, it serves to urgently warn others about the danger. A growl characterizes the threat. Howling is of particular importance. This is a fairly loud signal, but not requiring so much effort, designed to communicate over long distances. In addition, it is strikingly variable in vocal terms and can express a lot.
People tend to mystify various things that they do not understand. Therefore, to the question: “Why is the dog howling?” - often answer: “To trouble”. And even then: “To the dead man”. Some scholars explain the people's instinctive fear of dog howl in this way: roots must be sought in the distant past. In ancient times, when a dog, that is, its ancestor - a wolf, was not yet tamed, a person often had to defend himself from schools of these predators.
Apparently, the threat in the howling echoes of the approaching flock is so deeply imprinted in our genes that people still experience a sense of anxiety. It has not yet been proven that if a dog howls, its owner is threatened by various unpleasant events. The exceptions are natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, which are often forebodied by animals. If we talk about imminent death, then experts have the opinion that shortly before it, a person's biochemical processes in the body and, as a result, smell change. The animal perceives it, expressing its alarming feelings in a howl.
Why are modern dogs, our long-domesticated pets, howling? The reasons are absolutely the same, however, you need to keep in mind that the dog can howl from pain, hunger and cold. Only by eliminating physiological problems can one reason about psychological ones. It is noted that the pet howls, left alone in the apartment, hearing the sounds of the sirens of ambulances and firefighters, to the music. In the first case, when he felt lonely, the dog howls simply because he needs to make sure: somewhere nearby there is one of the relatives.
By the way, we may well not hear the answer of his friends. The dog’s ear is a perfect instrument that perceives sounds of a much wider range than ours. Hearing the signals of the sirens of emergency vehicles, the dog interprets them as a howl that warns of danger, and, howling, transmits this signal further. Dog handlers are studying the reasons that make dogs "sing" to the music. It is known that wolves in a pack howl not only in solitude, but also in a group, so they also transmit information to each other.
Having learned why dogs howl, you can delve into the problems of your own pet. Having understood it, it will be possible to wean the dog howl, because this is extremely worrying and hindering others.
