Stop Howling Dogs

Dogs howl for many reasons. Many dogs howl because of separation anxiety, others due to an environmental trigger, such as a siren or thunder. Others simply howl out of habit or to get attention. If you dog’s howling is a problem, you can try to reduce its anxiety or use counterconditioning techniques.

Steps

Training Your Dog not to Howl for Attention

1. Ignore your dog’s howling. Some dogs will howl in order to get your attention, or to “ask” for food, treats, toys, etc. To prevent this kind of howling behavior, you will first have to show your dog that howling is not a way to get your attention.
   • Don’t scold or punish your dog when it howls, as it may find even this kind of attention rewarding. Simply do not touch, speak, or look at your dog when it howls to get your attention.
   • An additional complication is that some dogs will find howling self-rewarding, meaning ignoring the behavior might not deter the behavior as it might for other attention-seeking behaviors. Ignoring the howling instead of yelling or punishing will, however, prevent you from accidentally reinforcing the behavior.
2. Reward your dog for being quiet. Rewarding your dog when it is quiet will help condition it to stop howling excessively. Keep a supply of treats or toys ready, and try these techniques:
   • Don’t give your dog anything (food, treats, toys, etc.) until it has been quiet for at least five seconds. This will condition your dog to associate being quiet with getting a reward. If your dog howls when waiting for something, ignore it until it is quiet for at least five seconds.
   • Give your dog treats at random times when it is being quiet. The unexpected treat will help reinforce good behavior.
3. Train your dog to be quiet on command. Just as you can train a dog to “speak,” you can train it to stop howling or making other noise when you give a command. Once you’ve trained your dog using the following steps, just give the command to “hush” whenever it starts to howl:
   • Say “speak!” and try to get your dog to make noise (such as by clapping your hands).
   • Praise your dog when it makes noise and give them a treat. This teaches your dog to make a noise on cue. This which means the dog will be less likely howl in the absence of the cue.
   • Now wait for your dog to stop saying noise, say “hush!” or “quiet!” and then praise your dog and give it a treat.
   • Repeat these steps many times. You can also try slowly lengthening the amount of time your dog needs to be silent before you give it a treat.

Treating Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety

1. Recognize the behavior. If you find out that your dog is howling during times that you are away from it, the behavior may be caused by separation anxiety. Howling caused by separation anxiety is usually accompanied by other behavior patterns, such as:
   • Pacing
   • Destroying objects
   • Urination and/or defecation
   • Drooling
2. Try counterconditioning. If your dog has separation anxiety, you will have to help it overcome the problem. The most basic technique, counterconditioning, involves getting your dog to associate good things with separation. For dogs with moderate separation anxiety, this may be enough to end the howling behavior.
   • Every time you leave home, offer your dog a toy. The best choices are ones that will keep your dog occupied for some time; for instance, there are toys that can be stuffed with food for your dog to enjoy for 20-30 minutes or more. Look for these toys at pet supply stores.
   • When you return home, take the toy away so that your dog associates it only with the times when you are gone.
   • Repeat these steps consistently, and over time your dog’s separation anxiety (and howling behavior) should subside or disappear.
   • You can also try crate training your dog in addition to counterconditioning in order to stop its howling.
   • In any case, do not punish your dog because of separation anxiety. Instead of making your dog stop howling, this will only increase its anxiety.
3. Seek professional assistance if your dog’s separation anxiety and howling continue. If your dog has a more severe case of separation anxiety, it may need more extensive counterconditioning and desensitization—often by starting with very short periods of separation, then gradually increasing them. Talk to a veterinarian, animal behaviorist, or certified professional dog trainer (CPDT) to discuss training techniques, possible medications, and other options.
   • If you seek the help of a CPDT, make sure he or she has been trained in counterconditioning and desensitization techniques, as education in these areas is not required for certification.
4. Spend quality time with your dog. Dogs need lots of attention from their humans, especially if they have to be left alone for extended periods. Making time to play with your dog may also help reduce its separation anxiety and howling behavior. Each day, set aside time for games, treats, and exercise with your dog.
   • As long as your dog is healthy, it will benefit from frequent play (fetch, jumping, tugging, etc.), as well as at least one half-hour walk per day. Discuss your dog’s activity level with your veterinarian; if your dog is aging, injured, or very young, he or she may have more specific exercise recommendations.

Dealing with other Causes of Howling

1. Determine if an environmental trigger is causing your dog to howl. Many dogs will howl in response to external stimuli, like sirens, other dogs, or thunder. Pay attention when your dog howls to see if the behavior follows a specific trigger.
   • If your dog’s howling is caused by an environmental trigger, it will usually stop once the trigger goes away or ends. If the occasional brief howl does not pose a problem, you may just want to let your dog be.
2. Change how your dog reacts to the trigger. If the howling caused by an environmental trigger is excessive or needs to be controlled (because the noise is bothering neighbors, for instance), then you may need to change your dog's behavior using desensitization and counterconditioning techniques.
   • If the environmental trigger can be controlled, you can try desensitizing your dog to it. For example, if your dog howls at the sound of your dryer, try to keep it calm while the dryer is on for only a minute, and offer it a treat. Gradually increase the amount of time the dryer is on, as long as your dog is calm. Hopefully, your dog will become desensitized to the trigger and not howl.
   • If the environmental trigger cannot be controlled (such as a siren or thunder), you can still use counterconditioning to stop your dog’s howling. To do this, download a sound effects album featuring the scary noise. Play it at a low volume and reward the dog when it is calm in the presence of the unpleasant sound. As your dog becomes more tolerant, slowly increase the volume.Do this consistently, and your dog may come to associate the trigger with getting a reward instead of needing to howl.
3. Care for your dog if it is sick or hurt. If you cannot determine that your dog’s howling is caused by an environmental trigger, separation anxiety, or another obvious cause, then the cause may be health-related. Have your veterinarian inspect your dog to determine if it is howling because of illness or injury.

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Sources and Citations

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See also

• Stop a Neighbor's Dog from Barking
• Get Dogs to Stop Barking
• Deal With a Neighbor's Barking Dog
• Stop Your Dog from Barking at Strangers
• Get Your Small Dog to Stop Biting and Barking at You
• Stop Dogs from Barking at People
• Train Dogs Not to Bark