Yes, it is perfectly normal and you are a lucky dog owner if your pet does this. See, many dogs won’t howl with you or they will howl when alone, to other dogs. What does it mean when dogs howl with you? The answer to this part of the question is a bit more complicated and more interesting. Let’s try and answer it as best as we can.
He wants to unite the voices
What does it mean when dogs howl with you? In the simplest form, it means that your pet wants to unite voices with you and to support your howling. It is a nice thing to see and experience. Always remember that if you are the owner of your dog, he considers you the leader and he will always howl with you. This makes him happy and even thrilled. When howling, the dog’s brain releases oxytocin and dopamine which are known as happy chemicals. This creates a powerful feeling and makes your dog realize he is a part of the pack. You can usually see a happy dog after howling together.
Many dog trainers will actually use high pitch sounds that are similar to howling. This makes dogs feel better and even great while training. Sadly, neighbors don’t like this but dogs love it.
The last thing to mention here is that howling with your dog, even if it sounds weird for some is the best way to bond. Don’t forget that there are a lot of other methods for bonding such as playing together and many more. Nevertheless, howling together can be the most appealing one of them all.
Your dog howls because his wolf genes
Well, dogs come from wolves and all wolves howl. This is the best possible method for communication in the wild. Howling can be heard for miles and it is a simple yet effective method to reveal something to other members of the pack. Believe it or not, howling can mean a lot of things. It is usually used to reveal the location of a dog or wolf but it can mean that others should come to that location or that he will come to the secondary location.
If we take a deep look into this matter, we can see that dogs can reveal different feelings when howling. For instance, he may reveal pain, anger, joy, or something else. In this case, scenario, howling is more effective than speaking. It can be heard over long distances and it needs a few seconds to reveal a lot. Of course, howling is not complex as talking but it is very effective the lack of a better word.
Howling is extremely important for wolves and dogs. There are a few main reasons why they use this and we would like to mention all of them. Keep in mind that your dog may howl due to the same reasons. Despite the fact he lived his entire life in a city, he still has powerful instincts.
To identify himself
Howling is most often used as a way of identification. When a pack is hunting or running in the wild, howling can tell others who he is and where he is at the same time. Although to us all howling sounds sound the same, actually, every single dog has a different sound and others know it. In the wild, the alpha wolf will usually howl the first and then the second-ranked wolf. This goes to the lowest-ranking individuals.
Your pet is sad
This happens when you are not at home or when you just leave. Your dog is sad and he will try to reveal it. As you should remember, we did mention that dogs express their feelings with howling. Sorrow and sadness are just some of them. You need to spend more time with your pet if he does this due to this very reason. He misses you.
He wants attention
Dogs are smarter than you may believe. They will usually try and do something new and if they see that this works, they will do it all over again. The best example is howling. If he needs attention and he howls. You give him attention, your pet will start howling more often. More intelligent dog breeds will do this more often and they will realize the power of howling in less time.
You should not give him attention when your pet howls. This is not acceptable behavior for most dog owners and it is something that many neighbors hate. As such, you may want to discourage it.
Stress
Anxiety and stress can be huge issues for dogs. As a matter of fact, separation anxiety is a huge problem for most dogs and it is something that needs to be solved and prevented as possible. See, dogs don’t like changes. That’s why they like and need just one owner and they don’t want to change him ever. If there is a massive change in life, like moving, separation anxiety may appear. Howling is the way your dog will use to tell you that. Stress can do the same thing. You need to find the cause of that problem and solve it as soon as you can.
They need to unite
In the wild, dogs hunt together. They fight enemies together. Howling is the best way to reveal his position and also to call for help when needed. This is especially important when hunting. Howling will call others and tell them where prey is. Then other dogs can come and attack the prey. The situation is the same when it comes to defending the territory.
Conclusion
What does it mean when dogs howl with you? Now you know all the facts and all about howling. All we can add is that if your pet does this with you, you are a lucky dog owner. It looks amazing and it is the ultimate way to create and make a bond between you two stronger.
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