Why doesn’t my dog howl?

Why doesn’t my dog howl? You may have a dog who howls all the time. But you may also have a dog who never does this. Why doesn’t my dog howl? There are a few reasons why this may happen. Usually, there is no need to worry about it. Your dog simply doesn’t want to howl. But you still need to know all the reasons so you can help him if needed. Let’s see the main and the most common reason right now. 

Why doesn’t my dog howl: Possible reasons you need to know

1. He must learn it first

Obviously, this will give you the answer to the question if you have a puppy. Why doesn’t my dog howl? The simplest explanation is that he is still young and he must learn it. Puppies who don’t have contact with other dogs or puppies will need more time to learn how to do this. It is perfectly normal and eventually, your puppy will learn how to do it. 

2. His breed doesn’t howl a lot 

Some breeds bark a lot. Others howl a lot while some don’t howl. Some even don’t howl at all. It means that the specific breed of your dog isn’t known for howling. They prefer barking and you can hear them bark all the time. There is not much you can do in this case scenario and you will have to live with it. 

3. Due to injury or disease

Dogs who are injured or have an illness won’t howl. This is almost always the case when a dog is old or when he has been vomiting or even showing some other symptoms such as limping. There is no need in telling you that if this is the case, you need to take him to the vet as soon as possible. The main cause of the issue should be solved. 

4. Depression

Dogs who are depressed won’t howl simply because they don’t feel like doing that. As a matter of fact, they don’t like doing anything. We can see depressed dogs refusing to eat, refusing to play, and just sitting around. It is crucial to find out the cause of depression and to eliminate it. There are countless reasons such as separation anxiety, disease and so much more. Once depression is sorted out, your dog will start howling once again. 

5. He doesn’t howl due to previous experience

If you have a dog who was a rescue dog in the past, he won’t howl. In general, a dog won’t howl if his previous experience taught him not to do that. We can see the same case with all kinds of dogs who were used by law enforcement, the military, etc.

Dogs who were trained not to howl won’t do it. This will happen only if your pet had a previous owner who taught him not to do that. Some dog owners don’t like when their dog howls so they will train him not to do this. It is an interesting part of the training and one that does take a lot of time, but can be very effective and can make a massive change. 

6. He is old 

Old or senior dogs won’t howl all the time. This doesn’t have anything to do with their ability to howl. Instead, they will have poor hearing and he won’t be able to hear all the things and sounds that made him howl. Sadly, there is no solution for that. You may want to check with a vet and discover is some disease or condition affecting his hearing or it is just age-related. 

You can teach your dog to howl

If your dog doesn’t howl but you like the idea of a pet doing this, you can teach him. There are two possible options. Before you start, it is mandatory to check all the heat-treated issues that may affect his ability to howl. If everything is fine and your pet is not old nor he is a puppy, you may start teaching him how to howl. As we have mentioned earlier there are two methods for that.

• Method 1

The first method is the simplest and can be used all the time. All you must do is to howl. Well, you will have to howl while your dog is close to you. He should start mimicking you and do the obvious thing. If this isn’t something you want to do, play videos and sounds of other dogs howling. Your dog should start doing the same. This takes time and you will need to invest a lot of effort into teaching your pet to howl.

Of course, the reward is impressive. Keep in mind that howling comes from wolves and dogs come from this wild animal as well. You must always teach him when he is close to you or when other dogs are there. Wolves howl only in packs so it is a mandatory thing to try and mimic. 

If you don’t want to howl for days, you can play your dog sounds of police sirens and ambulance. The sirens should help your dog howl and he may start doing this within minutes. 

• Method 2

Method number 2 is a bit similar but also very different. What this means is that you can train your dog to howl. There are professional trainers who will do this instead of you and who will help your dog howl within days. It is cheap and can be completed fast. Of course, this should be done only if your dog doesn’t howl at all and everything is fine when it comes to his health. 

The final word

Why doesn’t my dog howl like any other dog? It can be due to numerous reasons and it is something that usually doesn’t need to be corrected. But it can be a symptom of old age or a disease in which case a vet visit is mandatory. If everything is fine, you can teach or train your dog to howl. It is a relatively simple process that will have great results. 

Please have a look at my other articles below:

• What Does It Mean If A Dog Burp Smells Like A Poop?
• How Much Does It Cost To Sedate A Dog For Nail Trimming.
• How To Deal With Neighbor’s Aggressive Dog.
• Can Dogs Eat Bread?