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 about it in books. This is true? Is this really how things happen in nature? We hasten to disappoint - this is not true. This can only happen by chance. The moon does influence life on Earth, but it does not affect the behavior of canines. About 3-4 billion years ago, the Moon was a young satellite of our planet and was much closer to the Earth - at a distance of about 150 thousand km. 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 oceans were significantly higher than levels observed today. The water rushed so far onto land that it washed loose mineral materials into the ocean. Many biologists believe that this phenomenon formed the so-called. “the original soup”, which contributed to the emergence and development of life on Earth. Today, however, the tides are low, and the proximity of the Moon does not make much difference 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. The reason why films usually show wolves howling against the background of the moon is understandable. This is just a beautiful picture that should evoke certain feelings of admiration and fear in viewers. It's the perfect stereotype for a horror movie. The question of why dogs and wolves howl at the moon is incorrectly posed. It would be better to ask - why do dogs and wolves howl?
In a dream
Small puppies often howl because they miss their mother
The howling of a sleeping dog is a reaction to dreams. As a rule, dogs' dreams are much more vivid than human dreams. You can often notice that a sleeping dog wags its tail, jerks its legs as if running, growls, and barks. This behavior is associated with the processing of daytime events in the dog’s mind.
Most often this is typical for puppies or young dogs who are very energetic and impressionable. As the dog gets older, his sleep becomes calmer and the howling stops.
If such restless sleep is typical for your pet all the time, you should consult a veterinarian. He may need sedatives.
Where and when can you hear wolves howl?
The howling of wolves can be heard both day and night. However, most often 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 is associated more with temporal cyclicality than directly with the Moon itself. As you can see, it cannot be said that wolves howl exclusively and only at the Moon. Research conducted in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the USA, and Canada showed that howling for wolves is, first of all, a way of communication. Wolves communicate with each other in this way and strengthen bonds within their pack. They inform their flock of their location: “I’m here.” This makes their life easier.
Lonely individuals can thus look for a new pack or partner. Young wolves call their parents if they find themselves in an emergency situation and signal feeding time. The entire wolf pack howls as it lays claim to territory. The wolves claim that this place is already occupied by them, so they protect their hunting grounds. Strange wolves, hearing the howl of the pack, do not risk encroaching on already occupied territories. The howling of wolves here holds back other packs, threatening that a meeting of two independent groups is fraught with a bloody fight. During such meetings, even the killing of weak individuals from opposing factions can occur.
Wolves end a successful hunt with a joyful howl, calling members of the pack to join their meal and scaring away intruders-competitors who might steal leftover food. The wolves themselves like such a joyful howl, and all members of the pack joyfully join in when the hunters return with their prey. The light of the Moon is just a signal to the wolves during the dark night that it is time to go hunting. At the same time, wolves do not howl at the moon at all, but to call together their brothers for a joint hunt.
What do zoologists say about this?
We should start with the fact that the wolf and the moon are in no way connected. The wolf does not howl at the moon on purpose. It's just that his posture during this eerie sound misleads people. The misconceptions are supported by various images from the Internet that have been processed using Photoshop.
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The fact is that the howl when the wolf looks up is the loudest. Scientists wondered why wolves howl at the moon, and during the study they found that they do this at any time, even when the weather is cloudy and the moon is not visible. Okay, but why can this sound only be heard at night? It's simple, because wolves are nocturnal animals. They are active at night. When they make such melancholy sounds, it feels like they are communicating. In fact, this is true.
With the help of a howl, a wolf can signal to its fellows that it is going to hunt. Also, a wolf couple can notify their neighbors that they have small cubs. By howling, they make a kind of marking of territory. They seem to notify their fellows that the nearby territory is already occupied and should not be interfered with.
There is another interesting point why the howl of a wolf can most often be heard during a bright moon. At this time, as a rule, the nights are much lighter. Consequently, it is much more convenient for wolves to go hunting or simply wander through the forest.
So, to summarize, wolves use howls to communicate with each other, but why is hearing a howl during the day nonsense? Because they are nocturnal animals.
Features of a wolf howl
The intensity of wolf howls varies throughout the year. Wolves howl the least during the period of birth and caring for small wolf cubs, because this way they can bring enemies and hunters into the den with the babies. 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 rutting season in January and February, when males call for females. This howl is very characteristic and differs from a hunting one. Firstly, during the rut, the wolf song is usually started by a lone wolf, the dominant male. After which others, an increasing number of individuals, join him. This dull, monotonous howl lasts from a few seconds to several minutes. The howling is repeated over and over again; one such session can drag on for a long time.
Does a dog's howl have the same meaning as a wolf's?
Today, dogs are evolutionarily different from wolves. The domestication of dogs occurred about 30 thousand years ago. Despite such a long history, dogs still have much in common with wolves. For example, it was discovered that the genetic code of a dog and a wolf matches each other by 99%! However, dogs eat a little differently, lead a different lifestyle, have a different appearance, and are very attached to people. They typically use barks and whines to communicate rather than howling like wolves. Howling in a dog is not as common as in a wolf.
However, there are no dogs that do not howl. They just do this in slightly different situations than wolves. Scientists also claim that a dog’s howl, although different from a wolf’s, still has its basic functions genetically similar to those of a wolf. Now it’s clear why a domestic dog howls - just like a wolf, it tries to communicate, calls for help, and signals danger.
Loud rocks
- The most musical breed is considered husky. They differ from other breeds in that they almost never bark, and their only method of vocal communication is howling and whining. There are many legends why they lack barking in their communication - from the legends of the ancient Eximos to the close relationship of huskies with wolves.
Before you buy a husky: 9 rules for choosing a puppy The reality is somewhat simpler. The fact is that huskies are pack animals and need communication every minute. They mistake the family they live in for a pack in an apartment, and if they are left alone, they begin to howl, calling members of the pack to go home.
Why do dogs howl? To call your master
A pack for a wolf is a family of wolves. For a dog, a pack is a human family. Therefore, when the entire human family goes to work, shopping, school, and is left alone in the house, the dog tries to call its family and close members of the pack to itself with its howl. The dog is disappointed, shocked, because dogs are afraid of loneliness, afraid of being abandoned, left alone, abandoned. Especially if she sits alone in the yard, on a chain. The howl of a dog here corresponds to the howl of a wolf that has fallen behind 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 way of vocal communication, and not a bad omen. The dog knows that its howl will be heard much further than whining or barking. She simply calls out to her owner in alarm, but she does not know at all what happened to him or will happen in the future.
Musical ability
There are talented dogs, some of whom can perform complex acrobatic tricks and walk on their hind legs. As soon as familiar music starts playing, the animals begin to sing. From the outside it may seem that the pet is just howling, but no - this is a real song.
This feature is characteristic of hyperactive dogs. Most of all, dogs love to howl to the accordion, button accordion and flute.
Every dog, like a person, has its own voice
Each person has his own, individual tone of voice, because we are different people. Dogs also have their own timbre of voice so that it can be recognized from a distance.
Why do dogs howl? They convey different messages. Like a wolf, a dog claims territory, warns rivals to stay away, and learns the location of other dogs with which it has companionship. A dog howls when it feels confident in its territory. If this is not the case, then other dogs will provoke her to howl. Dogs howl from loneliness and the desire to have companionship with other dogs. Often - because of the fear that they are left at home alone, within four walls, as if in prison. A dog's howl indicates loneliness or a feeling of danger. Try not to provoke the dog, do not imitate 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.
Main reasons
If your pet suddenly howls for no reason, you should not wait for inevitable grief and run to the computer to look on the Internet what kind of trouble is about to happen. Even in the most chilling howl of a dog you should not look for an “otherworldly” meaning. In the vast majority of cases, your pet’s “singing” is associated with completely understandable reasons that have nothing to do with mysticism. But what are these reasons? Here is a small list of the main ones.
Separately, it should be noted that dogs can howl, anticipating trouble. At the same time, there is no mysticism here. Our smaller brothers naturally have heightened perception and sense of smell (for example, the same sense of smell), which allows them to notice danger before their owners pay attention to the threat. With its howl, the dog seeks to warn loved ones; for it, this is a kind of SOS signal.
Note: if your pet has a calm temperament and a strong nervous system, then if he howls, it will be extremely rare.
Sometimes dogs howl in unison like wolves
The common howl of the entire pack of dogs further strengthens the bonds between individuals and announces the defense of their territory - most often sled dogs howl this way. Hunting breeds also love to howl, because they usually announce the capture of prey in this way. Why do dogs like to howl at night? It’s just quiet at night, and their voices are better heard, which is why they try to communicate with each other at night. In the kennel, the dogs howl with sadness from loneliness, because they sit in cages alone, and they so want to communicate, to find a comrade!
At different times of the day
First of all, it’s worth figuring out why the dog howls in the morning, afternoon or evening, and what it wants to convey to the owner:
- Night howls are basic boredom. A few hours are enough for a young dog to sleep, so he does not understand why everyone around him lies motionless and does not communicate with him. This behavior can only be corrected with proper training.
- Daytime howling is a manifestation of emotions, and not always negative ones. An animal can even howl with joy, expressing delight at playing or meeting its owner. If there is no reason for joy, howling is a demand from the owner for attention. It wants communication, asks to go for a walk, or it is hungry.
- Howling in the morning is a way of manipulating the owner. Thus, the pet forces the owner to quickly take him for a walk.
There are so-called quiet breeds, from which it is difficult to even bark. Such “intelligents” include Whippets, Shar-Peis, Akita Inu, and St. Bernards. If a pet of one of these breeds suddenly begins to howl, it means he has health problems or something is causing him to feel anxious or afraid.
