Do your four-legged friend howl, and you don’t know why? If so, I have prepared some tips for you regarding this. What could be causing this behaviour in your dog, and how can you fix it?
If the dog howls while staying alone at home, it is a symptom of a longing for the guardian. If the dog howls continuously throughout the absence of the household member, the dog may be suffering from separation anxiety. By howling, the dog can communicate with other dogs in the area or try to get your attention.
What you will learn from this article:
- A dog can howl both when he is alone in the house and when you are next to him
- If your dog howls a lot, you may be dealing with separation anxiety
- A dog can howl from longing but also pain or wanting to convey some information in this way
The dog howls
Everyday life with a dog is a great joy and a great responsibility. You are responsible for ensuring that your pet feels loved and cared for. Therefore, you must be able to read his behaviour and the signals he sends you correctly.
One of the ways your dog communicates with the world around him is by howling. However, do you know why your dog reacts this way? Dog howls are often treated similarly to barking, which we assume is typical behaviour for a dog.
However, I would like you to know and be aware of why your dog is howling. He doesn’t do it for no reason. Behind every behaviour of your dog, there is a specific intention. It’s the same with a dog howling. You must know why your dog behaves the way he is and what he’s trying to tell you.
When the dog starts howling
When do dogs start to howl? In most cases, when they are left alone. Interestingly, this applies to being independently at home and locked in a room.
The dog howls when left alone in the house
Why does your dog howl when left alone at home? He’s acting this way because he misses you. Dogs feel best when they are in company. Therefore, they think it is unfortunate to spend time alone at home.
Your dog’s howl in this situation is his way of expressing his emotions. He manifests his sadness and dissatisfaction with being left alone at home.
However, dogs will not always howl when their owner leaves the house. Some dogs cherish the time spent alone with each other. They like peace and quiet, and then they can relax.
If you want to learn more about leaving your pet at home alone, I refer you to the entry that you will find HERE. It describes how you can prepare your pet for being left alone.
The dog howls when you’re home
When a new sofa came to my apartment recently, I locked my pet in the bedroom when it was brought into the living room by employees so that nothing would happen to him. The dog is insignificant, and the suppliers could accidentally hurt him when they focus on carrying the furniture and not looking at their feet.
Although the bedroom is a place my pet knows well, he has his bed here and sleeps through the night every day; his anger at that moment was tremendous. He howled most of the time, even though he knew that I was still at home with him.
So as you can see, a dog can express his emotions by howling even when he realizes he is not alone at home. That is his kind of communication. Let’s remember that quadrupeds never do anything without an apparent reason. Therefore, when the dog howls, he certainly has a fundamental basis for it.
The dog howls in your presence
Nobody said your dog couldn’t howl when you’re right next to it. Situations like this also happen. Of course, your dog’s message is entirely different than when he is left alone at home howling.
Undeniably, a dog will howl in your company to get your attention in the first place. As his guardian, you are the most important person in his life. Therefore, when a situation is essential to him, he wants you to be aware of it in the first place.
Therefore, in such a situation, your dog’s howling is intended to elicit some reaction from you towards him, but it should depend on what caused your canine to start howling.
Why does my dog start howling
There can be many reasons why your dog howls. This dog’s behaviour is his way of communicating the emotions swirling inside him. As a dog guardian, knowing what your four-legged friend feels at a given moment and what he needs from you is good.
The dog howls with longing
When a dog howls, he may be longing for the household. Dogs do not like it when their owners leave them alone. They express their disapproval and opposition to this situation by howling.
As I mentioned before, you can get your dog used to being home alone. That is very important if you know that every time you go out is a very traumatic experience for the dog.
A dog may howl out of longing for a particular person, even if there are other household members. In such a situation, you should focus your attention on something else. If you are present with the dog, you can encourage him to play with his favourite toy together. It is suitable for the dog to know that he is also essential to other household members, and they will be happy to spend time with him.

Dog toy |BONE brown
The dog howls, informing about the event
Dogs are very territorial animals. The space in which they live is essential, and they cannot pass by indifferently when a stranger appears.
That is why there are situations when a dog reacts by howling when a stranger enters its territory. In this situation, the dog informs us and tries to force the stranger to leave his space.
The dog howls when communicating with other dogs
Your dog may be trying to contact other dogs by howling. That is also due to your pet’s innate instinct. Dogs have been communicating with each other for a long time, among other things, through a loud howl.
Indeed, you have witnessed this type of communication between dogs many times. A dog’s howl can be loud, and with excellent hearing in quadrupeds, they can communicate with each other at a considerable distance.
When one dog starts to howl, very often, the other starts to join him. What are they trying to convey in this way? Unfortunately, neither you nor I will know.
The dog howls in pain
Another reason your dog is howling can be because he is in a lot of pain at the time. In such a situation, howling resembles a whimper combined with barking. The body’s natural reaction to an event causes discomfort and pain.
People also very often feel great pain and start screaming. So, if your dog’s howl consists of squeaky, high-pitched, and clipped sounds, it signals that something is very likely wrong with him. In such a situation, make sure as soon as possible where he is and that he is safe.
Sometimes, however, howling a dog in such situations is flashy and for show. My dog doesn’t like having his nails trimmed. He always eats it. At first, I thought he was acting like this because it hurt him. I realized that he started howling even before the pliers touched his claw. He hopes his howls will dissuade me from trimming my nails.
The howl of a dog is a signal for you
Regardless of what’s causing your dog to howl, one thing’s for sure: your dog is behaving this way because he wants attention. Depending on the situation, he is after you and other quadrupeds.
Dogs, through howling, communicate with other dogs and us. Therefore, if your pet behaves this way, check what your dog wants to say.
Does your pet howl often? What situations most often trigger this reaction on his part? Please share it with me in the comment below.
If you have any questions or want me to discuss a topic in the next post, share it in the comments section.