When Youve Ruled Everything Else Out
If your German Shepherd is howling excessively and youve ruled out possibilities of:
- Medical reasons
- Lack of exercise
then there may be other emotional reasons as to why your dog is upset or being vocal.
There are specific Desensitization and Counterconditioning techniques that are incredibly useful to learn, and of course, professionals you can call. A Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist or a Certified Professional Dog Trainer can both be helpful.
What Does It Mean When My Dog Howls Like A Wolf
Some dogs howl because theyre lonely, especially if theyre left alone or kept outside for many hours at a time. Dogs, like humans, are very social animals and need regular interaction with their human families. If your dog howls often when by himself, you may need to spend more quality time together.
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Reason #: Its In Their Dna
Right off the bat, you can rest easy knowing that your German Shepherd may be howling because its a hereditary trait shared with wolves.
These dogs have a strong pack mentality, and howling is a leftover behaviour from their days of roaming the wilderness with their wolf pack.
Wolves would often howl to communicate with other packs or to prevent intruders from encroaching on their territory
Similarly, your German Shepherd may feel the need to communicate with other dogs and animals.
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How Do You Stop Your German Shepherd Howling
There are lots of different ways that you can stop your german shepherd from howling. And you should tailor your choice based on the reasons the howling is occurring.
Fortunately, howling isnt a dangerous behavior or an indicator of an aggressive german shepherd most of the time. So you can take your time with your training to really make sure you get it right.
Here are some of the best ways to stop your german shepherd from howling.
Ignoring Them
If your german shepherd is howling for attention, one of the best methods to stop them is to ignore them completely.
You may think that scolding them or telling them to stop will work, and it will. In the short term. However, youre still teaching them that every time they howl theyre going to get attention from you.
To some dogs, even negative attention is better than no attention.
So, next time they howl, dont give them any attention whatsoever. Dont look at them, dont make eye contact with them no attention at all.
If they continue to howl no matter how much you ignore them. Get up tell them to leave the room as coldly and robotically as you can. Close the door behind them and wait for them to stop howling.
Once theyve stopped howling and theyve been quiet for a few minutes allow them back in the room.
Make sure that once theyve settled down and stopped howling that you give them lots of attention and treats. This will help reinforce in their head that howling doesnt get attention but sitting quietly does.
Howling Due To Loneliness Or Boredom
If your puppy or German shepherd is howling while you are away from home, it might be because they are lonely and need some attention. Dogs, just like humans, can get bored easily if theres nothing to do while youre gone.
Even worse, they can develop separation anxiety. Separation anxiety German Shepherds will act out in destructive and/or unusual behavior while you are away. This can include howling, barking, chewing, whining, and even urinating or defecating inside.
This is why puppies should be crate trained as early as possible. You want to make sure that this association is created from the beginning so that it becomes a quiet, safe place for them to go whenever they feel their anxiety begins to ramp up.
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Things That Will Never Get German Shepherd Barking Under Control
Punishing your dog by hitting, kicking or a raised hand in the ready to smack’ position. This will scare your dog and cause mistrust.
And in the case of attention-seeking barking, it will only reinforce the behavior.
Shouting at your dog will make him think you’re joining in with the barking. Shouting will not make your dog stop barking.
In most cases, your dog will turn a deaf ear and continue barking.
Using a bark collar. This will cause your dog considerable pain and discomfort. It is not a proven method to stop barking.
It will also cause negative feelings in your dog. These feelings can be associated with a person or animal present when the shock is applied. This equals aggression.
Why Does My German Shepherd Not Howl
So, why doesnt your German Shepherd howl? If your German Shepherd is still young then it likely just hasnt figured out how yet. There are a number of other possible reasons including a quiet personality, a lack of comfort with its environment, previous training, illness or injury, and boredom or sometimes depression.
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Howling To Communicate With Other Dogs
This is one of the most common reasons that your dog will howl to communicate with other dogs. As we all know, dogs are incredibly social animals, and they crave interaction with other people and other dogs.
You may have noticed if you live in a neighborhood that has dogs, you often hear one dog howling followed by the next, and then perhaps the next, and the next, and so on.
This resembles a chain reaction, not dissimilar to prisoners communicating from cell to cell. This is not to suggest that your dog is a prisoner, but only to illustrate how communication is made when your dog is kept in a fixed place and is unable to physically contact another dog howling is the next best thing.
Howling is also a very effective way to communicate, as it casts a pretty wide net of sound. How wide this net is cast will depend on a number of different factors, including the dogs breed, the surrounding terrain, and the weather.
But think about it the next time you hear a dog howl at night. Give some thought to how far away you think that dog is. If youre out in the country and you hear it, I think a fair estimate would be a mile or more. And chances are that there are certainly other dogs within that mile who are picking up on it.
Bottom Sniffing Why Dogs Do That
You will often see that one dog is standing calmly, and another one is sniffing his bottom, and then they switch the position.
Dogs do not shake hand like humans to say hello, Sniffing each others bottom is their way to say hello.
A Dogs Bottom is his Id Card. Dogs have got Anal Glands in their bottoms, which has a Signature Scent.
German Shepherd Dogs smell another dogs bottom to know if the dog is healthy, young, or old and what he has eaten today.
When a puppy is with his mother, she will teach him about bottom sniffing in about 6 weeks.
When a Puppy is taken early, he might struggle to know the Ritual.
A Dog that Refuses to cooperate to let his bottom checked by other dogs is considered to be rude by other dogs.
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Environmental And Communicational Reasons
German Shepherd Dogs can react when some environmental noise occurs especially those sounds that are like sirens. Through howling, German Shepherd Dogs signals their presence in a certain place or gives warning to communicate that there is an approaching danger or to prevent intruders from entering a territory.
Teaching Your German Shepherd Hand Targetting
Hand targetting is where you get your german shepherd to focus most of their attention on your hand. Rather than whining. Its most effective in german shepherds that cant control themselves and get excited or scared when they meet new people.
Heres how you should train your dog to hand target.
Step 1
First of all, hold your hand out in front of your german shepherd. Every time they touch their nose to your palm give them a treat.
However, when youre doing this dont say anything. Just keep your palm outstretched to them and let them touch it with their nose.
And make sure you dont bring your hand to them if they arent going for your hand. Instead, try moving it from side to side in front of them.
If they still dont move towards it, then rub a treat on it so they can smell it. That will definitely get them to bring their nose to it.
Give them a treat and congratulate them every time they do this successfully.
Step 2
Once your german shepherd realizes they get a treat every time they touch your hand with their nose, its time to kick it up a notch.
Start putting your hand to the left and right of your dog, or a few inches back. Every time they touch it with their nose, give them another treat.
Do this 20-30 times.
Step 3
Now things are getting interesting. Each time you hold your hand out say a command, like calmly or hello and then proceed to let them touch your hand.
Once again, every time they do this give them the treat to let it sink in.
Step 4
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Alert German Shepherd Dog Body Language
German Shepherd Dogs are good Guardians. GSDs are used as guard dogs by many people. Most of them are trained to Alert the owner by Barking.
A Dogs Senses Remain on High Alert even when it is Sleeping.
YourGerman Shepherd may not bark when he is on the alert Mode, but he Can sit or stand in Alert Position.
Anything from a small animal to the rumble of a vehicle can catch a German Shepherd dogs attention.
Is Dog Howling Good Or Bad
Howling is a natural behavior that strengthens the bond between you and your dog. Its something dogs do when they feel lonely or when they need to communicate with other animals, such as wolves, who howl to locate each other in forests or fields. However, too much of it can be a nuisance to some people living close by.
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How To Stop A German Shepherd From Howling
After you have determined why your German Shepherd howls, the next step is to take the necessary steps to prevent him from doing so.
Keep boredom at bay.
Since GSDs are meant to be extremely active dogs, you need to keep them active all the time. If your pup doesnt get plenty of exercise, it will be a good idea to let them do so to help improve the howling habit. You can take him out for walks every day or hire a dog walker who can do this for you if you are not available.
Responding To Environmental Factors
Dog owners will sometimes notice that their dogs howl when they hear outside noises like the sirens of passing fire trucks or ambulances. In this situation, German Shepherd howling can signify a response to environmental factors.
If your dog is familiar with these sounds and you know they come with a certain set of circumstances, then they may howl to prepare themselves for whats about to happen.
If, on the other hand, your German shepherd is unfamiliar with the sound and doesnt understand why it is occurring or if the noise is loud enough to startle them, they might howl out of fear.
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Other Solutions And Considerations
Since German Shepherds are noisy by nature, it can be difficult to know when your dogs vocalizations are something to be concerned about. One danger sign to look for is when the vocalizations seem to intensify, when your dog vocalizes more often, or if you notice any new noises. This could mean that your dog is sick or suffering from an injury. Sickness is usually accompanied by other symptoms such as a refusal to eat, vomiting, and decreased energy levels. If your dog is injured, he will lick the injured area compulsively, refuse to move around, and may not want to be touched or petted.
Why Doesnt My German Shepherd Howl
If your German Shepherd doesnt howl you might be wondering why and what you should do about it. This post will give you some reasons why your German Shepherd might not howl and what you can do about it.
So, why doesnt your German Shepherd howl? If your German Shepherd is still young then it likely just hasnt figured out how yet. There are a number of other possible reasons including a quiet personality, a lack of comfort with its environment, previous training, illness or injury, and boredom or sometimes depression.
There are actually a number of different reasons why your German Shepherd might not be howling. There are also a lot of things that you can do about it.
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German Shepherd Howling 9 Causes And How To Prevent It
- Pin
What does German Shepherd howling mean? This is a question that many dog owners wonder about. Most people have heard their dogs howl at least once in their lifetime.
This is usually a reaction to something in a pups environment, but sometimes, the reason isnt as obvious.
While, in most cases, dog howling isnt a bad sign, you should still be able to determine the causes behind it.
This is also important if you want to prevent unwanted howling. You cannot do so if you dont know the reason for it!
If you want to learn the truth behind German Shepherd howling, then this article is for you.
German Shepherds have descended from wild wolves. Because of this, there is an area in their brains that instinctively reacts to certain stimuli, partially returning them to the primitive behavior of their ancestors.
Howling is just one of the ways that GSDs show just how close they are to their distinctive, wild relatives. Well take a closer look at this.
German Shepherd Howling With Wolves
Some of the German Shepherd owners were surprised when they witnessed their German Shepherd howling with wolves in the scene of the movie, Zootopia. This reaction will not surprise you if you are already knowledgeable about the causes of German Shepherd howling. Their howling might be a result of their natural instinct as an animal in wolf lineage so they will try to howl as if they are calling the attention of other packs of wolves.
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Why Does My German Shepherd Howl At Sirens And Thunder
If your German Shepherd has been howling at sirens or thunder you might be wondering why and what you can do about it.
This post will show you a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might howl at sirens or thunder and things that you can do to stop it.
So, why does my German Shepherd howl at sirens or thunder? Possible reasons are that it has sensitive hearing, there is a change in the air pressure or it triggers a fight or flight response.
There are a number of things that you can consider when trying to figure out why it does it. Depending on the cause, there are also a number of things that you can do to stop it from howling at certain sounds.
Dog Howling: 7 Videos To Make Your Dog Howl
If you want to teach your dog to howl check out the following videos. Heres 7 videos that are guaranteed to make your dog howl.
Dogs reaction to guaranteed to make your dog howl video.
This one comes with a guaranteed to make your dog howl.
Boxer howling at siren noises.
German Shepherd howling.
Dueling Huskies I dont know if Id love to have two Huskies or instantly regret it.
Another video guaranteed to make your dog howl.
My personal favorite.
Photo via Matt Elsberry
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What If They Are Not Happy
Now that you have an idea of how your German Shepherd may be expressing their contentment, it is also important to note when they are feeling stressed, anxious or depressed.
There are some signs which you can look out for to know if your dog is not content, including:
- Growling and aggressive behaviour
Friendly Dog Body Language
In reality, it is tough to understand if a German Shepherd is friendly or Not.
Yes, Fast Wagging Tail is a sign that your dog is excited, happy, and friendly, but it is not enough.
His body has to be completely relaxed. His tail has to be wagging fast.
Dogs are bonded with Humans, and they feel safe with us. When a German Shepherd is anxious or scared, he will not get better until his owner comes to comfort him
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Why Do German Shepherds Tilt Their Heads
There is nothing cuter than a German Shepherd head-tilt and you will find tons of pictures and videos of dogs tilting their heads on all social media platforms. Many owners will make plenty of strange sounds just to see their pup perform an adorable head tilt. So, why do German Shepherds tilt their heads?
German Shepherds tilt their heads when they become interested in something different. They use the position of their head, and more specifically, their ears to learn the direction of the new sound. They also tilt their head when trying to understand what youre saying and to increase visual cues.
There are a lot of other behaviors that German Shepherd Dogs portray. You can read about problematic behaviors in this breed and their solutions from my article on German Shepherd Behavior Problems.