Have you ever wondered if you could get your furry friend to howl like those majestic wolves in the movies? Well, I’ve got good news for you! Yes, you absolutely can teach a dog to howl – and it’s not as difficult as you might think. In this guide, I’ll share everything you need to know about getting your pup to unleash their inner wolf through howling.
Why Would You Want to Teach Your Dog to Howl?
Before we dive into the “how,” let’s talk about the “why.” There are actually several good reasons you might want your dog to learn this skill
- Strengthens your bond: Training activities like howling can enhance communication between you and your pup
- Mental stimulation: Learning new tricks provides enrichment for your dog
- Fun party trick: Let’s be honest, it’s pretty entertaining to show off your dog’s howling skills
- Problem barker solution: Surprisingly, teaching a controlled howl can help manage excessive barking
- Taps into natural instincts: Howling is a primal behavior that many dogs enjoy expressing
As one animal behaviorist noted, “Howling is a natural behavior for dogs, so don’t be surprised if your pet picks it up quickly. Positive reinforcement and rewards are key to successful training.”
Which Dogs Are Most Likely to Howl?
While most dogs can learn to howl with proper training some breeds are naturally more inclined to vocalize this way
- Huskies & Malamutes: These northern breeds are famous howlers
- Beagles & Basset Hounds: Hound dogs are known for their vocal abilities
- Coonhounds & Foxhounds: These hunting breeds have howling in their DNA
On the flip side, breeds like Greyhounds, Basenjis, and Pugs might be more challenging to teach. But don’t let that discourage you! With patience and the right techniques, most dogs can learn.
3 Proven Methods to Teach Your Dog to Howl
Ready to get started? Here are three effective methods to teach your pup to howl:
1. The Soundtrack Method
This approach uses recordings to trigger your dog’s natural instinct to join in the “pack howl.”
- Find the right sound: Play videos or recordings of wolves or dogs howling (YouTube is great for this)
- Mark and reward: When your dog responds with even a small vocalization, immediately click/treat
- Add your cue: Start saying “howl” (or whatever command you prefer) right before or as your dog begins to howl
- Phase out the soundtrack: Eventually try giving just the cue without the recording
- Refine the howl: Once established, be more selective about which howls earn rewards to get the sound you want
2. The Mirror Method
This technique uses your own howling to encourage your dog to mimic you.
- Start howling yourself: Give your best wolf impression to trigger your dog’s howling
- Reward any response: Click and treat when your dog vocalizes
- Add your cue: Begin saying “howl” before you demonstrate
- Transition to just the cue: Try using only your verbal command without howling yourself
- Practice regularly: Short, daily sessions work best for reinforcing this behavior
3. The Capture Method
This method takes advantage of spontaneous howling your dog might already do.
- Be ready: Keep treats handy to reward natural howling when it occurs
- Mark and celebrate: Make a huge deal with praise and treats when your dog howls unprompted
- Add your cue: Once your dog starts offering howls for treats, begin saying “howl” just before or during the behavior
- Refine through selection: Gradually become more selective about which howls earn rewards
- Practice randomly: Once established, practice at unexpected times to maintain the skill
Tips for Successful Howl Training
No matter which method you choose, these tips will help make your training more effective:
- Keep sessions short: 10-15 minutes max to maintain interest
- Be patient: Some dogs need several weeks to get comfortable howling
- Avoid punishment: Never scold your dog for not howling or doing it “wrong”
- Be consistent with your cue: Stick with the same command word or signal
- Raise criteria gradually: Start by rewarding any vocalization, then become pickier
- Consider your neighbors: Train during daytime hours to avoid complaints
- Have fun with it: Your attitude affects your dog’s enthusiasm
Common Concerns About Teaching Howling
Many pet parents worry about potential downsides to teaching this behavior. Let’s address some common concerns:
Will teaching my dog to howl make them bark more?
Not necessarily. When you teach a behavior on command, you’re actually gaining more control over when the behavior happens. Many professional trainers recommend putting vocalizations on command to help manage problem barkers.
What if my dog just won’t howl?
Some dogs simply aren’t natural howlers. A canine psychologist notes, “It’s important to respect your dog’s comfort level and not force them to howl if they’re not interested.” If your dog doesn’t take to howling, consider focusing on other fun tricks they might enjoy more.
Will my neighbors hate me?
This is a valid concern if you live in close quarters! Be mindful of your training schedule and environment. Consider teaching the “quiet” command alongside howling so you have an off switch.
Can older dogs learn to howl?
Absolutely! While puppies often pick up new behaviors quickly, dogs of any age can learn to howl with patience and consistency. Senior dogs may need more time, but they can definitely learn new tricks!
The Step-by-Step Howling Training Plan
If you’re serious about teaching your dog to howl, here’s a comprehensive training plan that combines elements from all three methods:
Week 1: Triggering the Howl
- Try different stimuli: your howling, videos, music, instruments
- Discover what gets the best response from your dog
- Reward ANY vocalization, even small ones
- Practice 5-10 minutes daily
Week 2: Adding the Cue
- Start saying “howl” right before your trigger
- Continue rewarding all attempts
- Begin phasing out treats for mediocre attempts
- Practice 5-10 minutes daily
Week 3: Reducing Dependence on Triggers
- Give the cue, wait 5-10 seconds before using your trigger
- Gradually increase this waiting time
- Heavily reward howls that come without the trigger
- Practice 10-15 minutes daily
Week 4: Refining the Howl
- Become more selective about which howls earn treats
- Look for longer, louder, or more wolf-like howls
- Introduce the “quiet” command to balance the skill
- Practice randomly throughout the day
My Personal Experience
When I tried teaching my beagle mix to howl, I almost gave up after a week of unsuccessful attempts. He would just look at me like I was crazy whenever I howled! But then I discovered he would respond to harmonica music. The first time he let out a tiny “aroooo,” I practically threw the entire treat bag at him in excitement!
It took us about three weeks of consistent practice, but now he’ll howl on command – and it’s become our favorite party trick when friends visit. The key was finding the right trigger and being super patient during the learning process.
Wrapping Up: Is Teaching Your Dog to Howl Worth It?
In my opinion, teaching your dog to howl is totally worth the effort if:
- You have patient neighbors
- You’re willing to put in consistent training time
- You understand it might take weeks to accomplish
- You’re prepared to teach an “off switch” too
The joy of seeing your dog tap into their primal wolf heritage through howling is pretty special. Plus, the training process itself strengthens your communication and deepens your bond.
So what do you think? Ready to help your pup find their inner wolf? Remember, the key ingredients are patience, consistency, and lots of positive reinforcement. Happy howling!
StepsPart
- 1 Wait for the dog to howl on its own so you can reinforce the behavior. It’s tricky to make your dog howl before you’ve trained it. So, the first step is often just waiting for the dog to howl. It may be inclined to howl if other nearby dogs start barking and howling, or if it hears a certain high-pitched sound like a fire-engine drive by.[2]
- Try taking your dog to a dog park if it’s not inclined to howl. Allowing your dog to interact with other dogs may prompt your dog to howl.
- 2 Find a sound that makes your dog howl if waiting doesn’t work. In many cases, a dog that is not inclined to howl will do so if it hears a certain sound or noise. Try playing different genres of music around the house, and see if your dog howls to one.[3]
- Or, if you (or a friend or family member) play a musical instrument, play it around the house and see if it causes the dog to howl.
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- 3 Play online videos of howling dogs to make your dog howl. If music isn’t doing the trick, get on YouTube and search for “dogs howling,” then play some of the videos for your dog. Your dog may be inclined to howl along when it feels like it’s communicating with a real (if pre-recorded) dog.[4]
- Try a few different videos and see which elicits the best response from your dog.
- 4 Howl at your dog and see if it mimics you. If music isn’t doing the trick, try mimicking a canine howl when you and your dog are in the same room. A dog is often inclined to mimic its owner’s behaviors—or might just get excited by your loud howling—and should be inclined to howl along with you.[5]
- If your dog isn’t inclined to howl, don’t harass the animal. Don’t try to force the dog to howl if it doesn’t want to.
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Teaching the Dog to Howl on Command
- 1 Say “howl” when the dog howls. Once you’ve figured out a way to make your dog howl, you need to start using the command that you’d like to induce the dog to howl. Say “Howl” just before playing a sound that makes your dog howl. If they howl, give them a treat. Next, say “howl” 2-3 seconds before playing a sound that makes your dog howl, and treat them if they howl. Repeat this until your dog starts to howl after you say “howl” and before you play the sound that elicited the vocalization to begin with.[6]
- Give your dog time to link the “howl” command and the howling behavior. It may take a few weeks for the dog to be fully trained to howl.
- If you prefer, you could say “sing” instead. Just be sure that you’re consistent with the command you give the dog.
- 2 Reward the dog with a treat each time you say “howl.” The two can be done simultaneously. Once the dog begins to howl, say “howl” (or “sing”) in a firm tone. Then give the dog a treat. This will reinforce the howling behavior, and teach the dog to associate the behavior with your command.[7]
- Continue to reinforce the howling behavior over a period of days (or weeks).
- During this stage of the training, you may still need to occasionally stimulate the dog to howl by using music, a YouTube video, or your own voice.
- Be specific with the behaviors that you reinforce. A howl is different than a bark or a yip, and so the dog shouldn’t be given a treat for barking when you want it to howl.
- 3 Provide a nonverbal cue if you want your dog to respond to a signal. Train the dog to respond to a different cue instead. If you’d rather not give the “howl” command, try using another cue. Some dog owners may prefer to train their dog to howl when given a nonverbal cue. The process is identical to training the dog to howl to the “howl” command, but you’ll use the nonverbal cue in conjunction with the dog treat.[8]
- For example, you could train the dog to howl to the sound of a certain piano note or to howl every time you clap your hands or snap your fingers.
- 4 Wean the dog off of the treats. Once your dog has come to understand the connection between hearing the “howl” command and howling, you can begin to cut back on the number of treats it receives.[9] For example, still give the “howl” command but only give a treat half the time. A few days later, cut back to only giving a treat a quarter of the time. Then, cut out the treats altogether.
- If you like the idea of giving your dog a treat each time it howls on command, you can skip this step.
- Use the “quiet” command and reward your dog when it stops howling. This can help you control the amount of noise they make later on.
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FAQ
How do you teach a dog to Howl on command?
As you can see, you can use a few methods to teach your dog to howl on command. Some of them, of course, are more fun than others. Watching videos of dogs howling or listening to music together are great ways to teach your dog to howl. However, you must ensure you can stop your dog from howling when playtime is over.
Can you teach a dog to howl?
You can teach your dog how to howl, but you can also train your dog to howl on command. Howling is a common behavior in dogs. All dogs are born with it. All breeds may start howling at some point or another – on certain occasions. However, some breeds are more likely to do it quite often and actually draw attention.
How do you train a dog to howl?
Give him a treat when he howls and tell him he’s a good boy, just as you would with any form of trick training. With enough practice and encouragement you’ll be able to get your dog to howl on command, just as you can get him to sit or lie down.
How do I make my dog howl?
What is the hardest command to teach a dog?
Should you teach a dog to howl?
With a vocal breed like a sheltie, unless you want them offering the behavior WHENEVER, don’t teach it to them. There is really no reason for a dog to howl and it can very easily and quickly become a nuisance to you and your neighbors.
Why does my dog not howl?