Why does my dog howl at music?

If your dog has been howling at music, you might want to know why and if you should do anything about it. This post will show you common reasons why they do it and what you can do about it.

So, why does my dog howl at music? The reason why your dog howls at music is likely to be because it is in its nature to howl when it hears high-pitched sounds. It could also be because it is reacting to your own emotions or that you have inadvertently trained it to howl when there is music playing.

There are a number of reasons why your dog might be doing it and it might be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are a number of things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there are a number of things you can do about it.

Reasons why your dog howls at music

Below are some common reasons why dogs howl at music and what would make them more likely to be the reason why yours has been doing it.

Ancestry

The cause could be that it is in its genes to howl when it hears high pitched noises like with certain types of music. In the wild, dogs and wolves would howl to alert other dogs and wolves of their position and when they hear other dogs howling they would start to howl as well. This could be why your dog howls when it hears music.

Encouraging the behavior

It might be the case that you have inadvertently trained it to do it by giving it things it wants when it does it. If you give it things such as toys, treats or extra attention, when it starts howling at music, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards. If you do not want it to howl, it would help to reward it only when it does not howl while music is playing.

Sensitive hearing

Dogs have better hearing than we do and they can hear higher-pitched sounds too. It could be the case that the high pitched sounds of the music cause it to howl since it is of a similar pitch to other dogs howling.

It is reacting to your own emotions

It might be the case that it starts howling because it is thinks you are behaving unusually. This would be more likely if it does not always howl when there is music and it only does it when you start doing things such as dancing or singing a lot to it.

Bonding

The reason why it does it might be that it is bonding with you. This would be more likely if it only starts doing it when you are with it and when you are giving it attention.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why it has been doing it.

What sort of music your dog howls to

It would help to consider the type of music that it howls to. If it only howls when the music has a high pitch, it would be more likely that it does it because it is in its nature to howl when it hears a high pitch. Whereas, if it does it when the music is loud, it might be doing it because the music is making it anxious.

What is different when your dog does not howl to music

It would also help to consider if there is anything different between when it does howl at music and when it does not. For example, if it only howls when you are singing, it would be more likely that it is reacting to your own emotions.

The body language it shows

It would also help to consider the body language it shows. If it shows more relaxed body language, it would be more likely that it does it due to bonding, learning that it gets rewards or nature. Whereas, if it shows signs of being anxious, it would be more likely to be doing it due to being anxious.

What to do about your dog howling at music

Below are some things you can do about it.

Reduce its anxiety

If your dog becomes anxious when it hears music, it would help to try to reduce its anxiety by doing things such as rewarding it when it shows signs of not being anxious and trying to avoid music that causes it to become anxious. It would also help to lower the volume of the music or to use headphones.

Avoid encouraging it

As mentioned above, it could be the case that it has learned that it gets rewards for doing it. Instead, it would help to reward it when it does not howl and to try to redirect its attention before it starts howling.

Let it howl

It is likely that the howling is not cause for concern and that it has been doing it because it naturally howls when it hears high pitched sounds. If it does not show any signs of anxiety when it howls, it would likely be ok to just let it continue doing it.