If your dog has been howling when you arrive home, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do about it.
So, why does my dog howl when I arrive home? Possible reasons why your dog howls when you get home are that it is excited, it has some separation anxiety or that it wants exercise, food or to pee.
Since there are a number of possible causes, it would help to consider what would make each of them more likely. Once you have a good idea of the cause, it should become a lot easier to get it to stop.
Why your dog howls when you arrive home
Below are a number of common reasons why dogs do it and what would make them more likely to be the reason why your dog has been doing it.
Excitement
The cause could be that it is excited. This would be more likely if it shows other signs of excitement when it howls such as wagging its tail, jumping up at you, licking you or wide-open eyes. The reason why it might be excited is that it does not like being left alone and it is excited about the rewards you might have for it.
Separation anxiety
Another possible reason why it howls when you get home is that it has separation anxiety. This is where it does not like being left alone and being left alone causes it to become anxious. This would be more likely to be the cause if it tends to show signs of being anxious when you are leaving.
It would help to try to reduce how anxious it becomes by letting it pee, giving it exercise and feeding it before leaving. It would also help to try to come back periodically so that it does not have to be alone for too long.
Wanting exercise
The cause could be that it is bored and it wants to get exercise. This would be more likely if it does not howl as much when you gave it exercise before leaving. It would help to make sure that your dog is able to get the daily amount of recommended exercise for its age and breed and it might help to try to give it exercise before leaving.
Hunger
Another possible cause is that it is hungry. This would also be more likely if it tends to howl more when it has not already gotten food. It would help to make sure that it is eating the right amount and it might help to feed it before leaving instead.
Needing to pee
The reason why it does it might be that it needs to pee. This would be more likely if it tends to want to go outside as soon as you get home and if it has to wait a long time to pee when you are away. It would help to try to let it pee just before you leave and to come back periodically to let it out to pee so that it does not have to wait too long.
Encouraging the behavior
It might also be the case that it has learned that it gets things that it wants when it starts howling. If you tend to give it things such as toys, treats or extra attention, when it howls when you get home, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.
Instead, it would help to reward it when it does not howl and to wait for it to stop howling before giving it things that it might want.
An issue with the room it stays in
Howling when you arrive home could also be a sign that there is an issue with the room it stays in. This would be more likely if it has started howling since making it stay in a different room. The problem could be that it is too loud, hot or there might not be space for it to lay down.
Things to consider
Below are some things you can consider when figuring out the main reason why it has been howling when you arrive home.
What else happened when your dog first started howling when you arrived home
If it did not always howl when you arrive home, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. This is because there might have been an event that caused it to start.
Things that might have changed could include:
- Leaving it for longer periods
- Giving it exercise after arriving home instead of before leaving
- Feeding it when arriving home instead of before leaving
- Not letting it out to pee before leaving
What is different when it does not do it
If it does not always howl when you arrive home, it would also help to consider if anything else is different when it does not howl.
For example, if it does not howl when it has already been given food, it might be howling because of hunger.
What to do about your dog howling when you arrive home
Below are some things you can do in order to get it to stop howling when you arrive home.
Exercise it before leaving
It would help to ensure that your dog is able to get the right amount of daily exercise for its age and breed. It might also help to give it exercise before leaving because it should help to get it to sleep more and to be less energetic when you are away.
Avoid encouraging it
As mentioned above, it might be the case that it has learned that it gets rewards for doing it. It would help to avoid giving it things that it might want when it is howling. Instead, it would help to wait for it to stop howling and to stop rewarding it when it starts howling.
Let it pee and eat before leaving
It would also help to let it pee and eat before you leave home so that it does not have to wait so long before being able to pee or eat.
Crate training
Another option would be to give it crate training which is where you give it a place to go to where it can feel safe. Doing so, should help to reduce how anxious it becomes while you are away.
Get help
If you cannot get it to stop or it becomes very anxious, it would help to get the help of a dog behaviorist. By doing so, you should be able to see what has been causing your dog to behave that way and what you can do about it.