If your dog has been howling when you talk to it, this post will show you likely reasons why and what you can do about it.
So, why does my dog howl when I talk to it? Likely reasons why your dog howls when you talk to it are that it has learned that the behavior is rewarded, it wants something from you and that dogs will naturally howl as groups.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your dog howls when you talk to it and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Why does my dog howl when I talk to it?
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Encouraging the behavior
It could be the case that your dog has learned that the behavior is rewarded. If you tend to give your dog things such as toys, treats, extra attention or other rewards, when it howls, it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.
Excitement
The cause is also likely to be that it is excited. This would be more likely if your dog also does things such as wag its tail and have a lot of energy when it does it. It would also be more likely to be the cause if it tends to howl more when you have not interacted with it in a while.
It wants something from you
Another likely reason why your dog howls when you talk to it is that it wants something from you. This would be more likely if your dog tends to do it more before it has been fed or given exercise.
It likes the attention
It is also likely that your dog simply likes the attention and it is giving attention back to you. This would be more likely if it tends to do it after it has already been fed and given exercise.
Nature
The cause might also be that it is in its nature. In the wild, it is common for dogs to bark and howl together. The reason for this could be that it is a social bonding activity and it might be why yours howls when you talk to it. This would be more likely if your dog does it when you are not trying to get it to do something and after it has been fed and exercised.
It does not want to do something
The cause could also be that it does not want to do something. This would be more likely if it howls when you are telling it to do something. In this case, it could help to train it to learn to enjoy doing what you want it to do using positive reinforcement training.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main cause.
If your dog has always howled when you spoke to it
If your dog has not always howled when you have spoken to it, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as learning that the behavior is rewarded or a change in the way you talk or interact with it.
If your dog always howls when you talk to it
If your dog does not always howl when you talk to it, it would also help to consider what is different when it does not howl. For example, if it tends to do it more before getting food or exercise, it would be more likely that it is telling you that it wants food or exercise.
What to do about my dog howling when I talk to it?
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Let it do it
If the behavior has not been bothering you, it seems to be doing it due to social bonding and it has not been behaving unusually in other ways, the easiest option would be to just let it continue doing it.
Give it what it wants
If it seems to be doing it because it wants food or exercise, another option would be to feed or walk it sooner than you normally do.
Avoid rewarding it
It would also help to avoid encouraging the behavior by not giving it rewards or extra attention when it does it. Instead, it would help to avoid giving it attention and to wait for it to calm down before giving it attention.