Why do Huskies howl?

If you are an owner Siberian husky, then this article is an answer to the most intriguing question regarding your husky and that is, why do Siberian huskies howl? Many might wonder when do exactly huskies howl and why do huskies howl so much

You sometimes get confused about huskies howl and misunderstood your hu sky due to the widespread generalization that huskies howl when they are sad or in distress.

Huskies primarily and intrinsically use howling for communication purposes. Huskies not only communicate sadness through howling, but it uses howling for communicating so many things to its owner or its pack. For instance, they howl when they are in pain or are ill, when they are in boredom and are anxious.

Why do huskies howl like wolves?

Dogs have been evolved from their ancestral wolves. However, huskies are more closely related to wolves. Howling is intrinsic to wolves. Wolves use to howl for different purposes.

They find each other when lost through howling. Their sound travels long distances which help them find each other when lost. Howling comes as an ancestral trait to huskies.

Huskies do bark but this is not preferred trait because barking results in echoing of sound which renders the pack confused or it is not long enough to travel long distances and convey the message to be traced back. Three major reasons for husky howling are the following:

• Inherited trait of Howling
• Howling for communication
• Howling in response to particular stimulus

­­­­When do huskies howl?

Siberian huskies owners mainly ask this question why does my husky howl? There are rather various reasons for howling.

• Communicating to their pack

Siberian huskies in their natural habitat use to howl when they have to covey messages to each other. When they hear another husky howling than they start howling too.

You can also do the same experiment just to check if your husky is going to respond with a same howling cry after hearing huskies howling in You Tube.

They will for sure respond with howling which is not something which comes to you as a surprise. This is because howling is as intrinsic to huskies as wolves’ because they are the closely related species. They howl to identify each other’s location and inform each other of their presence.

• In response to high-pitched sounds

Huskies are very sensitive to detect the high pitched sounds of ambulance sirens, baby cries, police sirens, tornado sirens and fire engine sirens. These are the high pitched sounds mistakenly detected by the huskies as a call from another husky for help.

Therefore husky dogs howling usually gets too much sue to variety of high pitched sounds.

• Feeling sick and unhealthy

When huskies are in pain they howl. A continuous howling by your husky without a particular apparent stimulus is what makes you worry about. This is the time you need to take your husky to a vet to see if it is facing some health issues or injuries.

Huskies innately are a healthy breed which is only identified with eye related issues such as cataract and canine hip dysplasia. These disorders are common just in huskies and if you do notice any of the symptoms then be sure that your husky is howling just because it is telling you that its sick and needs to be treated.

• Feeling anxious, bored, and ignored

Huskies get so attached to their owners. So, your disappearance for longer than normal leaves them anxious and stressful and as a result they might face attachment issues. They feel lonely and abandoned for long and howls.

Therefore, to deal with all this anxiety they howl and gives you the signal to come back. Huskies are by temperament very social and loyal to their pack. They work in groups and are outgoing species. This reveals the fact that they really feels frustration when leave alone and are abandoned.

• When huskies are happy

So here comes the misinterpretation of why do husky dogs howl? which says that huskies howl is the only representation of its sadness, distress and anxiety. A husky meeting his owner after a long time howls which shows its joy and happiness towards his owner.

However, the pitch of the howl is different than from the howl in sadness or pain. We observe an expression of joy and happiness in the husky’s howl.

• Safety purposes

Dogs have an improved sense of smell and hearing which gives them the potential of sixth-sense when it comes to detecting danger. When the huskies smell and detect a danger they communicate it to their owners by howling. In this scenario they howl to warn us of the danger so that we avoid and make sure we are safe.

Huskies have high adaptive intelligence which means that they are masters in figuring out a threat. Huskies are more likely to alert its owner of a danger than safeguarding.

Related Article: Why do huskies talk?

When do Husky Puppies howl?

As we know that howling is innate behavior which huskies have got from wolves, their closest ancestors. Husky puppies do howl but it takes them time and effort to howl with the full pitch. Their vocal cords are not well experienced to give a well-pitched howl. Instead they try their best to respond to other huskies howl. They lean to howl by mimicking other experienced huskies. After 6 ti 7 months a puppy starts to howl. Some even howl at the age of 3-4 months

It is really important to note that the age at which your husky pup starts howling is deeply influenced by the company in which the pup has been raised. If our dog is been raised among a pack of other huskies then most probably they start howling more readily. If your husky spends most of the time outside then for sure it will do what the nature around it dictates it to.

Excessive howling of huskies: How to deal with it.

Understanding the context for why do huskies howl is really important. We have discussed the reasons for your queries of when and why is my husky howling. There are various reasons for which huskies howl. However, if your Sibe is howling excessively then you need to be alert. This is because your Siberian husky is not showing a normal behavior by howling overly.

Your Siberian husky howling too much reveals so many things at a time. Therefore, you need to show your Sibe to its vet or work on how to stop your husky from excessive howling. For that you need to know the facts behind excessive howling of huskies. As previously mentioned that huskies when feel stressed howl more than usual to get the attention.

• Medical issues

For identifying the Health related issue take your husky to a well-known veterinarian. Figure out if there are medical issues which are causing the excessive howling of your husky. It is easy to get over this issue once you find out the root cause. You can treat it quickly.

• Behavioral issues

Secondly, Siberian husky howling has some behavioral issues as well. If you do not find any medical issue in your Siberian husky then it is possible that there are some behavioral problems. Your longer absence, or your lack of attention and affection makes your dog irritated or furious which brings negative changes to its behavior.

Do not reward your husky on howling unnecessarily unless it stops howling realizing that it is not the way to get what it wants. Do tell them to stop and when it will then reward it. Now here it realizes the point that obedience brings reward and vice versa.

At another level it teaches them the lesson that when commands are given they have to stop howling.

• Building positive response through training

This is a three step training so simple to perform but requires a lot of time and bundle of tasty treats.

• Firstly, command the dog to keep quite after its excessive howling. From this behavior of yours your husky will assume that it has got a negative reaction for what it has done. When it stops howling for two to three seconds then reward it with some treat.
• Now here it is getting the hidden impression that it is been rewarded for not howling at all. However, if the dog does not stop then ignore it for some time and yes do give the command again.
• Repeat the processes again to calm your dog down from its excessive howling. With each successive repetition lessen the number of treats and programme your dog and just rely on your command to do so. With time your husky will understand the commands and follow them eventually.
• Train your husky to howl on commands

This method is worth your efforts to control howling husky dogs. Some husky owners train their huskies to howl which actually helps them in preventing it from howling excessively.

Start with giving it instructions to speak while it is howling. Then give it a piece of treat. Now it will assume that speak refers to howling. Now, for giving the command to stop howling change your tone and say quite while giving it a piece of treat at the same time.

With each step being repeated your husky will get to know about the clear instructions that speak means howl and quite means to stop howling.

• Changing Environment

If boredom is the cause of your husky’s excessive howling then do focus on changing its routine. Even if you are consistent in giving it a substantial exercise, do switch it to give it a workout to see if it brings behavioral changes in your dog.

Try to do the daily activities in a different environment. Now here comes an interesting point to note. After changing the environment if the husky stops or declines to howl then this makes sure that environment was the only reason which was causing suffocation in your husky to howl overtime.

• Increase exercise time

Huskies are the active and outgoing animals. Therefore, increasing its exercise is the biggest trick to stop it from excessive howling.

Why do huskies howl at High-pitched sounds?

Why does my husky howl at me when play music, why do they howl at squeaky toys and sirens and baby crying leave us surprised. Howling of huskies at high-pitched sounds is an interesting phenomenon.

Huskies actually recognize the high-pitched sound as a signal from their pack and they started howling assuming that other huskies are asking for help. Intrinsically, huskies are very friendly and social.

Huskies have a separate bond with children and they consider babies as member of their pack. They start howling after hearing baby cries. They love to play around children. Therefore, if you are a busy person and want someone to be with your children, then Siberian husky is the best option for you.

Frequently asked questions

• What are the reasons that make my husky howl?

Huskies howl due to various reasons. They primarily howl to communicate to their pack or owners. They do so because they are innately programmed to do so. Huskie howl to figure out their location to trace them back.

• Does howling conveys the message that the husky is sad?

Howling does not represent sadness or distress entirely. This is because howling is used in the first place for communication purposes. Huskies howl at times of joy and happiness as well.

• Why is my husky howling at night?

There are various reasons that causes your husky to howl at night, It is doing so because it wants to tell you something. Such as it asks shelter, or some warmth. 

Conclusion

There are various reasons for husky’s howling. Being the closest to their ancestral wolves they howl instead of barking. Howling is innate to wolves. They howl to get their message miles across to their pack members.

To understand your husky very well you need to first understand why huskies howl and what are the reasons behind their loud cry are?

Misinterpreting your husky might lead to unprecedented ted situations. Therefore know how to interpret your husky’s howl and how to train and teach it to howl at time and then to stop howling at sittings.

Hope this article has helped you in understanding your why your husky howls and how to train it to get rid of its excessive howling.

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