Howling dogs

[hardy49]

This may be a silly question but I would like to know the answer.What would make dogs suddenly begin to howl ?
We were walking through a village near where we live yesterday and we could hear dogs barking.We think that the local hounds were probably housed nearby.
Anyway,we went through the village and then decided to have a look around the churchyard.We were just making for the track homewards when we heard the dogs howling - really howling.I have never heard this before,and walking past a churchyard made it feel very eerie !!
My husband said they were probably being fed but I think he was saying that to make me feel better !!!

[lankeela]

The sound of the ice cream van makes my dogs howl, or police sirens. Dogs often howl before settling down to sleep. Mine also howl after I have gone out of the house, they do it for about 20 seconds and then settle down. they can hear much more than we can, and there is probably something setting them off that you can't hear. It is probably the hound pack, but not when due to be fed - that would be a much louder and frantic bark!

[hardy49]

Many thanks

[Kleiber]

My two howl if the phone rings - but only if I'm out in the garden. It's as though they're telling me to get back in & answer it! They never do it if I'm in the house and it rings! Strange? Or intelligent??

[wildwood]

It is a remnant instinct from the dog's ancestor; the wolf. Howling is simply a way to communicate their presence over a long distance to other pack members and stay in contact.

Often many dogs in a neighbourhood will know each other only by sound through howling. An siren frequently sets the whole lot off, each thinking there is a strange dog in the area.

[hardy49]

Thank you all - very interesting

[Elizabeth ll]

A dogs hearing is far more accute than our own. Our dogs would start to howl well before we could hear any thunder in the far off distance. Even if there was a storm miles away they could hear what we could not. Once we had an earthquake, very small, all the nieghborhood dogs were barking and we couldn,t figure out why until the ground started shaking. Now I always watch the dogs reactions,lol lol