Dog Howling

[Barmac]

My dog (she's 7 years old) has suddenely starting howling in the morning, very early between 6 - 7am and even though I've come down and told her off or shouted down for her to stop she still keep doing it. She has never done this before and knows she is wrong but I just dont know how to stop her?

[Illyria54]

As she is a bit older perhaps she needs to go out to pee, you have to adjust hours slightly as dogs get older sometimes she may not be able to hold it as long as usual. Of course you may have tried letting her out already, in which case In A Pickle could well be on the right track.

[fredpuli47]

Could be that she's getting old and has suddenly got bursts of loneliness in the morning.She may be getting deaf, but it could be that she's decided to revert to her instincts for some reason. She's not in season, is she? She's calling out to somebody.

Dogs instinctively howl to call to others in their pack ( "Are we all here?" ) and to signal their pack's presence to other packs ("We are on this hunting territory, just so you know and we don't overlap"). A dog on its own may howl to get company.It could just be that she's decided to call out to find you and be reassured that she's not alone. That itself could be a product of ageing.

Good job you've only the one. At one time I had ten who would howl at dawn and dusk, the leader of the singing being the senior bitch the others joining in according to age and seniority, right down to the pups (who did their best to howl). The howling was brief. The only way I found to stop it was to join in and start howling myself. This was met with puzzled looks and immediate silence !

[Jillius]

Maybe she can hear something you can't, like a milkman whistling or another dog somewhere ??

[filthiestfis]

Maybe she is trying to be a c0ck but can't quite get the doodle-do right?

[Bellringer]

We had a springer spaniel that did this. She was asleep when she howled so she was probably dreaming. We learned to live with it, although as she slept upstairs we could sometimes wake her by shouting most times we just put up with it. This was about 2 or 3 in the morning. She was probably about seven when it started. You could try earplugs, I don't think you will stop her, although it may stop naturally.

[mydogsandme]

our cocker spaniel started barking at 5 o'clock(!!) in the morning when she was about 9,I'd have to come down to her,she'd go out,run about for a bit,have some food and go fast asleep again-we were exhausted! It lasted for a cople of months and then just suddenly stopped. Hope yours does soon.

[FKNelectro]

buy a muzzel, just a material one, they hate it, it worked really well with my dog, she barks or howls, she gets the muzzel put on. she'll start to learn that when she howls, she gets a muzzel put on, and she should stop. I dont know why she does it, maybe she needs the loo? my dog goes all moany when she wants to go outside, if you dont let her out before she goes to bed, start doing that, apart from that, nothing else to say.

[lankeela]

A muzzle just because they do what comes naturally????
Ye gods, whatever next, a cork up its *rse to stop it ********?

[gelda]

Nice one Lankeela!!