How to Teach Your Dog to Howl

I had a beagle growing up named Cassie. She loved to howl. So, being the curious and dedicated dog-loving kid I was, I taught her how to howl on cue! 

This is a fun party trick to teach your pooch, and it even has its practical purposes. Teaching a dog to speak (and to be quiet) on cue can actually help you to mediate your barky pup’s wayward yapping. 

Below, we’ll outline the steps needed to teach your doggo how to howl on cue. But first, it is important to understand why dogs howl, as it may help you to teach your dog that howling is super fun.

Why Do Dogs Howl?

Dogs (as well as their wild living relatives like wolves, painted dogs and dingoes) have several innate motives to howl. In the simplest explanation, howling is a form of communication. 

Here is a list of some of the most common reasons canines howl, and what some of their howls mean: 

• Communication with conspecifics (other members of the same species). Groups of wild-living dogs howl to make sure everyone is safe and together.
• Protection of territory. Howling can be used as a warning system to alert others when protecting their territory or to warn group members of a potential threat. 
• Distress or anxiety. Dogs may howl when they’re sick, injured or frightened to either express a need for help or to communicate pain. 
• Howling at loud noises. Some dogs are sensitive to loud noises and these can be a source of stress. Anxiety can cause some dogs to howl, and loud noises can trigger these vocalizations.
• Isolation distress. Dogs who experience anxiety about being left alone may also howl. If your dog is left alone at night in a kennel, this may cause her to howl more during the night than during the day. Or, you may just notice it more at night.
• Alert Signal. Hunting dogs, such as bloodhounds and beagles, are known for their howl. They have been selectively bred to howl in order to alert each other or their humans when they’ve located their prey.
• Attention. Sometimes boredom can manifest as howling. Your dog may howl to get your attention (which you likely give her in some form or other) and she learns that howling gets her what she wants.
• Responding to another dog. I had a dog who would howl when he heard the coyotes howling at night. There was less background noise at night, and the howling sound was pretty clear. Regardless, our dogs’ hearing is significantly more sensitive than ours. Even if you don’t hear anything unusual, your dog probably can!

Can All Dogs Howl? Are Some Better at It Than Others? 

As with most answers I give about dog behavior, the answer is, it depends. 

Yes, some breeds have been selectively bred over the years for their howling abilities, such as hounds, malamutes and huskies. You’ll likely notice some of these individuals will howl as young puppies. It’s instinctual, for these breeds. 

On the other hand, some breeds are less likely to howl, such as Chihuahuas and terriers, for example. But that doesn’t mean they can’t learn to howl!

Ultimately, every dog is an individual, who will respond and behave according to his unique personality and learning history. And don’t forget: Many of our dogs are mixes of two or more breeds, so anything is possible!

How to Teach Your Dog to Howl 

Below, we’ll try to walk you through the basic process by which you can teach your dog to howl. Just remember, it may be more challenging to teach some dogs this skill than others.

But that’s OK! It’ll just give you more time to bond with your pooch. 

Step One: Getting Your Dog to Howl in the First Place

First you will need to get your dog to actually make a howling sound. Some dogs, like huskies and beagles, are more inclined to do this naturally (as I’ve mentioned above), which makes your job a lot easier.

Some dogs may be less likely to howl on their own. My dog, Juno, makes what I call “gremlin” noises when she plays. I chose to teach her to emit this ridiculously fantastic sound on cue — it’s just more natural for her. But we could progress onto the howl at a later time.

Some of the following tips might help to encourage your dog to howl like a wolf:

• Try singing or making howling noises. Sometimes a high squeaky voice will do. Some dogs just want to join in!
• Musical instruments and certain types of music can sometimes elicit a howl
• Whistling 
• If your dog is vocal during play, this might be a good place to start. You could try choosing the sound that most resembles the howl and work from there to “shape” the sound you ultimately want. 
• Play audio of puppies howling 
• Play audio of a siren to make your dog howl (be sure this one isn’t scary for your dog).

When she howls, reward her. No need to say anything quite yet. She won’t understand your cue word yet. But the more times you reward her for howling, the more she will howl.

You may want to use some of the videos below to help encourage your dog to sound off!

Step Two: Teaching Your Dog to Howl on Cue

Now that you have a howling dog, it’s time to match it with a vocal command. 

As soon as your dog begins to howl, add in a cue word (“howl”, “sing”, “let’s rock”, or any other verbal or hand signal you choose). Be consistent with whatever cue word you choose.

At the same time your dog is howling, give her a treat. This will reward and reinforce that behavior. 

Pair that cue word with the howl and follow through with a treat for several trials. Eventually, your dog will associate that word with howling, and howling with getting a reward! 

You’ll be able to fade out the initial motivation, whether it’s sirens or the sound of other dogs howling over time, and instead, simply ask your dog to howl using your new cue word. 

Once you are able to cue the howl (ask for it), then you should only reward it when it’s cued. Otherwise you may end up with a howler looking for a chance to earn a cookie!

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Teaching your dog new tricks can be quite beneficial. It will help you to build communication and a strong bond with your four footer. It’s also mentally stimulating and enriches their lives greatly. 

Does your dog enjoy howling? What are some of your other favorite tricks your dog can do? We’d love to hear about them in the comments! It will inspire us to teach our dog’s something new!