A Howling Success

A Howling Success was Originally Posted on August 3, 2010 by lavarock

When I decided to write about dogs howling, the first title that came to mind was “A Howling Success”. I’m certain about the howling, the success part is a bit more elusive.

While caring for a pack of dogs (this week just 23 of them or so), I am again reminded that the older dogs have a ritual of howling at least once a day or perhaps twice. Some people think it may be boredom, however it is not because almost all the dogs join in at the same it.

I am not talking about the howl a single dog makes, such as O`lena would make when first left alone. She yelped a bit in a high shrill 9 week-old voice, then all of a sudden, her nose went straight up in the air and a howl came out of her which made me think of a possessed wolf. O`lena, the sweet puppy stopped that soon thereafter but I will remember that raspy howl for a long time. I do have a short video clip if I do forget anytime soon.

What I am talking about with the older dogs is a pack howl, possibly meant to call the pack to order, to announce their location or just to tell the moon “hey we are here, where are you?”

The interesting thing I noticed is that if one dog barks or howls, I can get the dogs attention and get it to stop. Once the pack starts howling you must wait for it to stop on its own. By my best calculation, that is almost exactly 30 seconds later. Each time they do this, the timing is the same, 30 seconds; like they have a watch or are singing a song.

The howling may start with the same dog each time, I don’t know. Usually it is one or two dogs that start and within seconds most dogs join in.

It reminds me of cayotes or wolves in the wild (usually shown in movies) where they lift their head up and howl. Now imagine that times 15 or 20!

So that is the howling. The “success” part is that I have found a way to make them stop this. It just takes 30 seconds and I am successful every time!