This is unlikely to be the case however if the dog howls only at sirens. I had observed these quite often as I grew up with at least one dog in our house at any given time.
The barking is communication and the dogs may be communicating about a perceived threat alerting to the sound of something or just barking at each other for barking.
Why do dogs bark when they hear a siren. A lot of people fear that their dogs are barking or howling in pain at the sound of an approaching siren. Typically when a dog is in pain they attempt to flee or display several other signs of injury and fear. This is not the case for dogs howling at passing sirens.
The truth is that dogs that bark or howl at sirens may be actively responding to an ancient call of the wild. Chalk it up to pack mentality. Some dog owners may have noticed their dog howling in response to a neighbors dog.
This behavior can be compared to the basic contagious response most dogs have when they hear another dog barking. They begin to bark themselves especially if they sense fear danger or a threat. Do Sirens Hurt Dogs Ears.
So why do dogs howl when they hear a siren or similar sound. Well it turns out there are many reasons why dogs howl. But when it comes to howling at particular noises there are likely two main reasons.
Bringing the noise to your attention and verbally scaring the sound away. Another common belief as to why dogs may howl at sirens harkens back to some dogs being utilized as a protector or watchdog for a family. Your dog may hear a siren in the distance and not know what it is.
This new sound may be harmless but it may also be a threat and as they say its better to be safe than sorry. Dogs may howl out of pain loneliness or when provoked by a sound. A common trigger is the noise of a fire engines siren blaring within hearing distance of your pooch.
If Fidos howls are frequent and bothersome desensitize your pooch to this sound with training. Dogs will respond to the call of a siren. Most dog owners have an involuntary reaction to sirens.
Not only do they cringe but they prepare themselves for a long often obnoxious period of barking. So why do dogs howl at sirens. That siren might be meant as an emergency warning for you and your family but it clearly means something very different for your dog.
Many dogs howl at sirens which might prompt you to ask why. Some dogs will howl in response to other stimuli or sometimes for no obvious reason. It could be that the dog is bored or lonely and is trying to attract other pack members in other words its owners or other dogs for companionship.
This is unlikely to be the case however if the dog howls only at sirens. Why do some dogs howl when they hear sirens. This is a good question.
If you have ever been camping or live in a rural area you may have heard coyotes or even wolves howling too though probably not in response to sirens. Dogs coyotes and wolves are all related and all three groups are social. There are certain sounds that can trigger howling in your dog for example many dogs howl when they hear sirens.
This kind of howling is generally contingent on when trigger stops and. Dogs react to siren wails too but at least in our neighborhood their response is subdued compared to coyotes. Why coyotes yip-howl when sirens sound is anyones guess.
Since more than one usually respond its likely the behavior has social significance. When a dog howls at a siren the most likely reason is that the sound is so close in pitch to a community howl that the dog thinks the siren is a long-lost relative. Based on their behavior when they howl at sirens this is the most likely explanation for the phenomenon.
The dogs are reacting to each others barks. The barking is communication and the dogs may be communicating about a perceived threat alerting to the sound of something or just barking at each other for barking. I liken it to people in a bar or other crowded place.
Have you ever noticed how to volume progressive increases. Dogs will bark when they are in pain. This communicates to their pack to come to their aid or to indicate that a certain behavior is causing pain and they want it to stop.
This type of barking is commonly seen when an animal gets accidentally bumped. Veterinarians however arent quite convinced. Dogs dont tend to run hide or tuck their tails when a siren screeches.
They might even run towards the siren which suggests that theyre maybe not so scared or annoyed. Get your butt over here Youre your dogs pack leader. Sirens and other high-pitched sounds will often trigger him to howl.
Hell howl back at you because it makes perfect sense to him that thats what you want him to do. If youve ever heard the chain reaction of one dog howling leading to the entire block of pups having a. Why Do Dogs Howl When They Hear Sirens.
I dont know about your pup but when I hear sirens I howl at the top of my lungs. The truth is many of us hear the high-pitched sounds of a siren and think its another dog howling in the distance especially us young. I had observed these quite often as I grew up with at least one dog in our house at any given time.
My theory is that the dogs recognize the sound of fire trucks as an emergency an urgent matter and they try to simulate the long siren sound with. It is no different when a dog hears the loud sound of a siren on its own wall but unless you have the context of an ambulance or fire engine many will interpret it as howling. The third reason a dog can howl is that the sound has triggered the animals instincts.
Dogs start to howl sirens because they realise the sounds are not theirs.