Out of curiosity, I always wanted to know why a breed like Bloodhound is somehow fond of howling. I kept looking for an answer but my luck hardly favored me. Afterward, I thought to do some research to find a valid answer for me as well as for you.
So, why does your Bloodhound howl? Bloodhounds are sometimes seen howling when they are happy or when they feel some serious health problems. Though howling is not harmful, it can be a sign of internal injury. You need to be careful because they may get triggered quickly and cause self-harm which may lead to a quick visit to your vet.
You will be glad to know that I have come up with 13 interesting facts about the habit of howling your hound. Some of them are really interesting and some are really alarming for your little dog. As per my research, there are few solutions to your problem and those are quite easy to try at home. I believe if you read my entire article then you will get away to overcome your problem and it will save your time too.
Please read this article for the betterment of your hound who might be suffering from pain which it can not say verbally but show through the action of howling.
Related Reading: Why Do Cane Corsos Howl?
Does Your Bloodhound Like To Howl?
Bloodhounds are average-sized dogs and they do not like to howl unless they feel excited or any kind of threat around. Sometimes your hound needs a lot of stimulation of energy for which they are seen howling continuously.
Often you will find your hound sniffing around and if they find something interesting they inform others by howling.
13 Scientific Reasons: Why Does Your Bloodhound Howl So Much?
Interestingly, your bloodhound has almost thirteen different reasons to howl which you really need to know. Some reasons are just entertaining but on the other hand, some are quite alarming.
#1 Does Your Bloodhound Howl To Reduce Her Extra Energy?
Your bloodhound is a naturally high-energy dog that needs a lot of emotional and physical stimulation. It sometimes lets out its energy by howling if it doesn’t have enough outlets for it. This applies to both positive and negative energies, which explains why the dog howls when it is exciting.
Mostly your pup wants to cool down all kinds of stress and howling helps it to do the work perfectly. Hounds like to jump around and play with you whenever they want but sometimes they feel the need to pull out all the environmental stress from Themselves.
For that, your pup finds a suitable place and keeps howling as long as it is feeling better and starts playing again.
#2 Does Your Bloodhound Howl As A Hunting Tactic?
For many of the most well-known howlers, your bloodhound is a hunting dog. For your pet, the situation is when it gets isolated from the rest of its pack, it howls to communicate its location. Many that are lost will howl and send out a direction signal to those who are waiting for them.
Those who are waiting will respond by encouraging them to follow the sound and find their way back. When you’ve been out for a time, even if your hound doesn’t hunt will howl to let you know it is missing you. It will howl in the sense of assisting you in finding your way back home.
#3 Does Your Bloodhound Howl To Alert You?
Sometimes your bloodhound howl to attract your attention to what they wish you to hear or be aware of. It could be anything minor, or it could be a serious problem that requires immediate treatment.
Your dog may be sensitive to potentially dangerous circumstances and want to alert you. When your dog is sick, wounded, or not doing well, it will howl to communicate its problem. If you haven’t given your dog any care recently, do it now to see if it helps to quiet him down.
The more time you spend talking about the various causes of a dog’s howling, the better you’ll be able to figure out why your dog is howling at any given time.
Related Reading: Why Does Your Border Collie Howl?
#4 Does Your Bloodhound Howl To Communicate?
Hunting dogs, like your bloodhound, use howling as a means of oral contact. It uses howling to notify friends of its existence as well as its current location. As a result, howling is their way of locating one another.
Moreover, your dogs cannot talk just like a human being yet it has a lot to say and by howling it expresses itself. The more you will talk to your dog the more it will howl just to communicate with you. Your little pup believes you understand everything that it says to you.
#5 Does Your Bloodhound Howl To Seek Your Attention?
Howling is often a means for your dogs to express their fear or a need for affection. Your bloodhound needs care from you as well as from its friends. It will howl to let you know it doesn’t want to be forgotten if it tends to feel alone and unwanted.
The attention-seeking howl is often regarded as a deceptive method of getting you to come running and see what it is doing and what it needs, thus gaining attention. At some point, it may stop howling if you do not respond and come up to look for you.
What I feel is that you should respond to its howling because your little pup deserves all your love without any delay.
#6 Does Your Bloodhound Howl Express Joy and Success?
Whenever you get rewarded for doing something good you express your joy with a little scream sometimes. This is exactly what your bloodhound does but instead of scream, it likes to howl to express its joy. Your hound likes to play different games like a frisbee.
When it can catch the frisbee perfectly then it gets so happy at its success. As a way of celebrating its joy, it may start howling.
So, next time if you find your hound succeeding in any of its actions then let it howl for a while because it should express what it feels inside some way.
Related Reading: Does Your Irish Wolfhound Like To Howl?
#7 Do Bloodhounds Howl To Defend Their Territory?
Have you ever noticed your bloodhound howling in the presence of a new visitor? If yes, then you can be sure that your little pup is trying to do some self-defense activities. Bloodhounds are aggressive, and if your pup fears that its land or territory is about to be violated, it will howl to warn someone.
At this point, you should leave your hound alone and wait for it to come down. This is a strategy they use to defend their pack, whether it’s other dogs or humans. You should not let your bloodhound get into aggressive mode because it can be risky for you too as well as the little ones in your house.
#8 Does Your Bloodhound Howl In Response To Other Dogs’ Howling?
You cannot hear a high-pitched sound yet your bloodhound will be able to hear those sounds quite clearly. If your dog’s ear will be able to sense the high-pitched outburst or sound, even if it is heard from a distance, it will start howling.
Your canines’ normal reaction pattern is to respond to any different sound immediately. More or less they try to communicate with that sound by howling. If the howling becomes repetitive, as with other habits, you should take your hound to a vet.
#9 Does Your Bloodhound Howl When She Is Isolated?
Bloodhounds are hunting dogs and they are habituated to howl whenever they get away from their pack or feel lonely. This phenomenon is known as “Pack Separation Anxiety” and as a response, your hound starts howling to travel. This is how your pup sends a signal to its missing pack.
They can trace the location following the howl and reunite. If your hound is left alone for an extended period of time, then it can adopt this behavior. Yet it may cause some trouble for your housemates if this turns into a habit for your bloodhound.
#10 Does Your Bloodhound Howl When She Separated From You?
Your bloodhound is well-known for being the most devoted and affectionate of all dogs. It can undoubtedly form strong bonds with you. That is why your pup howls when it gets split from you in an effort to be identified.
You should spend as much time as you can cause your fur baby needs your proper attention and love. Sometimes your hound gets so involved with you that it really gets scared when you leave.
If you do so then it will start howling and disturb others. You need to take immediate action so that howling does not become a habit for your dog.
Related Reading: Why Does Your Bullmastiff Howl So Much?
#11 Is Your Bloodhound Dealing with Anxiety?
If your bloodhound is howling due to some kind of odd situation then you will have to change your dog’s motivation and emotions. This is not easy to do, but it can be done if you’re consistent and persistent. All you can do is make your hound busy with other activities or take it out for a walk.
Symptoms Of Anxiety In Your Bloodhound:
- You will find your bloodhound barking or howling when you are not around your furbaby.
- Unnecessarily your hound will pant itself though it is not hot at all.
- Sometimes you may find your dog shivering which can be a symptom of anxiety.
- You may find your hound running away and/or cowering in the corner of a house.
- Suddenly you will find your dog digging the ground for no reason which is a sign of anxiety.
- At most your bloodhound can start self-harm, including excessive licking or chewing which is a matter of tension.
#12 Does Your Bloodhound Howl In Response To Sirens?
Environmental stimuli, such as noises or sirens of any fire truck or ambulance can quickly trigger your bloodhound for which it starts howling. As per my research, I got to know that bloodhounds feel an intuitive need to connect with the source of the sirens, believing that it is actually a pack of dogs communicating from a far.
The same thing happens to your hound too. Your dog’s hearing ability depends on its age. When your hound hears a higher frequency, which is why ultrasonic signals such as those used in training whistles can be heard by dogs. So you can be sure that sirens will not hurt your dog’s ears.
#13 Do Bloodhounds Howl Because Of Medical Issues?
Sometimes your little fur friend howls and the reason can be more serious than you can even imagine. Your bloodhound may howl when it is suffering from physical problems such as disabilities, infections, or internal pains.
As a result, if your dog is howling on a regular basis after being fed and cared for, it is important to obtain veterinary attention.
If you delay then it can be threatening for your hound. You are well aware of the fact that your hound is not able to speak to you and tell about all its pain. This is why your bloodhound keeps howling until it gets relieved.
Read To Know: Why Do Basenjis Howl?
How To Stop Your Bloodhound From Immoderate Howling?
As you know your bloodhound’s howling is a means of communication so you may take this normally. If your dog’s howling becomes regular then you need to figure out what’s behind its howling and take action. Whatever the cause, you can successfully crack his bad habit with wisdom and determination.
Steps To Follow To Stop Your Hound From Howling:
You need to follow the steps mentioned below as your little hound needs your assistance.
Training Your Dog not to Howl for Attention:
- Ignore your dog’s howling: As you get to know your bloodhound is howling just for attention then you need to stop responding to its howl. At some point, your dog realizes that this will help to get rewarded and it will stop.
- Reward your dog for being quiet: Wait at least five seconds before giving the dog something. It will show the dog that being quiet means having a cookie. Give your dog treats at random times when they are being quiet. The unexpected treat will help reinforce good behavior.
- Train your dog to be quiet on command: You can clap and command your dog to speak. If it does then give it a treat. Now wait for your hound to stop saying noise, say “hush!” or “quiet!” and then praise your dog and give them a treat. Repeat these steps many times.
Treating Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety:
- Recognize the behavior: If you find out that your dog is howling during times that you are away from them, the behavior may be caused by separation anxiety.
- Try counterconditioning: If your dog has separation anxiety, you will have to help them overcome the problem by counterconditioning, involving getting your dog to associate good things with separation. Every time you leave home, offer your dog a toy. When you return home, take the toy away so that your dog associates it only with the times when you are gone. Repeat these steps consistently and over time your dog’s separation anxiety
- Seek professional assistance if your dog’s separation anxiety and howling continue: If your dog has a more severe case of separation anxiety, then your hound may need more extensive counterconditioning and desensitization from a veterinarian.
- Spend quality time with your dog: Your bloodhound needs lots of attention from you, especially if they have to be left alone for extended periods. Making time to play with your dog may also help reduce its separation anxiety and howling behavior. Each day, set aside time for games, treats, and exercise with your dog.
Dealing with other Causes of Howling:
- Determine if an environmental trigger is causing your dog to howl: If your hound’s howling is caused by an environmental trigger, it will usually stop once the trigger goes away or ends. If the occasional brief howl does not pose a problem, you may just let your dog howl.
- Change how your dog reacts to the trigger: You should try desensitizing your dog to the environmental cause if it can be handled. When your dog howls at the sound of the dryer, for example, try to keep them quiet for a minute while the dryer is on and give them a treat. As long as your dog is quiet, gradually raise the time the dryer is on. Your dog can eventually grow desensitized to the trigger and stop howling.
- Care for your dog if they are sick or hurt: If you can’t find out if your dog’s howling is due to an external cause, separation disorder, or anything else, it may be a health problem. Get your dog examined by a doctor to see if they’re howling due to sickness or accident.
Read To Know: Why Do Dalmatians Howl So Often?
Why Do Bloodhound Owners Often Make Their Dog Howling?
Though bloodhounds start to howl why they get triggered by any kind of unusual environmental fact if you want then you can make your dog howl anytime with a little practice. It can be done to create fear in the mind of unwanted visitors.
How To Make Your Bloodhound Howl?
- You can treat your hound after howling. It will get used to this and repeat this for a treat.
- You can also howl in front of your bloodhound for which it will imitate you and take this as a game.
Related Questions:
Are Bloodhounds Vocal?
Bloodhounds are not known for their loudness. They just bark when they are excited or when they are alerted by something. This may seem to make them more suited for apartment living, but they tend to live in large spaces and are not advised to do so. These dogs are ideal for those who are susceptible to loud noises.
Are Bloodhounds Howling Like Wolves?
Bloodhounds can evoke images of wolves in the wild communicating with one another. In fact, this is the most commonly accepted reason why hounds howl when they hear sirens.
Wolves use howling as a means of contact. When triggered by the sound of a siren, bloodhounds, as descendants of wolves, maybe exhibiting this instinctual behavior.
Read To Know: Does Your Border Terrier Like To Howl?
Over To You
I hope you got a lot of useful information from this article that will help you to take proper care of your Bloodhound. Yet, I would love to know which part was helpful for you the most. If you knew some of these facts before then let us know what those facts are.
I went through a lot of research yet if I have missed any fact that you are well aware of please do mention that in the comment section. Remember, the comment section is always yours and you can share your feedback there too. Share this article with your friends who own a Bloodhound too.
The more you share the more you get a chance to help others to take care of their little ones. Feel free to ask any question and I will try to get back to you with a proper answer as soon as possible.
Further Readings:
5 Things to Know About Bloodhounds
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