What if you could teach your dog to howl too? Teaching your dog to howl on cue can be hilarious and fun. There is no doubt that it can bring a lot of smiles to people's faces, and maybe it will even encourage hesitant observers to join in on the festivities by singing too.
The success of this training will depend mostly on you discovering what your dog will howl in response to. If your dog tends to howl quite often on his own, then 'The Capture Method' will probably work quite well. If your dog tends to only howl when he hears a siren, such as a fire truck siren, then 'The Siren Method' will probably work best for him. If your dog tends to howl in response to the howling of other dogs, then 'The Imitation Method' is probably the best method for you to use. You will likely have to try several different recordings of howling dogs or sirens before you find one that your dog will howl in response to. If you are struggling to get your dog to howl then you might need to adjust the volume, repeat the same recording several times in a row, or act more excited yourself. If multiple different recordings fail to get your dog to howl, then you can try going to a place with actual sirens or howling dogs, such as dog parks with breeds of dogs that howl frequently present, or areas nearby hospitals or fire stations, where many emergency vehicles pass by every day with their sirens on.
Timing is important for teaching your dog how to howl. If you are using 'The Capture Method' then you will need to act quickly when you hear your dog begin to howl. You will need to quickly go over to him, tell him "Howl" while he is still howling, and then praise and give him a treat right after you tell him to howl. If you are using 'The Siren Method' or 'The Imitation Method' then you will need to tell your dog to howl right when you begin the recording, before he starts to howl, then you will need to praise him as soon as he starts to howl, and give him a treat after he has howled for one or two seconds.
I have been trying to get her to howl for a little while but she still hasn’t caught on. So do you have any ways to make it easier for her to learn?
Hello Natalie, I suggest playing high pitched/off-key music (like videos online), videos of sirens turned up, or going to a park that's located near a hospital, police station, or fire station where sirens will be heard. Videos of other dogs howling can also sometimes trigger the howling. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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I’ve tried different methods to try to teach him, but still nothing. He will stare and wine but no howl. He only did it a couple times as a baby
Hello Alyson, It is possible that he simply will not howl. I would suggest taking him somewhere with real sirens. Don't get him so close that he will be frightened but make sure that the sirens are loud enough to encourage him to howl. Being a block or so away from a fire station should be a good distance. Try different types of sirens, such as ambulances near a hospital, firetrucks near a fire station, and police cars near a police station. Also try making your music off key and louder. You may need a real piano and loud, high pitched singing in person. If you are able to trigger him to howl initially, then you will need to use that same trigger to practice him howling on cue until he learns to do it on his own on command. He is likely not sensitive enough to imitations or sirens and other noise and needs the noise to be in person. If you know of another dog that tends to howl at things like sirens, then have that dog join the training session because your dog will be more likely to howl if he hears another dog doing it in person. For example, my own dog rarely howls, but when we go to a dog park that is located near a fire station he will howl when the sirens go off and other dogs are howling too. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden
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