How to Train a German Shepherd to Not Howl

Rex is his owner's pride and joy. Not only is he a great companion, fun to play with, and snuggles on the couch, but Rex’s owner feels safe when she goes running through the local park early in the morning with her faithful Rex by her side. Rex is a big, beautiful, and somewhat intimidating looking German Shepherd. Besides being a great family companion, he is also a great guard dog, who gives his owner a sense of security. 

But as a guard dog, he is prone to vocalizations that have developed into an annoying habit, howling!  If he hears other dogs barking in the distance, coyotes at the local green space howling, or a siren from the hospital a few miles away, Rex starts howling. At first, it was cute, but the behavior has increased, and is now becoming a problem to the neighbors when he is outside, and to his owners when he starts howling in the middle of the night, two feet away from their bed!  This has got to stop, training their German Shepherd not to howl has moved to the top of Rex’s owners' list.

A German Shepherd dog (GSD) is a guard dog by nature. This means they are prone to vocalizations, usually barking, but sometimes howling as well. In addition, German Shepherds are high energy dogs that can suffer from heightened emotional states. These heightened emotional conditions can lead to boredom and anxiety howling in a GSD. Reducing your dog’s emotional state by addressing his physical and emotional needs can reduce howling. Also, putting vocalizations on command is useful for controlling howling behavior. Although this may sound counterintuitive, by teaching your dog to howl when you ask him to and rewarding him, you can also teach him that howling when he is not asked, does not result in a reward, which usually has success in extinguishing a behavior. Suddenly it’s not fun if you don’t get a treat! You can also reinforce quiet to stop your GSD from howling. Your goal will be to get your GSD to ignore stimuli that set him off howling, or to be calm when left alone and not start howling as a way to release pent-up nervous energy.

If boredom or anxiety is a factor in your GSD's howling behavior, you may need to use some creative solutions to provide activities that engage your dog's mind and body to meet his needs and alleviate stress.  Putting vocalizations on command will require positive reinforcement, this usually means lots of treats, but a favorite toy and play for your high energy GSD may also be a suitable reward. Time will play a big role in resolving the behavior; you will need to be consistent and not allow howling to go on, as it is a self-rewarding behavior that provides comfort to a stressed dog, or communication with other canine friends, thus getting a social reaction. Be prepared to spend some time capturing and correcting the behavior.