Dachshunds are vocal creatures. They have a good pair of lungs and can make a range of high-pitched sounds for reasons beyond the need to drive you up the wall. If your dog is an astronomical howler, it’s natural to wonder, “Why do dachshunds howl?”
Dachshunds howl as an atavistic response to bring their pack together. They also let out long, loud, mournful cries to announce their presence, seek attention, or express their feelings. Solutions to excessive howling include increasing bonding time and desensitizing the dog from triggers.
Buckle up as we dive into the details of why Dachshunds howl. We’ll also outline the best solutions to keep your furry friend calmer, especially if it howls persistently. Keep reading!
Why Do Dachshunds Howl? 5 Reasons and What to Do
According to ASPCA, howling is a crucial form of communication in dogs. Therefore, knowing what your Dachshund means by howling will help you respond to its needs.
Here are the main reasons Dachsunds howl and what to do:
1. To Signal Their Presence or Location
Claiming that Dachshunds love howling is an understatement. Howling is instinctual and quite natural for them. They are descendants of wolves, and howls helps them assemble the pack, establish territories, or warn other packs to stay away.
Even after centuries of evolutionary development, dogs still hold some of the unique traits of their ancestors. Your pampered Dachshund can make a long, loud, and mournful sound to announce its presence and location.
For instance, the howling can start when your dog notices you’ve been away for some hours. The mournful cries should ideally help you find your way back home. Unfortunately, your neighbors may not take the noise lightly, especially if you live within highly populated urban settings.
Find Out: What Were Dachshunds Originally Bred For? 3 Important Features
Solutions
If your furry friend howls instinctively to announce its presence and direct you toward it, there is a good chance it feels lonely. Maybe it spends most of the day alone and howls because it also feels sad and anxious. It could also be that it has a below-average social life and wants to invite other pack members to find it and interact.
To find the best solutions for instinctive howling, you must first understand the root cause of the behavior. Is your Dachshund lonely? Could it be feeling anxious?
You can tame the behavior by offering plenty of love and attention at home. Play with your pet, train together, and take walks to strengthen your bond. This should help alleviate any pent-up stress and reassure your Dachshie that you’ll not abandon it.
Most importantly, ensure your Dachshund has plenty of self-entertainment opportunities when you’re away. Here are a few ideas that may inspire you:
- Provide a window seat that gives your Dachshie a good view of the outdoors
- Invest in several food puzzles and hide them around your home
- Leave your TV tuned in on a dog-friendly channel
- Adopt another dog to keep the resident Dachshie in good company
- Hire a pet sitter to check on your dog and take it for walks
Also Read: Are Dachshunds Aggressive? 4 Simple Ways to Stop the Aggression
2. Separation Anxiety
Does your Dachshund howl for hours when you leave? Do you find your home trashed close to entryways and exit points like doors and windows? If so, there is a good chance your Dachshund howls because of separation anxiety.
Dachshunds are social creatures and thrive when they interact with humans regularly. Your furry friend can quickly get hyper-attached to you and go into panic mode when you leave the house.
Other common triggers of separation anxiety include being left alone for too long or abrupt changes in routine.
Solutions
Getting your dog used to spending time alone is one of the best solutions for dealing with separation anxiety is to. There are no quick fixes; achieving the desired outcome will take days or weeks.
If your Dachshund gets nervous when you wear your coat and pick up your keys, try desensitizing it from your leaving procedure.
For instance, pick up your keys, wear your jacket, and sit on the sofa or watch TV instead of leaving. Wait for your furry companion to relax, then exit the room slowly.
Crate training can also help. Again, this isn’t a quick fix—your pet needs time to adjust to not seeing you around.
Here are a few tips to help you crate-train a Dachshund with separation anxiety:
- Start by getting your dog into a complete feeding, playing, and bonding routine.
- Introduce the crate and help your pet build a positive association with it.
- Make the crate comfortable and add stimulation like tasty treats, interactive toys, and white noise.
- Gradually increase the time spent alone in the crate.
- Consult your vet or an animal behavioral specialist for help if you don’t see a positive change.
3. Reacting To Environmental Triggers
Dachshunds are hunting dogs with exceptional auditory and olfactory senses. They can pick up sounds and scents from miles away and respond to them with howls.
A stranger walking close to your home or even the pizza delivery guy can also trigger howling. Likewise, sounds like sirens, car alarms, and even the howls of other neighborhood dogs can make your Doxie go crazy with endless cries. Fortunately, your dog should stop howling as soon as the trigger stops.
Solution
Environmental triggers can be sights, scents, or sounds that cause your Dachshund to howl. If these triggers keep reoccurring and you can’t eliminate them, the best course of action is to desensitize your furry friend against them.
Desensitization and counterconditioning involve changing how your dog feels and reacts to certain scents, sounds, and sights.
Although it isn’t a quick fix for stopping your dog from howling, it can be accomplished with consistency and perseverance.
The process involves gradually exposing your pet to different environmental triggers and rewarding it for remaining calm and quiet.
4. The Dog Is Hurt or Has a Health Issue
If your relatively quiet Dachshund suddenly howls constantly, you should first rule out that it is not responding to environmental triggers.
Moreover, try offering it some attention to see if the howling stops. If this doesn’t work, consider doing a quick check for visible signs of injury.
It’s common for dogs to howl, whine, and cry when in pain. This is their way of telling you they’re hurt or not feeling their best.
Solution
You must see your vet immediately if you see any signs of injury on your dog’s body. Likewise, schedule a checkup if your pet shows other signs of being physically unwell.
You can tell your pet is sick if there are noticeable changes in its activities. If it acts out of its usual routine, seems restless or lethargic, and even shows changes in its feeding habits, it’s worth ruling out any underlying medical issues.
5. They Think Humans Enjoy Their Howls
Does your Dachshund howl at you? If so, there is a good chance it thinks you enjoy the melodies.
Dachshunds are intelligent and affectionate dogs. If you love singing, humming, or playing the flute, your dog may howl in an attempt to imitate you. Offering a treat, laughing, or smiling will only reinforce the behavior.
Moreover, some Dachshunds make attention-seeking howls when they want food, cuddles, play sessions, etc. Although it can be tempting to give your pet what it desires to make it stop howling, this will only encourage it to howl the next time it wants something.
Solution
Generally, having fun with your furry companion and howling together is okay. However, the situation can get tricky if your pet’s howls prevent you from enjoying beloved hobbies like singing.
Attention-seeking howls can also pose challenges. This is especially true if your dog vocalizes to arm-twist you into getting food, toys, treats, petting, outdoor breaks, etc.
To stop this behavior, you must refrain from paying attention to your Dachshund when it howls. If it finds howling rewarding, it’ll not be long before you start dealing with persistent howling. When your dog starts howling, ignore it entirely and don’t look at it, touch it, or speak to it.
Most importantly, don’t scold your dog or raise your voice. For social dogs like Dachshunds, any attention is good attention. Pretend your furry friend is invisible and only provide a treat, petting, or praise once it is calm and quiet.
Furthermore, you can teach your dog to be quiet on command. Here’s what to do:
- Offer treats randomly throughout the day when your dog is quiet.
- Use the verbal cue “speak” and try making your dog vocalize (switch the car alarm or knock on the door).
- Give a kind word if your dog barks or howls, but don’t offer treats or petting.
- Use the verbal cue “hush” immediately when your Doxie stops howling or barking.
- Praise your Dachshund, offer a treat, and pet it.
- Repeat the steps severally until your pet masters how to be quiet on command.
Final Thoughts
If the question “Why do dachshunds howl” has ever popped into your mind, we hope this post offers you detailed answers.
Generally, Dachshunds don’t make quiet roommates. They’re highly opinionated and love vocalizing with barks and howls when something is up or they need their owner’s attention.
Unfortunately, excessive howling can quickly become a nuisance. If you can’t point out why your dog howls and the above solutions don’t bear fruit, it’s time to speak to your vet or a licensed canine behaviorist for personalized guidance.
