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Howling At Sirens


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Hoover our purebred Kelpie howls at sirens. If he is in the house, he goes to the front door and howls along with it. If he is in the yard, he stops dead in his tracks and howls. He lets out a long, ululating, mournful howl. It's not a doggy yowl or a whinge - it's an honest to Dog, wolf-like howl that sounds so strange, alien and a little haunting coming out of his throat. It doesn't even sound like him - the first time it happened I didn't believe it was him so made sure I ran over faster the next time there was a siren so that I could confirm that it was actually him.

The look on his face when he does it, is also so odd. He looks very thoughtful and serious. It doesn't bother me at all because as I said, he's he's usually a very quiet dog and doesn't bark much - I doubt it bugs the neighbours either given that it's just one single howl in response to the sirens. I know he's not cold, sad or lonely - I can only assume he thinks he's communicating with the siren? :laugh: He never howls in any other situation even when I tried playing sirens on youtube to see if I train the action.

By contrast, Elbie our Kelpie/Border Collie cross doesn't make a sound when sirens go by. He goes on high alert and his ears are all over the place listening but he does not howl.

Edited by koalathebear
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Guest Willow

I used to work in a dog daycare centre, and all 30 of the dogs would go off if an ambulance went past with sirens on!!!

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Hoover our purebred Kelpie howls at sirens. If he is in the house, he goes to the front door and howls along with it. If he is in the yard, he stops dead in his tracks and howls. He lets out a long, ululating, mournful howl. It's not a doggy yowl or a whinge - it's an honest to Dog, wolf-like howl that sounds so strange, alien and a little haunting coming out of his throat. It doesn't even sound like him - the first time it happened I didn't believe it was him so made sure I ran over faster the next time there was a siren so that I could confirm that it was actually him.

The look on his face when he does it, is also so odd. He looks very thoughtful and serious. It doesn't bother me at all because as I said, he's he's usually a very quiet dog and doesn't bark much - I doubt it bugs the neighbours either given that it's just one single howl in response to the sirens. I know he's not cold, sad or lonely - I can only assume he thinks he's communicating with the siren? :laugh: He never howls in any other situation even when I tried playing sirens on youtube to see if I train the action.

By contrast, Elbie our Kelpie/Border Collie cross doesn't make a sound when sirens go by. He goes on high alert and his ears are all over the place listening but he does not howl.

Yes!! My old dog Mimi does this, but none of the others do. I actually find it hilarious, particularly cause she's so serious and concerned looking. It definitely sounds very primeval and wolf-like I agree.

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Yes! :laugh: The Foxdog does a 2-tone howl along with the changing pitch of the siren :rofl: Fortunately we don't have too many emergency vehicles come past here, but the first time it happened I had to explain to her she wasn't a wolf :p Weez does it too but I think he may just be copying her (maybe?)

Edited by Weasels
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It almost made my hair stand on end when I first heard it. Elbie stares at him like he's bonkers. I know Elbie knows how to howl because when he was a very young puppy, once when we left him alone, he put up his head and gave a long, throbbing, heart-breaking howl but he's never done it since and he definitely doesn't copy Hoover when he's doing the siren-communication thing :laugh: Someone mentioned before that it's quite awe-inspiring to have the inner wolf come out - and it really is!

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All of mine used to howl at a certain siren, not sure which one it was. It was a fairly amazing racket hearing all 3 of them do it. Brock must have been the one that started it though as the 2 girls don't do it anymore.

The neighbors described it as the saddest noise they had heard!

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Guest Willow

Slightly OT but can dogs learn this behaviour from other dogs? (if all at Doggy day care did it?)

I think it's more of a joining in thing than a learned thing. I live in a valley, and a few months ago something set one of the Samoyeds on the other side of the valley off, and within minutes all the dogs in the area were howling....it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, it was very hauting, hearing dogs for kilometres all howling together, in the pitch dark of night.

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Mine used to do it because the neighbours dogs howled at sierens.. They have moved out and it was interesting watching them run for the back door for the first week after they moved out to join the neighbours two in howling. Thankfully, they don't do it anymore. Not once did they start the howling, they just joined in.

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Our GSD will howl with sirens but they have to be fairly close to start him off. Amazingly the Basset doesn't howl with sirens but more embarrassingly does when our heavily accented Russian next door neighbour talks. If our neighbour is in his backyard I will bring Jester in and if he is here I will put him outside but he still stands at the back door and howls every time the poor man speaks. I now try and distract him with a pigs ear but not always successfully. :o

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Panto has howled once or twice to a siren, but without fail will howl at a Mr Whippy van! In the same mournful, thoughtful manner... perhaps she knows she will never get some Mr Whippy ;)

A friend's pound dog (irish setter x?) sings along / howls to Michael Jackson's Beat it... so funny.

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Panto has howled once or twice to a siren, but without fail will howl at a Mr Whippy van! In the same mournful, thoughtful manner... perhaps she knows she will never get some Mr Whippy ;)

A friend's pound dog (irish setter x?) sings along / howls to Michael Jackson's Beat it... so funny.

That so needs to be filmed... I foresee Australia's Funniest Home Video's in that dog's future :)

Oh, and you should get Panto some Mr Whippy. She'll love it :D

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My boy does it. He very rarely barks at anything, so it's odd to hear him do it.

The fact that it is a full on, loud and big howl from a 7kg dog is pretty amazing too. You would swear it was a big breed dog if you heard it and didn't see him.

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Yes all mine throw their heads back & howl at any siren sound but at least they don't sit in a circle to do it like my old dogs used to. That was spooky but funny, 2 chihuahuas, 2 poodles & a great dane. What a sight.

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I live near a fire station, a police station and a hospital. Sirens are often heard but I think my dog is broken, he doesn't howl or bark at them. :o

There used to be a husky a few doors down who howled though. It was a beautiful, haunting, wolf-like sound.

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