Most dogs howl and it is perfectly normal. But, when your dog does this when you leave him alone in the house, it can be a problem. In that case scenario, you will want to know how to stop a dog howling when left alone. But first, you need to know why a dog does this. Below we will explain all the reasons and all the methods you can try to solve this issue. And yes, this can be a huge problem for some dog owners!
Separation Anxiety
One of the most common causes is separation anxiety. Many dogs will chew your furniture, bark all the time, and howl when they suffer from separation anxiety. This is not something you should ignore. It is a serious problem and your dog needs help. How to stop a dog howling when left alone who suffers from this issue? There are a few things. Keep in mind that hormonal imbalance and environmental and social factors can cause separation anxiety in any dog at any given moment.
Baby Steps
The first thing you should do in this case scenario is to start by leaving your dog home alone for a short period of time. Start with a couple of minutes. Step outside and then come back in. Increase the time you leave him alone. You should start with a couple of minutes first, then one hour, two hours, and so on.
Change The Routine
Most dogs know your routine completely. They know when you will pick up the keys and go outside. This can trigger their anxiety. As a result, you should mix the routine. Change the things you can and see what will happen. This works well for most dogs. You can add a 10-minute playing session here as well.
Anxiety remedies
There are a lot of remedies out there that are all natural. One of them is Hemp oil. It will calm your dog. The best thing here is that this will help him with inflammation and joint pain if your pet has them. The oil is organic and comes without any artificial ingredients.
Noise Response and Territorial Presence
Dogs can howl when they hear another dog do this, loud noise (ambulance siren for example), and many other noises. They can howl to alert you as well when a person or another dog approaches the territory. In general, dogs can howl due to territorial presence or as a noise response. Here is what you should do if your pet howls due to these reasons.
Counter-Conditioning And Desensitization
Both of these are pieces of training that can help. First, we have Counter-conditioning and it means that a dog should react differently when you expose him to a particular stimulus. Desensitization is a different thing. You will expose your dog to a stimulus but start at a very low intensity. Sadly, in this particular case, these two types of pieces of training are the only thing you can do. A good thing is that you can do it by yourself.
Medical Condition
Here we have an interesting case. Your dog will howl when you leave him alone but also when you are next to him. He may be in pain or has some medical issue that causes discomfort. Dogs communicate by barking and howling hence you can deduce why your pet does this.
The first thing you should do is to take him to a vet. He or she must examine the dog and check if there is some issue present. If there is, you will have to start treatment and help your dog.
If your pet has some health issues that make him howling, he will probably be irritated, sad, and even depressed most of the time. He is in pain or discomfort hence he cannot react or enjoy the time he spends with you.
Additional Tips You Can Use
Luckily, there are a few other tips you can use to put an end to your dog howling when home alone. These tips are all simple, and straightforward but very effective. Millions of people have been using them and they can say only good things about each one. You can try all of them and see which ones work best for your dog and which ones help the most.
Leave the Toys
Your dog will be bored when you are not there. Leaving toys next to him can help. He will play and have something to do for 8-10 hours while you are away. Yes, you should leave as many toys as you can so he will have a lot of things to check out and do.
Exercise
Physical activity is mandatory for all dogs. When your pet spends a lot of time running around and being active, he will use a lot of energy. When you leave him home alone, he will want to sleep and not howl. This is a method that works well and has been used by many dog owners.
Get A Sitter
If nothing works it means that your pet hates the time alone in the house. The best remedy here is to hire a sitter who will keep the eye on the dog. At the same time, you can consider doggie daycare. Both options work well but they can be pricey. Try to find the one that works best for you and your dog. Doggie care sounds like the obvious winner but only if you find a nice and professional service provider.
The Final Word
Now you know how to stop dog howling when left alone and you can start implementing these methods right now. Keep in consideration that not all of them will work for your dog. In most cases, only one or two will help. But, you have to try them and deduce which ones are the most effective and most beneficial. Luckily, within days you will have a dog who doesn’t howl when you are not at home.