Hi humans! I just want to start by saying that I’m the bestest boy ever and deserve all the treats in the world!
Also, I love walks and hugs, and playing! Oh but my job now is to answer your question, so I’ll do that the best that I can!
So, why do dogs howl to music? Well, why do you sing? It’s kind of the same thing. We like to sing along to music by howling! And most of us have a pretty good voice.
I can definitely sing really well! But I suppose there’s also a part of us howling to music that’s instinctive. We descend from wolves, as you probably already know, and wolves used to howl all the time to communicate with each other.
So we howl to sing along to the music, but also as a basic response to the sound!
Oh, we also tend to have really good pitch. We dogs are so musically talented! We can sometimes change our tone to match the music, and we also howl with other dogs.
If one gets started, we all follow! But let’s get into more detail. I love answering your questions!
Are dogs happy when they howl to music?
Hmm, this is a tough question. I suppose it depends on the situation and the reason for how we’re howling to the music!
If it’s music that we like, and we’re howling to sing along, then we are absolutely happy and having a lot of fun! A lot of times humans try to figure out a specific reason for our noises, but sometimes we just like to let loose and let our voices shine!
Some dogs are more vocal than others too. Huskies, for example, love love love singing! Maybe because they’re closer to our ancestors, the wolves, and because they have one of the better voices.
Howling is also an instinctive response to certain sounds. Wolves used to howl as a means to communicate with the pack, whether to signal to each other where they were or to warn each other of certain dangers. It was also a bonding exercise.
Howling in unison with other dogs, or even with music, makes us feel highly connected with our surroundings and each other, and it’s a way of creating deeper bonds and socializing! And we always enjoy making friends, even if it’s with music!
If your dog is howling in response to music that you’re playing, or even to your singing, then he’s trying to bond with you and sees you as a pack member.
Basically, it means we enjoy being your friends and we’re expressing as such. I’d say that it means we’re 100% happy!
Are dogs sad when they howl?
I’ve explained about dogs being happy when they howl to music, but does a dog howling ever indicate sadness? On some occasions, and in certain situations, yes.
We can be sad too! And as we can’t just tell you about how we feel, we communicate through other means. If we’re sad we might tell you through our body language.
We might also start whining, as that is the sound we make when we’re doing the equivalent of crying.
When those whines develop into a mournful sounding, low-effort howl, then it can be an indicator of sadness. But don’t worry, you will know when a howl is sad, and when a howl is happy!
Why do dogs howl to certain sounds?
Dogs have a way better hearing than you humans, so we’re often aware of many more sounds than you would even imagine! We especially react to high-pitched sounds, like sirens, and the high-pitched notes in music.
In fact, it’s those high-pitched notes that usually set us off howling when we hear music!
But why do we howl to those certain sounds?
Well, when we’re howling to a sound, we’re howling to communicate our response to it. Most often, that response signifies that we’ve heard the sound, and we’re trying to express that we’re there, and listening.
It can also mean that we’re communicating about the sound, or that we want to join in with whatever the sound is a part of. Basically, we just want to get involved!
A sound usually means something is happening, and we want to be right in the middle of the action!
When we howl as a response to another dog howling, then we’re simply joining in with the joint singing. We’re pack animals and we love talking to our friends.
Howling together is one of the most fun things ever because it means we’re doing something together, and that we know where each other is!
Oh, and if we’re howling to the sound of you, then it just means we’re trying to have some bonding time with you because we love you!
What music do dogs like?
It’s so nice of you to ask! We all have our own individual tastes in music, so each dog will have a preferred genre of music. It can be fun to discover which songs your dog likes the most, and maybe you have a favorite song in common!
But let’s talk about the overall best genres in music that we dogs prefer the most! Some lovely humans from the Scottish SPCA and the University of Glasgow actually did a whole study on this and published their results.
They say that music can affect a dog’s behavior and that different types of music affect us differently. And I’m here to tell you that they’re right!
Just like you, we can feel more relaxed with certain types of music, and more hyped up and active with others.
The music genres that help us relax the most are soft rock, reggae, and classical music. I don’t really know why, other than that it’s super soothing and makes me sleepy.
Maybe it’s the rhythmic beats and the lack of sudden pitch changes. But we love it!
In conclusion
I hope I answered your questions well, maybe then I’ll get a treat as a prize!
Dogs howl to music because we like responding to the high-pitched notes and the sound, to communicate that we’re here and that we want to join in with the fun!
We enjoy singing along so that you know we’re eager to have fun and be a part of the music. Howling is also an ancient instinct that we have, which comes from wolves!
Howling is a form of communication between us, and it also serves as a bonding exercise. So if we’re howling in response to another howl, or even in response to you, then it’s just us establishing the friendship!
