Best Way to Train a Dog to Howl

Tricks and games may be selected for your dog by consider­ing his body type, level of energy and individual sense of humor. The more closely you match the trick to the dog, the faster the teaching will proceed. So if you are seriously tight on time, teach your Malamute to howl, your Fox Terrier to jump, your Golden Retriever to sneeze, your Basenji to chortle. Going with the grain is a perfectly valid way to teach tricks.

On the other hand, you may want to teach your dog a particu­lar trick or game because you like it. This, too, is a fine way to select tricks. Any of the tricks here can be taught to any dog. Even a low-slung, long-backed dog can do a jumping trick, as long as the height of the jump is really minimal.

You can also select tricks for your dog by noting what he likes to do on his own. Does he roll over when he’s happy? Dexter does. Then mightn’t he be happy when you ask him to roll over on command, and reward him for doing so? Dexter is!

Does your jog to make noise? Howl with him.

Years ago, I read and heard much about why dogs howl, but differ­ing opinions left me feeling confused. Since I have learned that imi­tation can begin at the surface, with what one sees and hears, the way children imitate the actions of adults without understanding their significance and proceed to an inner place of understanding, I decided to actually do what I wanted to understand.

At the time, I had a German Shepherd, Scarlet, and I sat near her and began to howl. Shepherds are natural howlers, so she quick­ly joined in. Ever after, all I had to do to get her to howl with me was to begin to howl. If we were not in the same room when I began, she’d rush to find me, howling as she came.

The fact that you “teach” a dog to howl by howling will give you one of the functions of howling. It is a verbal affirmation of the bond within a community. It works when you are physically close—”We are here, we are here”—or far apart—”I am here, where are you?”

Any breed of dog can be encouraged to do some version of the howl. Some will yip, or bark and howl intermittently. But in each case, the head will tilt up and the dog’s mouth will make the char­acteristic circle of a wolf howling at the moon.

The mournful sound of the howl reverberates in the chest, expressing the emotions of the heart, grief, longing, affection, camaraderie, all woven together in the fabric of a song. In order to not only see but to feel what your dog is feeling, sit near him and howl. If he is not a natural howler, it may take some time and patience. But in less than ten minutes, he will howl with you. Each time you try, his eloquent song will join yours more quickly.