How many times have you seen your dog howling on hearing the sirens of emergency vehicles? I have experienced the same with my dog when any emergency vehicle like a fire truck or an ambulance passes by. That leaves me with the question that why do dogs howl after all at sirens. Although not all dogs do howl at sirens, it’s a problem for many dog owners. Many people believe that since the dogs have a very sensitive hearing and sound of sirens is painful to them, they start howling.
However, many say that this theory is not true. The widely accepted reason is that the dogs think that they are hearing a howl from another dog and howl as a means of communication. Dogs use the same communication method as the wolves and coyotes. As social pack animals, dogs have the tendency to think of a siren as a way of communication and they howl to make their presence felt as part of the pack. Another theory says that a dog could be expressing this instinctual behavior while howling at sirens. Howling can be upsetting for the dog owner and the neighbors too.
While it might not be very much effective, you can try playing a recorded siren sound at a low sound to your dog at a low volume and then start increasing the pitch. When you will do it repeatedly, your dog might get used to it and stop howling at the siren sounds. This thing has worked for me. If it doesn’t do the needful for you, I would recommend you to consult a dog trainer.
