Why my dog howls when I leave - reasons and solutions!

Many times we have to leave our pet alone at home for a few hours, either by having to go to work or other issues that prevent us from taking it with us. Sometimes, some dogs do not feel well and when we got home we found that they have destroyed the sofa, a door, that they have undone their bed and the stuffing is scattered everywhere and even that some neighbor complains because the dog has been howling all this time. In fact, it is likely that you will only start to leave your house and you will hear that you cry or howl a bit and you have come to ask " why does my dog howl when I leave? ". Since we want to help you better understand your furry so you can take good care of him and, therefore, in this article we will explain the reasons for this behavior and what you can do.

Why my dog howls when I leave - reasons

Some people who live with dogs, especially if these are still puppies or if they are recently adopted dogs, come to ask themselves questions like "because my dog cries so much when I leave", "my dog cries a lot when he is alone" and " my dog howls in the morning when I leave . " It is something that, sadly, is very common and we can not avoid asking what happens to it or what we do wrong and, of course, what to do to solve it.

To learn how to take good care of our furry companion it is vital that we know the reasons for this behavior in order to remedy it. Thus, there are two main causes why a dog howls when we leave and leave it alone: the feeling of deep loneliness and separation anxiety.

Dogs howl because they feel lonely

As we have seen, one of the main reasons why dogs howl when their human companion leaves is because they feel very lonely . The howl of loneliness occurs when the animal really feels a deep sense of insecurity, that he will not see his human companion again and, in short, that he has remained alone where he is and, many times, without having a exit.

When they feel extremely lonely, and may even feel that they have been abandoned even in their usual home, they express their condition and seek help with long, loud howls that can travel kilometers to the ears of other dogs, so it is not strange that some neighbor warn us that when we are not our pet howls in this way. This behavior is very common in dogs that are tied or locked in a small space with a booth in warehouses, industrial buildings and country houses to act as guardians.

So if you wonder why my dog howls when he is alone, ask yourself now if the conditions in which you have it are optimal for him or if they can be improved and remedy. Make sure NOT to leave him alone, tied or muzzled, something that some owners do thinking that it will be quieter and quieter, when in reality it would only increase their nervousness and sadness, as well as prevent them from drinking or eating the hours they are alone. So, more than a remedy to the problem of howling and shattering when you're alone, it's actually a risk to your mental and physical health.

Dogs howl for having separation anxiety

Another of the most common reasons why a furry can behave like this in our absence is undoubtedly separation anxiety, a problem that up to 15% of dogs suffer. This problem occurs when a dog feels such a great attachment for its human companion, although it can also be directed to other pets, which becomes dependent on it; He is also known as a canary hyperagogue by his owner .

When this happens, several problems appear at the moment when the owner leaves home, or if he loses sight of it for a short time, such as the destruction of household objects, excessive barking, long and sad howls and cries. They can last hours intermittently and can even end up getting wounded. Normally this happens because they need to call attention and try to get that human to hear and go, in addition to hurting themselves unintentionally during the process trying to escape from home in search of that person.

In such a situation these behaviors are triggered because the dog feels lonely, abandoned, threatened and in danger and, therefore, the state of alert and survival is activated.

Thus, as the name of the problem indicates, when a dog with this tendency separates from its human companion even for a short time and feels "abandoned" by him or her, it enters a state of excessive anxiety that it can not control on its own and channel in this way.

So you wonder why my dog does not stop crying and howl when I leave, is likely to suffer from this problem. To avoid this, it is necessary to educate a puppy well and not to exceed the signs of affection and avoid too much consent or treat him as a person, acts that can trigger this dependence towards us. The best solution in these cases is to follow the advice of an expert in canine ethology.

What to do if my dog howls when I leave

When arriving at our house for the first time the dog has to learn many new things, among them to be quiet at home and to be without us some times. Therefore, it is vital that from the beginning, be a puppy dog, adult or elderly, we teach him that he can be calm in our absence, something that is not always easy but that little by little can be achieved.

To achieve this, we must know how to leave the dog alone at home correctly, so that it does not become stressed, does not have anxiety and does not feel a grief and loneliness so big that it leads to feeling bad and to have behaviors like the continuous and desperate howl. We must bear in mind that if still applying the guidelines to get it quiet does not work and still have separation anxiety and behaviors that indicate a clear discomfort, besides probably bother the neighbors, then we must go to a canine etologist or behavior specialist canine This is the right professional to help us detect the cause of behavior that is negative for the health of our pet and to help us correct it in the best way.

How to leave your dog alone at home and avoid howling

It is necessary to learn to leave our dog alone at home so that little by little he stops feeling that every time we leave him and he will not see us again, thus avoiding the howling. Before starting, you must be clear that your dog must have a safe and adequate space to rest, move widely, play with toys, drink, eat and even relieve if you are going to be away for several hours and have some ventilation. In addition, the best thing for him is that before leaving you have taken him for a walk, he has done his business and some exercise. Also, you should leave the food and water clean. These are the steps to leave your dog alone at home and avoid howling :

Start by leaving it in a limited area of the house from which I can not access you for short, 5 or 10 minutes, but you must remain in the same house.
Although he cries or howls and loudly avoids coming to his aid remember that if the place where you left him was really safe, nothing happens to him other than the fact that you are far away.
Prémialo when you have endured the indicated time quiet and without breaking things, bark or howl.
After a while, do it again but go increasing the time, try 15 or 20 minutes, so progressively.
Then try to leave your house for about 15 or 30 minutes at the beginning and the following times increases the time a little.

Other tips, especially if you suffer separation anxiety, is that you leave your favorite toys and a kong, perfect to release tension. Also, be sure to leave clothes with your scent so that you feel accompanied.