Why Do Dachshunds Howl? 9 Reasons + 4 Tips To Stop It

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While you likely understand that howling is simply a way for your dachshund to communicate, it can become too much. When your pup seems to howl more often than they’re quiet it can be quite irritating. So why do dachshunds howl?

Is it normal for dachshunds to howl so much or is something wrong?

Why Do Dachshunds Howl:

Dachshunds were bred to hunt which makes them more inclined to howl compared to other dogs that don’t have a hunting background. They’ll howl to let you know they found something, to help guide you back to them, to get attention, or if they’re feeling overly anxious.

In this post you’ll discover:

9 reasons why your dachshund is howling
When your dachshund’s howling is something to worry about
4 tips to help reduce, or entirely stop, your dachshund from howling (Tip #2 can help stop them the quickest!)
And much more

Let’s jump right in.

Table of Contents

9 Reasons Why Dachshunds Howl

1) Instincts

Your dachshund has a sense of smell and hearing that is far better than any human’s.

Which means your dachshund might be howling at the smell of something you can’t smell.

Or at the sound of something you can’t hear.

And it’s instinctive to them to howl when they find something because of their hunting background.

So, if you find your pup howling in the backyard at seemingly nothing, they might be hearing something you can’t see or smelling something.

For example, if there are rodents living underground in your backyard your dachshund may hear or smell them.

Which makes them howl because they’ve found something and are making it known.

2) They’ve Developed Anxiety

Anxiety is another big reason why your dachshund might howl.

If your dachshund is left alone for long periods of time they may start to feel anxious.

This could be from loneliness, fear or boredom.

You’ll know if your dachshund is feeling anxious because they may start to do excessive behavior outside of their howling.

Things like pacing, licking, whining, drooling, panting, etc.

If your dachshund is howling when you’re gone it’s likely they’ve developed some form of anxiety.

Dachshunds are social creatures and do best when they’re around their family.

So if you’re frequently away from home it’s important to get your dachshund used to being alone.

(Tip #2 below can help with this)

3) ‘Singing’ With You

Your dachshund might howl if they hear you singing.

They likely think this is your human version of howling.

So they join in on the fun by howling alongside you.

It can be a bonding experience for your pup as they enjoy ‘singing’ as well.

If you think this is why your dachshund is howling and you don’t want it to continue, try to stop singing around them.

Or if you can’t help but sing when certain songs come on (like me), do your best to keep the volume down low so they don’t feel the need to join in.

4) Unintentionally Encouraged It

You may have unintentionally encouraged your dachshund to howl without realizing it.

Dogs are very good at reading your body language and emotions.

So if you’ve ever laughed, smiled or given attention (even negative) when your dachshund has howled they may think that’s what you want them to do.

In their mind, they’re doing something that makes you happy so they’ll continue to do it.

Even if you tell them to stop howling or scold them, this can still count as attention in their mind.

5) Signaling They’re Ready For Action

Whenever your dog hears something they think is another dog howling, they’ll howl themselves.

It could be the siren of an ambulance or fire truck driving by, loud/high pitched music, or of course another dog.

They do this to let the other ‘dog’ know they’re ready for action.

Whatever that action may be, your dachshund is signaling ‘message received’.

6) For Attention

Dachshunds are quite smart and they quickly learn what gets them the attention they desire.

If they’ve learned that howling gets you to come over to them or give them attention then they’ll likely do it more often.

Whether they’re getting positive or negative attention isn’t too big of a concern to them.

What’s most important to them is that you weren’t paying attention to them, and after they’ve howled, now you are.

Which means wanting attention could be contributing to why your dachshund is howling.

Also, dachshunds are known for being velcro dogs because they love being close to their humans.

So it’s not surprising that they’ll howl when they can’t be near you and want your attention.

7) To Guard Their Home

This is more common in male dachshunds but both genders can do it.

Dachshunds are bred to be hunting dogs so their natural instinct is to protect and guard their home.

Which means if they hear or see anything going on around your house they may start to howl as an alarm.

It’s their way of telling you that something’s afoot and they need your help.

This can be a good thing because it means they’re doing their job as your loyal furry friend and protector.

But it can also be a problem if they start howling at everything that moves.

8) Helping Guide You Home

If you notice your dachshund often howls as you pull in the driveway they’re likely trying to help guide you back home.

Which might seem silly, but they likely inherited this behavior from their wolf ancestors.

In a wolf pack, one or a couple wolves would stay back at their den when others would go off to find food.

They’d do this so the wolves that stayed behind could howl periodically to help guide other members of their pack back home.

So if your dachshund howls frequently, or everyday, when you pull in the driveway, they’re simply trying to make sure you know exactly how to get back home.

How helpful of them!

9) Letting You Know They Found Something

If your dachshund is out and about and suddenly starts howling it could mean they’ve found something.

This could be a toy, animal, person or anything else that’s caught their interest.

It’s their way of saying ‘I found something you might want to see!’.

Or it could also be their way of asking for help because they’re not sure what to do with whatever they’ve found.

So if your dachshund starts howling while they’re outside, go take a look and see what they might be trying to show you.

You may be surprised at what they’ve discovered!

Top 4 Tips To Help Reduce (Or Stop) Your Dachshund’s Howling

1) Try Not To Encourage It

If you give your dachshund attention when they howl then you’re only encouraging the behavior.

It may be fun and cute at first but it can quickly become a problem if they start doing it all the time.

So instead of giving any sort of reaction, ignore them or walk away until they stop howling.

They’ll eventually learn that howling doesn’t get them the attention they want and they’ll be less likely to do it.

Of course, you still want to give them plenty of attention and love but save it for when they’re not howling.

This will help reduce the amount of times they howl when they’re bored and simply want attention.

2) Desensitize Them

Whether your dachshund is howling because they’re anxious about being away from you or if it’s caused by certain noises they hear, do your best to desensitize them.

You can do this by leaving them alone for 5-15 minutes and gradually increasing the amount of time you’re gone.

Do this until they’re comfortable being left alone without howling.

You can also counter-condition their negative feelings of being alone.

You’d do this by giving them a special, high quality treat every day right before you leave.

Eventually, they’ll start to associate you leaving with a happy experience because they get such a yummy treat each time.

If it’s noises that are triggering their howling then try to expose them to those noises as often as possible.

You can do this by playing recordings of the noises or taking them for walks around town where they’re likely to hear the noises.

The more exposure they have, the less likely they’ll be to howl in response.

Again, start with short periods of exposure and gradually increase the amount of time.

Do this until your dachshund is no longer triggered by the noises and doesn’t howl in response.

It may take some time and patience but eventually they’ll get used to the noises and won’t feel the need to howl.

3) Train To Be Quiet On Command

You can also train your dachshund to be quiet on command.

This will help them learn that howling isn’t always appropriate and that they should stop when you say so.

In order to do this you’ll want to recreate a situation that makes your pup howl.

Once they start howling, hold out a treat to get their attention.

Only when they stop howling, give them the treat.

Repeat this process for several days and gradually increase how long you wait to give them their treat once they become quiet.

Once they’ve gotten good at this, add in your ‘quiet’ command when you get their attention to stop their howling.

At this point you can continue to do this until they stop howling from you simply saying quiet.

4) Get Help From a Trainer

If you’re struggling to get your dachshund to stop howling then it may be a good idea to seek help from a professional trainer.

Whether it’s online and being guided through step-by-step instructions whenever you have the time.

Or in person where you bring a trainer into your home to help give you a better understanding on why your pup is behaving the way they are and how to stop it.

Other posts you might find interesting:

12 Best Dog Beds for Dachshunds

11 Reasons Why Dachshunds Get So Anxious + Tips To Help

Dachshund Reverse Sneezing: Why It Happens & What To Do

11 Reasons Why Dachshunds Refuse To Walk + 7 Helpful Tips

Sources:

Why Do Dogs Howl?

Separation Anxiety