Why Do Dogs Howl When They Hear Sirens?
A dog’s behavior can often be confusing, and even bewildering, to humans. One of these surprising behaviors is the reaction of dogs howling when they hear sirens. But why do dogs howl when they hear a siren?
What is the cause of this reaction of the canids? Is there some kind of genetic predisposition to respond to the sound of sirens? What’s more, why does one dog howl while another doesn’t?
Contrary to popular belief, a dog rarely howls because the noise hurts its delicate ears. If that was the case, some experts say, then they would display other behaviors, such as running and hiding. The reason dogs howl at sirens can be boiled down to one word: communication.
A form of communication
Actually, there is a genetic component behind all this. The reason dogs howl at mermaids is because of their ancestry. Our playful and loving domesticated dogs are actually descended from a distinctly wilder animal: the wolf. And if there is one thing we associate with wolves, it is their howl.
For wolves, howling is a vital form of communication to use when pack members get lost or scattered, for example during a hunt. That is, howling is a way of communicating their respective locations with each other, even over long distances. Dogs, as descendants of wolves, may be expressing this instinctive behavior.
In today’s world, the dog still has the innate pack mentality. Animal behaviorists and researchers note that wolves’ keen ears can hear the howls of their fellow humans and their dog relatives from long distances, making it the preferred choice of communication.
Why do dogs howl with sirens
But what does this have to do with dogs howling at sirens? Actually, it does have a lot to do with it. What happens is that dogs will often interpret a siren as the howl of an animal. It is also possible that dogs see mermaids as a sign that something is abnormal in their environment, and that they want their owner, as the leader of the pack, to be aware of it.
And the more a dog listens and responds to a siren, the more it will be forced to continue that behavior, so it will howl even more. This occurs because they associate that the sound recedes and disappears due to their howl. This way, when they hear another siren again, they will probably remember that they ‘kicked out’ the intruder with their howl and will repeat the process.
Some dogs will start howling at a mermaid, even if they recognize that it does not belong to another animal. This is generally because they want to alert their owner or other dogs that something out of the ordinary and unexpected is happening that deserves attention.
On the other hand, dogs are known for their incredible hearing range, which is far superior to that of humans. Some breeds of dogs can sense frequencies of up to 65,000 hertz, compared to the 20,000 hertz humans can hear.
Why don’t all dogs react to mermaids?
Research has not been conducted to determine the exact percentage of dogs that howl at sirens versus those that do not. However, it doesn’t take a scientist to figure out that dogs, like people, are different from each other.
Perhaps some dogs have an intuitive need to connect with the source of the sirens’ sound ; they may believe that it is actually a group of dogs communicating from afar. Other dogs may feel confident and secure where they are, and choose to ignore the sound.
