# When dogs howl at music, are they in pain, or what?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-dogs-howl-at-music-are-they-in-pain-or-what/604592>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 30, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-dogs-howl-at-music-are-they-in-pain-or-what/604592 "2011-11-30T18:55:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-dogs-howl-at-music-are-they-in-pain-or-what/604592/21 "2011-12-02T20:56:51Z")

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> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#):
>
> Ha, **chiroptera** , that’s true about pain response, _unless_ it’s a Malamute or Husky recovering from anesthesia. OMG they will not shut up. I know it’s partially altered mental state, but part of it is - they’re amazing wimps about surgery!
> 
> As to the OP, yeah, they’re just joining in.

This can also be a side effect of narcotic medications.

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**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-dogs-howl-at-music-are-they-in-pain-or-what/604592/22 "2011-12-02T21:17:13Z")

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So … what’s up with dogs that _never_ howl?

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**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-dogs-howl-at-music-are-they-in-pain-or-what/604592/23 "2011-12-02T23:54:58Z")

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> [@bordelond](#):
>
> So … what’s up with dogs that _never_ howl?

They don’t have the howling gene. 🙂 Or, they’ve never been around other howling dogs. Or the vocal trait hasn’t been selected for.

Howling/vocalizing is partly breed-specific. Some dogs are bred for hunting “voice”, like some hounds and tracking dogs. Others, like malamutes and huskies already mentioned, seem to have more wolfy traits and are vocal. And some dogs (like Basenjis and sight hounds - being vocal wouldn’t be adaptive behaviour for sighthounds) are really quiet dogs.

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**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\
**Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-dogs-howl-at-music-are-they-in-pain-or-what/604592/24 "2011-12-30T14:27:15Z")

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Ours don’t really howl, although Sadie (a mix, probably American Staffordshire Terrier/Basset Hound/maybe Beagle) definitely makes roo-ROO-roo-roo vocalizations when she’s sufficiently excited.

Simone (American Pit Bull Terrier) doesn’t, but unlike Sadie, Simone pays a **lot** of attention to electronic noises (phones, vacuums, and especially the TV) so I think she must be aware of sirens.

Both of them routinely bark and ROO like crazy when the foxes scream at night in the woods behind our place. Of course, fox screams can be pretty unsettling for humans too – I hear they’re routinely mistaken for the screams of human children, and I find the sound pretty creepy myself.

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