Have you ever wondered why sirens set dogs off howling? Well don’t get too excited about finding out because I don’t know either, nor do scientists who reckon it’s got something to do with ancestral bonding rituals. In fact, I have it on good authority even the dogs themselves aren’t quite sure why they are compelled to throw their heads back, pucker up and let rip with the most woeful rhetoric on the planet. Anyone who lives next door to a practitioner will testify that it’s definitely not a joyful sound, especially around 4am on Sunday morning. The truth is, to the untrained ear, howling can be likened to the dirge of a lost soul with razor blades stuck in its throat. So why do dogs find it necessary to howl in the weird ways they do?

Their ancestors howled for a reason

Mysteriously, not all dogs react like their wild cousins in Yellowstone Park, who howl to  gather their relations for family functions … which would actually explain their mournful undertones. And while I’m sure this is where the behaviour originates, it doesn’t explain why some of our dogs spend their lives howling like maniacs, while others sleep soundly through robberies in progress or cash-in-transit heists with not as much as a whispered whooo.

So while not all dogs have this vocal skill, there are others who are truly moved by their own species tonsil aerobics down the road. This category of howling is definitely irresistible to all, because every dog within 50 square kilometres strikes up and attempts to wake the dead.

Howling along to music

Then there are the truly gifted ones who only howl at the sound of a specific melody.  I once knew a German Shepherd who would sleep through every one of Beethoven’s symphonies, but on the first note of Midnight Sonata, the boy would wake up, cock an ear and by the third beat he had joined in with his own impersonation of the French horn - quite remarkable. We often tried to catch him out but he never faltered or put a paw out of place. Kiazer’s incredible ear for music remains a mystery.

But what about those midnight insomniacs who howl at the moon? …dogs that is. And what about dogs that howl when their folks sing or play musical instruments…. are they trying to tell them something that their best friends wouldn’t dare to mention? Makes you think.

So, the question should be: are our dogs serenading, crooning or lamenting? I’ve got a suspicion they sing different songs for different occasions. And just like humans, I think some dogs can and some can’t. But I guess the bottom line is, it’s all in the genes and whether they have the right ear or not.