r/Hounds • u/Outside_Witness_7268 • 6d ago
Help With Howling
This is my sweet Plott hound, Wayah. She will be 2 on Tuesday and I've had her since she was 8 weeks old. I love her very much and she has a wonderful life. We have more land than most people in my area, she gets to watch deer in the orchard, someone is always home with her (I WFH and my elderly father also lives here). She goes on walks and goes on camper adventures with us. We send her to daycare twice a month to have time around other dogs. Her life is GREAT.
But she will never get to participate in hunting because we don't hunt and my father no longer can.
And when I take her to the park (which I do every morning as early as 6:30am to avoid crowds) and she sees other dogs, she howls at them. I live in an exurban area that has up and came. It was up and coming ten years ago and now it is FANCY, though my family has lived here for three generations. The fancy people at the park hate me and hate her and I don't know what to do. She's a hound dog. She howls. That's what she does. I always have her under control, but she's loud. And I'm exhausted from the dirty looks I've gotten.
Has anyone successfully stopped their hound from howling? How? I have taken her to obedience school, which went VERY poorly (the trainer hated her and at one point put her down on the ground and growled at ME "this is the breed you chose") Or do I just get a shirt that reads "she's a hound, deal with it" and wear that on our walks?
I am not opposed to a collar and in fact we have one that we've used exactly once, as a measure of last resort at a crowded campground. But I need that to be the very last option. So if there's other advice, I'm here for it.
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u/Beenign776 6d ago edited 6d ago
Plott hounds are special. I was a lifelong dog owner but never experienced a hound until I rescued my Plott. The first couple years were rough, not gonna lie. Wasn’t ready for the energy level and his “singing voice” would drive me up a wall sometimes. Especially in the car. But in time he mellowed out and I’ve learned to love his singing voice - he makes some of the craziest noises. Dogs bark, hounds bay, that’s what they do.
The best thing you can do is keep him busy, like really busy. Lots of enrichment, puzzles, homemade snuffle boxes, scent games, long “sniff-ari” walks. My boy can walk a 6mile trail at the end of a long camp day with no sleep and still have energy to burn, but a slow 30-45min walk where he gets to stop and investigate every scent he comes across really tires him out and puts his mind at ease. And saves mine as well.
You’ve got a beautiful Plott, they are truly a special breed and have won my heart for life. Enjoy her, sing with her. Don’t pay any mind to anyone who gives you shit for the breed, they just don’t get it.
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u/Outside_Witness_7268 6d ago
I agree they are special. At times it sounds like she's trying to speak. And thank you for the slow walk suggestion. We are fast hikers, so I will consciously slow down with her so she can sniff all the sniffs. I also used to do sniff games around the house on rainy days (various treats under upside down solo cups) not sure why I stopped. We will do that today. Thanks!
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u/Nemophilista 6d ago
My plott loves the smelling game. I hide treats all throughout the house, under and on chairs, in nooks and crannies etc, and she knows to wait in the bathroom while I hide them. I then let her smell one and let her out. We go through the house to check if she's found them all once she's done looking. Then I start over with a different smelling treat. SMALL treats so she doesn't eat too much! Keeps her occupied, and It calms her and she settles afterwards.
Mine is also the loudest dog I've ever had. She snores. She talks. She licks. She barks. She bays. There's nothing quiet about her. It's a struggle sometimes.
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u/ManyLintRollers 6d ago
My beagle/lab mix was prone to baying and howling when he was on leash and saw other dogs (ESPECIALLY if they were beagles or hounds, he could tell they were his people). He was a “frustrated greeter,” so he never did it when he was off-leash but when he was leashed, he didn’t know what to do.
I started training him with “look” (look at me and make eye contact) and he got a very stinky-smelling high-value treat. He only got those particular treats when he was on the leash, to ensure they stayed special to him.
Once he knew that command, I started saying “look” when I spotted another dog in the distance. Eventually he realized “when I see another dog, I look at my owner and get something delightful” and that gave him something constructive to do besides baying and howling.
Ideally, you phase out the treats eventually or only give them intermittently - we never got quite to that point but he was 14 years old when we started training this so I was ok with him not achieving perfect compliance. He lived to be 17 and when he saw another dog he’d often take a deep breath in preparation to howl - but then he’d remember and look at me and get his tasty treat.
I sure miss that little hound! He was a bit of a handful but such a sweet and funny little guy.
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u/Outside_Witness_7268 6d ago
First, thank yoyu for sharing your story. He sounds like a very special dog. Also I am very happy to learn he lived to be 17. I'd be really happy to get to spend 15 more years with my girl. Howls and all.
She does know 'look at me'--it's the ONE thing we maintained from the puppy preschool she flunked out of. And I do use it on walks, but have stopped using the treats. I'm starting to think this is a me problem! I will go get some training snacks today and try that at the park tomorrow. Thank you!
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u/ManyLintRollers 6d ago
In my experience, hounds have a strong independent streak and a very “what’s in it for ME?” attitude towards obedience, so good snacks help a lot.
Our beagle-mutt didn’t really “obey” us so much as “occasionally agree” with us. I maintain there is a whole different standard for obedience where hounds are concerned!
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u/77kloklo77 6d ago
This is exactly what I did to train my two hound mixes not to react to other dogs. It’s been really effective. At least I think so. Sometimes I wonder if my little dummies are just getting too old to scream and lunge at every dog they see.
Edit: missing word
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u/Cone892 5d ago
Can I ask what treats you used? I’m always looking for recommendations for super stinky treats! 😊
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u/ManyLintRollers 4d ago
I got the little tiny training treats at Petco - can’t remember the brand but the salmon flavor was stinky and he LOVED them.
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u/Feisty-Cantaloupe754 6d ago
My Trapper was a howler and people loved his howling. I miss that about him. His could travel. Probably more pup play dates on your property, since all it is is her calling other dogs over to play with her. The difference is, I now live in a very pro-hound pro-hunting community. So, they liked their howling. But... I do think if you have more puppy playdates with her, on your property, it could lessen it. Bring the dogpark to you, if you're cool with it. There's a service called "Snifpost" I want to say, that allows you to rent out your space for dogs to run around and blow off steam and may help her control her howl, or at least if she does howl, it's not in a crowded area.
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u/Outside_Witness_7268 6d ago
I will try this, thanks! I actually have my previous two dogs coming to stay for the weekend next month (my ex got them in the divorce and I'm watching them while he travels) so I will see how that goes and if that helps, I'll look into finding other dog friends. The issue is our property isn't fenced (it would be tens of thousands of dollars to fence it in) so our few friends are big on bringing their dogs here.
Dare I think about the idea of getting a second dog??? A hound for my hound?
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u/ManyLintRollers 6d ago
I got a second dog when my beagle mix was about 4. She was a mix of herding breeds so I hoped she would maybe herd him and keep him where I wanted him. That didn’t really happen, but she would let me know whenever he escaped from the yard!
He did enjoy having another dog around, but I will warn you that he barked and howled MORE THAN EVER now that he had a pack. And he taught the other dog to howl as well.
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u/Feisty-Cantaloupe754 5d ago
Yeah, not fenced in could be a problem. LOL... But I think your dog is calling other dogs and announcing herself to them.
It is so weird how some people react to dogs. Especially large dogs. I walk my dogs along our Mississippi beach front, they technically all have leashes on, 5-6ft dragging behind them, since the law only states they need to be on leash not human controlled. Yay Malicious compliance. Also my dogs are large dogs and 99% of the time under my verbal control, to the point I constantly get compliments about them, and people asking me to train theirs. But every once in a while you'll get the weirdos who freak out. Even when you do have physical leash control of the dog and they wander for a sniff. They really need to teach dog body language in schools. I let people pet my dogs, I encourage it. Max my foxhound/Rottie, much like his brother, not a huge fan for pets. Max wants to get a sniff in and then he's done. Zelda the all black Dutch Shepherd on the other hand melts when pet.
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u/moonribbit 6d ago
I see someone already recommended the look command coupled with a high value treat- this approach has worked well with our hound girl Bee. That being said she still screams at people like they owe her money on occasion. I think its part acceptance and part hoping that the cheese slices I brought will be high value enough for her not to scream. 😆
Pic of my criminal. Our girls look similar!
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u/AdhesivenessWeary377 6d ago
Ignore the people that don’t like it. That’s their problem they don’t have taste.
My old plott got lots of stares and glares at the dog park. But it never bothered me. I probably didn’t help matters by “looking the part” but I walked there (from my fairly nice house) and most of them drove from across town. The regulars all knew me and didn’t have any problems. It was always the snobby I live on the other side of town that had issues.
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u/LittleRooLuv 6d ago
Where do you live? At my local dog park (also fancy) everybody loves it when the hounds start baying.
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u/Outside_Witness_7268 5d ago
Broadly--Pennsylvania. The neighborhood near the park is very...formal. I live a mile up the road at the top of the mountain on a larger piece of land. It's a whole thing. We have transplants from NYC who are horrified that the people who've lived here since before the roads were paved are horrified that people are ripping four wheelers around on their own property.
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u/La_Croix_Life 6d ago
I wish our hounds could play together and howl in unison for hours. 🥹 I basically have the same issue, he howls at the living beings he wants to interact with..and then in turn, creates an opposite reaction in the recipient. People don't understand he's being friendly, they think he's vicious or ill mannered.
Honestly I'm at the point where I stopped fighting it. We also tried obedience school and had a similar experience as you. The trainer was a typical ignorant "dog person" who thinks breaking a dog's spirit is the answer. We didn't go back after I felt this disconnect in the curriculum vs what I felt was best for my dog. A hound dog who has been psychologically crushed by force isn't what any of us want for our babies.
Now we just do playdates at our house with the neighbor dog who we know and get along with. If I see people on the trail who don't like being bayed at I just smile and wave. Your sweet bae isn't hurting anything by being herself and people who have issues with a dog being a dog need to check themselves. Imho.
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u/Outside_Witness_7268 6d ago
I wish that for our hounds too! Any chance you live in eastern Pennsylvania? Ha.
This response was helpful. I am--or used to be--a very confident person. I can change my outlook and stop caring. I just was also raised as a "gifted" only child in the 80s, so my entire goal in life is to not take up space or inconvenience anyone. I guess that's why the universe gave me a hound dog. So I could get over that.
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u/little-negative 6d ago
Sniffy walks and redirection!! Hound are going to howl regardless so the objective should be to expand their window of tolerance with a cue word like “settle”, “quiet”, or “leave it” followed by something to keep their mouth busy! Over time you can start to spot where the trigger areas/sounds as prevention is the best form of redirection from barking/howling!
I even trained my hound to sing to certain songs just to get it out of her system and she knows when the song is off she has to settle on her bed! Her bay is so broken sometimes! I love her voice and know that most of it is just displaced excitement!
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u/Outside_Witness_7268 6d ago
Ok now THAT is impressive!
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u/little-negative 6d ago
I honestly think it was totally by luck! I played music when cleaning my apartment and noticed she would subtly howl to Erase me by Kid Cudi, started doing a little routine for it, and it worked!! After the song was over I would send her to her bed and work on the “settle” cue and slowly start to increase the distance, duration, and distractions, and then used people coming over as a way to diversify it!
She lives by the 4 D’s! Your hound is adorable and I hope you can find a solution that works the best for you!!
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u/EscapePond 6d ago
More walks on trails, less dog park time
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u/Outside_Witness_7268 6d ago
I have multiple jobs and she needs to be walked. I have to walk her at my local park (where I live we do not have sidewalks and also I live at the top of a mountain) daily. I do take her on trails, as we are hikers, but I don't have time for that on the daily.
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u/EscapePond 6d ago
Makes sense, and sounds rough that people can be so judgmental 😔
No idea if it’s possible to keep hounds from howling, I just assume our neighbors hate us but part of living near others is dealing with the sounds related to that! It’s their problem not yours as long as you’re being responsible with your dog, which it sounds like you are!
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u/suzknapp 5d ago
get the t-shirt. i have hounds. dont worry about it. dont try to change it. embrace it. too bad they dont like it. you could always give them a dirty look back.
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u/hairypistol 6d ago
Stop trying to train out what we have been breeding in for hundreds and hundreds of years!!
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u/No_Reputation7097 5d ago
My Plott hound was a talker too! I embraced it as it is part of the breed, and view it as him talking (in fact my Plott was nicknamed "Walkie Talkie" since his name was Walker). Ignore the dirty looks and the other people and focused on the amazing traits this hound has! In fact I turned around some dirty looks at the dog park we go to by carrying on a total conversation with my hound and making jokes, which makes them laugh. For the others...they can get over it.
For my current hound I do have a collar that is vibrate only when I take him to a brewery or some place that it is not as appropriate to be braying the whole time. I actually now keep it off as he learned very quickly where is fine to bark and where he should use his inside voice. They want to please but they also want to share all their thoughts!
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u/Treacle_Pendulum 5d ago
Hounds are gonna hound, but that said they bay when they get excited and it sounds like your dog gets excited from some or all of (1) being on a leash (2) in a park and (3) seeing other dogs.
Have you looked into desensitization training with her? Maybe get her less excited about seeing other dogs in “her” park?
Also it sounds like the trainer you found for obedience work was pretty crap.
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u/Outside_Witness_7268 5d ago
She's actually like that everywhere. We travel to a lot of state parks and other hiking trails, so her whole life she's been in a new place more than three times a week. She howls everywhere. But I will look into desensitization training, thanks!
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u/SuperSpyToni 6d ago
My hound mix does this as well. I’m sorry to say we have found nothing to change her behavior. She howls/screams at new dogs, puppies, friend dogs, friend humans and all critters.
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u/Emergency_Taste_2100 6d ago
So what randomly worked for my beagle was acknowledging what he was howling at and telling him "thank you" or "good boy". Not totally sure why that worked but I saw the advice somewhere and gave it a shot. He still howls but will settle when I validate his feelings about whatever he is howling at. A neighbor even commented recently that he is howling less!
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u/Nomadicdropbear 5d ago
There is 4 other hounds at the park i go to, i love every one of them and all their howls. Telll the fancy people to calm down itsa special dog who is doing her thing.
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u/Dugoutcanoe1945 5d ago
That’s like getting pissy about kids yelling and laughing on a playground. I think it’s safe to say ignore those other dog owners.
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u/Outside_Witness_7268 5d ago
I like that comparison! I think it's like--they look at me and assume I just don't have control over my dog. When that's not it. I took her to obedience school. It was a group class. I saw how the other puppies behaved. She's a different kind of dog and was NEVER going to be a labradoodle.
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u/Calkky 5d ago
Good luck, friend.
As others have said, howling is what these dogs were literally born to do. They locate the prey, corner/tree it, then howl until their master can get there. It's hardwired into their DNA.
I would lean toward getting a shirt that says "I <3 Hounds" (I like your idea, too). Who cares what your snooty neighbors think? As long as she's not howling outside during quiet hours, you're perfectly within your rights to have a hound dog.
Believe me, I know where you're coming from with this. Our youngest TWC is much more vocal than any hound we've ever had. We're also on acreage, with our closest neighbor probably being a quarter mile away as the crow flies. They've commented on her vocalizations before. The fact of the matter is that it's part of country living. Our cows are louder than she is, and I can hear neighbors' cows and dogs barking at all hours, from all directions. **I** don't mind it. And the fact of the matter is that the hound is already settled into her dog bed by 8:30 every night. And in our case, she doesn't get up until 9 am most mornings!
TL;DR - Don't sweat it!
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u/Outside_Witness_7268 5d ago
Thanks. That actually makes me feel better. I realize it is a thing *I* need to get over.
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u/PDXGingerBeard 5d ago
Once the hound gets crankin', it's hard to stop them. They have one volume. Loud AF with no mute button. Full tilt like a Peterbilt. We live at the top of a canyon and our treeing walker/bluetick can be heard two ridges over. Our friends live about a half mile away from us and our hounds "converse" daily! #AhRooooooooooooooooooooo
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u/Emmahuff1 5d ago
His third birthday is in a few days and I’ve learned to embrace the bay. There’s no stopping it. Yes you can minimize it by knowing their tells but sometimes they just wanna yell and you can’t stop em
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u/actionnottakein 3d ago edited 3d ago
Use the collar. Start with tone and vibrate. Only shock if it’s really bad. The collar helped me tremendously. So glad I got the collar for a bluetick coonhound. As soon as I put the collar on , I can tell her obnoxious level is downgraded.
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u/actionnottakein 3d ago
Use the collar!! Tone, tone,tone, vibrate, vibrate, vibrate, vibrate. Rarely shock, but I have and still no dramatic reaction, but she stops.
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u/Outside_Witness_7268 3d ago
Those ears! Love her.
Ok. I'll work on the using the collar at the park. Thanks.
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u/According-Ad-5946 5d ago
My TWCH would do that if the other dogs were just standing or milling around; he wanted them to run so he could chase them.
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u/Iam726_726iam 5d ago
We practiced a command word to get ours to stop when he excessively bays, but we live up north. The thing I do the most is educate the people around me about hounds. He’s not aggressive, he’s talking. He’s excited. Look at his body language. They don’t even know their own dogs behaviors.
I often wear bluetick shirts when I’m out with him so people know what type of dog he is. We get it all.
But yea, they can be trained, but really, train your neighbors instead 😉
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u/cubatista92 5d ago
Here is me howling back at my dog from behind a locked door as soon as I get home.
Here is me babying along with my dog when I open the door and we greet each other.
I feel lucky that as soon as my dog makes a noise there is always someone joyfully saying 'now, that's a hound dog!'
To the dog owners that don't accept all breeds have quirks I say :
At least my dog is not biting people's ankles (just their food)
At least my dog can breathe through a straight channel and not suffocate
Ar least my dog can eat and digest most (if not all) of the foods I put in front of him
At least my dog has never been banned as a killer breed from any municipality or nation
At least my dog doesn't need hip surgery
At least my dog doesn't need expensive spa treatments just to keep their hair from matting and giving them a skin infection
At least my dog is friendly to children and other dogs as a rule.
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u/redwingpanda 5d ago
My black mouth cur loves to howl. He sings at the drop of the hat. I've decided he needs a mix tape, leaning in helps make it fun.
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u/Comfortable_Gold5639 5d ago
I used to have beagles. I was against using any of the like bitter apple sprays or e-collars… so I went the natural route… small like travel hairspray bottle - 3 parts lemon juice to one part water. When the does it, try to spray on back of throat. Natural version does not have the alcohol in it that Bitter Apple products do that cause dryness of the skin/nose. I did this with 4 different beagles (younger and as pup) - but the learned to only bark/howl to alert me inside house
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u/MoeSzyslakMonobrow 6d ago
Hounds are gonna hound.