How Closely Dogs Are Related To Wolves Can Influence If They Howl Or Bark

Howling is a form of long-distance communication seen in some canines. In the wild, it comes in handy when marking territory and letting other animals know where you are. In domestic breeds, the role of howling is less clear as some dogs love to howl while others hardly seem to howl at all.

To investigate if there were a genetic explanation for the howlers Vs. barkers debate, researchers at the Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) observed how 68 dogs responded to the sound of wolves howling. They then compared the dogs’ responses to their genetic closeness to wolves.

The results showed that ancient breeds – that are more closely related to wolves – were much more likely to respond to the sound of howling with a howl, and that they were also more stressed out by it. More modern breeds on the other hand were less bothered, and more likely to bark in response to the wolves’ howling.