Why does the dog howl. The secret of the wolf's howl revealed The legend of the white and red wolves and the moon

Wolf children, one might say very lucky! Such patient and devoted parents are rare to find. “Two cubs tried to tear off the mother's tail, they tore and tore it with such fury that the hair flew in tatters. The other two did everything they could to leave their mother without an ear ... ”- this is how the Canadian naturalist Farley Mowat describes the family idyll at the den. Yes, wolves love their children, and at the same time they are very strict educators. Severe beating for the slightest offense and, in addition, painful biting of the head is a common pedagogical technique: this is how the baby is indicated that he has crossed the boundaries of what is permitted.

Relatives protect wolf cubs from predators and make sure that the kids do not get lost.

I must say, wolf cubs are well trained, including when communicating with each other. Quarrels between them are not uncommon, even cases of fratricide in the struggle for leadership are known. But parents almost do not interfere in such conflicts, following the principle natural selection: the strongest survives! But where it is really needed, wolves show a lot of care and attention. For example, the father of the family will first of all feed the cubs, and only then he will eat himself. After a successful hunt, he swallows large pieces of meat, and then regurgitates them for the cubs half-digested. If the children do not eat, the father will go hunting again without having rested and not being properly satisfied. Wolves are smart, receptive, successfully adapt to different conditions of existence, but it is not easy to tame a wolf cub. He is physically strong, handles pain well and will always fight for the lead. Only a balanced and consistent person can cope with it.

Wolves are gentle and caring parents, but it is not easy to keep track of lively kids. Family idyll often replaced by a harsh but fair beating.

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The first time I heard a real howl of a wolf was when I came to visit my grandmother in the village. To be honest, it became very creepy and scary from these sounds. It seemed to me that their howl was getting closer to home. Why do wolves make such sounds? Now I will dispel some myths and tell you a little about these animals.

Where do wolves live

Wolves are known in many countries of our planet. Their habitats are:

• Europe;
• Asia;
• North and South America.

In our country, wolves are also not uncommon. They live everywhere except Sakhalin and Kuril Islands. I think everyone knows that wolves are predators. Individuals can be medium and large sizes. Outwardly, they are very similar to dogs. They do great with different conditions habitat, so it will not be difficult for them to survive, for example, in the tundra.

Wolves gather in packs of up to 40 individuals. They mark the territory of their residence. Such a flock is headed by a pair of leaders, and the rest are their relatives and individuals who have come from outside. Wolves mostly lead night image life, and during daylight hours they hide in shelters.

What does wolf howl mean

I am so much different options I heard about why wolves howl. Some almost argued that wolves are werewolves. All this, of course, is nonsense. And wolves do not howl at any moon either. Wolves can howl every day, and it makes no difference whether the moon is visible in the sky or not. You can just hear the sounds of howling at night, due to the fact that wolves begin their hunt in the dark.

Howling is a way for a wolf to communicate. With such sounds, he can notify other flocks about the ownership of the territory. In communication with each other, they can notify about the beginning of the hunt for prey, tell about their whereabouts. By these sounds, wolves are very well oriented. And there is nothing mystical about it.

It turns out that there are even several artificially bred breeds that are a mixture of a dog and a wolf. But some even have real wolves at home. I would say that it is not a very safe idea to have such a pet.

A mournful dog howl is one of the most unpleasant and even scary sounds for the human ear. It is especially uncomfortable when the animal "worries" at night. Still, after all folk omens they say that the howl of a dog portends the imminent death or illness of its owner. But is it worth it to always be afraid of a dog's "crying"?

Why can a dog howl

Let's try to find the reasons why the dog howls:

1. Reason 1: instinct. Even the smallest and most harmless is, in fact, a domesticated wolf. And wolves, as you know, use howling to communicate with other relatives. With the help of a voice signal, wild animals communicate with other members of the flock, announce their fellow tribesmen about finding prey, drive strangers from their land. A dog in whose veins flows wolf blood, howling, can simply seek communication with other individuals. Having heard the piercing howl of another dog in the distance (this noise will not be heard by the owner’s ear), the pet can easily “answer” it, putting the owner into a stupor;
2. Reason 2: feeling unwell. It just seems to us that a dog howls for no reason. But in this way an animal can complain about pain, calling a person for help;
3. Reason 3: sadness or boredom from loneliness. Is the dog's "song" heard only in the absence of the owner? Perhaps the dog howls when he is left alone in the apartment, yearning for his beloved owner. The animal is simply lonely and has nothing to do with itself, which is why it makes noisy lingering sounds. For the same reason, an animal on a chain can “cry”, experiencing loneliness;
4. Reason 4: Call for play and communication. The animal can easily howl if the owner does not pay any attention to it. With the help of a loud howl, the dog seems to say: “Master, pay attention to me, play with me!”;
5. Reason 5: Fear. The dog can react with a howl to the sirens of ambulances or fire trucks, fireworks, shots, any loud incomprehensible sounds. When a person is frightened of something, he often screams. So the dog expresses his fear with the help of howling;
6. Reason 6: hunger. Is the dog howling at the neighbors? Perhaps this is how the animal asks for food. Unfortunately, sometimes people forget to fill the animal's bowl with food, being late for work. It is not surprising that the dog begins to get nervous and howl;
7. Reason 7: Sing along. Some music-loving dogs, upon hearing human singing or the sounds of a guitar (piano, violin, etc.), begin to howl. The web is full of videos in which the owner, say, plays the guitar, and his dog “sings”. True, not all animals react to music. Most dogs are indifferent to melodies;
8. Reason 8: warning of a fire or other disaster. Dogs have an excellent sense of smell better than a man hundreds of times capture the most subtle odors. The animal can howl, for example, smelling burning (warns of a fire). There is even such a sign: the dog howls, raising his muzzle up - there will be a fire. In addition, sometimes animals begin to howl a few days before the robbery of the master's house or other unpleasant event (for example, flooding of the apartment). How four-legged friends feel trouble is a mystery;
9. Reason 9: Prediction of severe illness or death. No matter how terrible it is, but sometimes a dog howls in the yard day or night to the worst news: the illness or imminent death of its owner (or any of the family members). Mysticism can be treated differently, but it happens that on the eve of the untimely death of a person, his dog howls long and piercingly. Why is that? How can a dog know that a breakup is coming? It is believed that the pet simply smells a special smell from a person before death. But an animal can howl before a sudden death (accident, fall from a height, etc.). Explanations are impossible to find. The dog just anticipates trouble. By the way, according to popular beliefs, a dog howls to the dead man, burying his face in the ground;
10. Reason 10: joy. In order not to be too scary, we note that a dog can howl with joy, for example, meeting his master from work. Or by smelling an individual of the opposite sex running nearby. That is, the animal expresses its positive emotions with the help of howl.

Folk omens about howling dogs

People who lived long before us did not have the opportunity to draw information from newspapers or the Internet. Therefore, they tried to capture and analyze everything that happened around: the spoken words, their own and other people's reflexes (sneezing, twitching of limbs, etc.), the behavior of animals and birds, weather changes. This is how numerous beliefs were formed, including those about dogs (almost all of them, unfortunately, are negative):

1. The dog howls in the yard at night, staring at front door(gate, gate) - there will be bad news from afar (from relatives or friends). Another option is that misfortune can happen to the owner, but outside the house. Or the owner will suffer in his own house, but at the hands of alien enemies;
2. The animal howls, coming close to a person - a warning of danger (illness, accident, etc.);
3. An unfamiliar dog is following a person and howling - a bad omen, a signal of trouble;
4. The dog howls the day before important event(a long trip, a wedding, the birth of a child, etc.) is a bad sign announcing problems in an important upcoming business;
5. The dog anxiously rushes about near the master's bed and howls plaintively - to a quick deterioration in health. If the animal does this at the crib, then the baby may soon get sick;
6. The dog howls and digs the ground - to the death of the owner or one of his relatives;
7. The animal howls, rolling on the ground - to significant changes in the life of the owner;
8. A dog howls at the doorstep, not wanting to go anywhere - a very bad omen of imminent losses (health problems, financial difficulties, etc.);
9. The dog howls in the yard at night - evil spirits roam around the house, which the vigilant dog does not let in;
10. The animal howls and gets angry at the guest of the house - a sign that the thoughts of the person who has come are not as bright as they seem. Perhaps a hypocritical enemy who only pretends to be a friend has entered the owner's home;
11. The dog howls from a shelter (kennel) - soon bad news will come to the owner's house;
12. A dog howls at the moon - to a change in the weather;
13. The dog howls lying - to his own demise;
14. The dog howls, looking ahead - to be war soon.

How to be the owner if his dog howls

Considering that most people will accept very unpleasant news about the dog's "crying", the question arises: "What if the dog howls?". Let us first consider how our ancestors advised us to act:

• A strange dog howls at the yard- you need to throw her a treat without leaving the yard (for example, through a fence or an open door, a gate);
• The dog howled at the door- you should quickly take the animal out into the yard or bring it into the house, most importantly - away from the threshold (in the old days, people believed that the threshold was the line between the world of the living and the world of the dead);
• A strange dog follows and howls- you need to give alms to the needy and go on business (to work, to the store) or home in another way, winding, preferably through 3 bridges and 3 intersections (as if confusing trouble);
• Howling dog at the door- it is necessary to throw a bucket of clean water over the threshold;
• The dog howls hiding in the booth- you need to read prayers and go around the house and yard with a church candle.

And how to be modern man who heard a dog howl? If an outside dog howls, of course, nothing can be done. At most, you can call a neighbor and inquire about his health. But if your own dog is worried, you should do this:

1. Calm yourself down. Not always a dog's howl sounds to an imminent death! Maybe the dog is just sad. To distract from disturbing thoughts, you can read prayers, look good film, read a book;
2. Gently talk to the animal, stroke it. Most likely, after talking with the owner, the home friend will calm down. In general, it is important to pay attention to the dog every day so that she does not feel lonely;
3. Watch your dog closely: does the animal have any signs (disordered stool, vomiting, etc.)? The deterioration of the dog's health is often associated with howling. It's time to call the vet;
4. Beware. Do dogs really feel bad? This does not mean that you need to panic. You just need to be a little more careful than usual: do not exceed the speed limit while driving a car, reschedule an important meeting for another day;
5. Be vigilant if someone is sick in the house. Going to the doctor is not superfluous. Still churched Orthodox people they advise you to order Sorokoust about the health of a sick person in the church;

   [*]Fix the dog's corner with toys. In the absence of the owner, the animal may get bored and therefore raise a howl. A ball or a rattle will help to brighten up loneliness a little;

6. Try to re-educate the animal. Some dogs like to howl even without visible reasons. To exclude this, you can “be silent” or “quietly”.

You should not be afraid of dog barking, but you need to pay attention to the disturbing sounds given by animals. It is important not to yell at the dog if it suddenly howled, but to try to calm the pet and find out the reason for the “crying”.