In the park today, Dex and I were walking through a field which bordered on some houses. Suddenly we heard the most plaintive howling/keening/crying/wailing coming from one of the gardens, behind a fence separating the homes from the park. It sounded rather like an animal in distress, so we went over to the fence and there, through a small hole, came face to face with a beautiful Malamute! We stayed for a few minutes, just to check that the lovely dog seemed OK. But when we left, the howling/keening began again. Is this the Malamute version of a bark - or does it signal distress? If it's the latter then I will return and check on the dog as I can easily work out which house it was... (I'm 99.% sure it was a Malamute, it looked identical to the other Malamute that we see regularly in the park, it was a bit smaller so maybe a female or younger). Thanks for any advice
I cant comment on mal's as i have no experience of them but Isis used to make the worst noises u can imagine EVER when getting ready for a walk She was that bad a neighbor came round with her husband as she thought i was beating her, I had to get the lead out and take her for a walk to show her that i wasn't beating her, she used to do it for anything. It was very embarrassing to be honest x
oh believe me theres nothing like the noises spitz's can make! sibes,mals shiba's blood curdling sometimes lol
Howling is the dog's sound for telling other dogs"I'm here, I'm lonely, come & join me"one thing that dogs do have in common with their ancestors !
Malamutes tend not to bark and will howl if they are bored, if they are excited, if they hear sirens or alarms, if they want attention .... some will howl for any reason at all Mine doesn't (she's a weirdo - she just whispers woo from time to time!)
Thanks all Just glad to hear that it was normal and didn't mean that this lovely dog was in distress!
Yes I was in the park a while back and met a malamute singing to the refreshement/icecream man! He said his dog loves to yell, sing, woo, howl.. It was VERY noisy - sounded like a pack of wolves - but it was just the one dog
Ben and his father before him (mal crosses) would keen like this if left home alone, which is why we never leave Ben or Tai alone, it devastates them.
My mals will howl to each other,just to communicate and discuss whats going on.Usually a couple of times a day,but they do go quiet on demand and it I didn't stop them they would stop after about 2 mins - I enjoy the short bursts but my neighbour moans like crazy so I have to curtail their wooing.Our new little pups started at 4 weeks,lifting thier litle heads back and wooing with mum joining in. A mals cry can be heard up to 3 miles away in the right conditions.
Hi, Tigh our mally sings whenever he wants people to notcie him when we're out walking. They love people and the attention they get from them so will 'call' to get the attention. Good that you were concerned enough to go and check, and to post asking but if it didn't seem in distress or mistreated I wouldn't worry. Woooo woooing is normal. Cheers Dave & Nic
Kismet was terrible as a puppy, fortunately she has grown out of it! But she still shouts and grrooowwwooooos to the neighbour for treats... which sounds like something is being mauled to death in the garden except it's Kismet making both noises high pitched screaming and evil growls and snarls then screams again... Terrible really... But they trained her to it really by feeding her treats over the fence and asking her to sing for them.. she just know more death metal tracks than folk music!
HaHa yes, Mally's can howl like sad wild wolves. They do it for attention, if they're lonesome, or as another has noted, if they hear sirens or are otherwise disturbed by a sound they hear. It can sound very sad, but it is normal. They are a potentially very vocal animal, and will 'talk' in the most interesting way to communicate, but they are not really barkers usually. Very attentive from a sensory standpoint, highly intelligent. The doggie you saw was probably just a bit lonesome.
