How to Prevent Your Basset Hound from Whining and Howling

My mother lives just half a city block away from a man who raises Basset Hounds. In his back yard is an intricate maze of kennels that resemble something akin to a dog city. Daily and faithfully, the man can be seen outside cleaning his kennels and training his dogs. They are very well taken care of I can assure you, but when the owner is not in the yard, they howl unmercifully. The sound is bone chilling and piercing even with a half block distance working to dissipate the sound.

When someone first hears the mournful sounds of the whining and howling Basset Hounds, they would likely assume that the animals are not being taken care of. But as I mentioned earlier, this is far from the case. What causes these dogs to howl like the devil is a simple thing called separation anxiety.

There are many reasons why a dog will whine and howl, and separation anxiety is just one of those things. You see, Basset Hounds use whining and howling as a means of communication. Barking we understand. We can even pick up on the different barks and interpret their meaning. We know if a strange animal has entered the yard or if a favorite friend has pulled into the drive by tuning into our dog’s bark. You can take this same interpretive skill and apply it to whining and howling. And then once you know the cause of the racket, you can work on solving it.

The first type of whining happens when your dog needs something. He is either hungry, thirsty or needs you. This is the mournful howling and whining that is associated with the most annoying of all dog vocalizations. If your dog is communicating in this way, it means that something is wrong. The easiest way to eliminate this type of whining is to address your dog’s needs when it is a pup. By doing this, you will teach your dog that its needs will be taken care of and keep your dog from developing the whining habit.

To meet this end, there are a few rules that should be followed:

Never leave your Basset Hound locked in a room or pen if he keeps whining incessantly. Gradually increase the time that your dog will allow you to remain away without whining by putting him by himself for 5 minutes before you return to greet him. Keep increasing this time limit until you can stay away for longer time periods.
Do not shower love and affection on your whining dog. This will only reinforce the behavior.
Take care of all of your dog’s needs immediately. Never make him whine for food or to go outdoors to eliminate himself.
If your dog is whining for no apparent reason, give him something to do to occupy his mouth. A good chewy rawhide might just do the trick.

The other reasons why your dog might whine might be associated with excitement or fear. This type of whining is usually a response to stimuli and will cease once the stimuli is not present anymore. For example: Your dog whines in anticipation waiting for you to throw a ball. Once you throw the ball, the dog stops whining and begins chasing the ball. This type of whining is generally not bothersome to most owners. They see it as it is: their dog communicating their excitement to them.

So, to stop bothersome whining and howling in your Basset Hound, pay attention to your dog’s signals, take care of his needs, and avoid the pitfalls that will make whining a habit.