Howling on Leash

[drmom777]

Uncle Fred is now 18 months old, and finally totally healthy. He walks nicely on a loose lead, sits and lays down on command. Lately he has started to howl about every 20 feet while walking. The lead stays loose, he rears up on his hind legs, howls, and goes right back to walking. I don 't even know if I really need him to stop. He howls because he is happy and feels good. It's actually pretty funny. But it certainly wouldn't be acceptable in obedience, would it? Even if he is a coonhound.

Any suggestions on gently getting him to stop this on command? If I use my usual command to get him to be quiet, "Hush", he still howls, but with his mouth closed, making a strangled gargling noise.

For anyone who hasn't heard a real coonhound howl, he's a dead ringer for a foghorn.

[Baxter'smybaby]

I don't have any suggestions on how to stop it.....but I am laughing myself silly over the description!!

[drmom777]

I know. Matters are not helped by the fact that it makes me laugh too. And the people in my neighborhood don't care. Uncle Fred is extremely popular and it really is a cool sound. Still, I should be able to get him to stop if I want to.

He throws back his head when he howls, and if he is feeling particularly frisky he adds a little pirouette, like a Lipizzaner stallion. Then he walks on like nothing happened.

[Baxter'smybaby]

:lol-sign: I think that is why I love hounds so much!! They just make me smile and laugh!

[houndlove]

Oh my! Can't say I've ever had that problem! The phenomenon of Marlowe's legs being attached to his vocal chords only applies to being off leash.

Does Uncle Fred give any warning signs before he begins his little song and dance? Or is it just out of the blue? And does the same thing apply when you two are "working" or is it only on recreational walks?

[malmo]

That is HILARIOUS. On top of having the best dog name ever, Uncle Fred is also a perforamnce artist.

I guess if it isn't bothering anyone and isn't impeding his walk, you might not have to get him to stop it. But, if you rip your arm out of your socket every time he does it without warning, that could get old.

[drmom777]

He gives no warning. And it doesn't make him pull, he keeps the leash loose. The only thing I can forsee is if I happened to be bent over he might knock my teeth out. Also, he really is doing well in obedience otherwise and I was considering ILPing him and trying him in the obedience ring in the far distant future. I don't imagine this will go over terribley well.... I don't know if there is a rule against rearing and howling though, if he manages to do it in a heel position.

I think he is just singing "I feel good. I knew that I would, yeah..."

[malmo]

That is unbelievably cute.

[Lilavati]

That's darling . . . but is he howling or baying? They're different sounds and dogs make them for different reasons.

[drmom777]

He says "Aroooooo" In coonhounds it's called a "bawl" It's the same sound he makes when he knows he's going out to play, definitely a happy sound. Uncle Fred enthusiastically enjoys obedience, and his heeling is also characterized by a slow motion park horse trot, with extra bounce and lots of front leg action. He's showing off.

[houndlove]

Aroo!Aroo!Aroo!Aroo!

Ah yes. Whenver I have to let Marlowe out to do his business after dark, I just stand at the door muttering "Please don't bawl, please don't bawl, please don't bawl" for the sake of our neighbors.

Does Uncle Fred do this even when you have him formally heeling? If so you might want to see if you can get some extinction on this behavior. Up your reward frequency for non-rooing heeling, very pointedly withold rewards for the baying. Though I know at least with my coonie, hearing himself talk is absolutely more rewarding than nearly anything else in his environment. They just love to talk about how they feel!

[Xerxes]

All I can say is I LOVE HOUNDS!

Perhaps if you started ignoring the caterwaul that might work. By laughing, you're doing exactly what most hounds want their humans to do. Enjoying life!

You need to be way more serious and grim.

Just kidding about being more serious, but it would be funny to see UF howling.

[drmom777]

Yes he does it when formally heeling. He believes in the divine right of coonhounds to bawl. Maybe if I treat him for the brief non-bawling intervals I might make some progress. I am quite concerned about ruining his attitude, because presently he thinks doing formal obedience is just a hoot, which has to be a plus. It certainly makes it more fun for me, and was quite unexpected in a hound.

[Lilavati]

I call it baying, but its clearly the same thing (bawling, I like that). My father's beagles (which are working beagles) do the same thing when they are excited (let along when they are hunting, which is, of course, exactly, what they are supposed to do). All I can think of is to withhold rewards for it . . . but hey, with a hound, that means they are happy! :lol-sign:

[Doberluv]

I think he sounds like someone I'd like to get to know. What a kick! You might put that on a cue and reinforce lavishly when he does it on cue. Set up a predictable pattern of being reinforced for rearing and bawling on cue only. Of course, that alone will not stop this behavior because it is a self-rewarding behavior. In other words, reinforcement comes from doing it. So, rewarding with food or something else will be a part of the whole thing.

At first, you'll have to capture the behavior he offers and add your cue at the same time, plus reinforcement. After enough reinforcements tied with the behavior, you will stop rewarding for his offering the behavior of his own accord. Then once you think he's tied the cue word to the behavior, you can try to elicit it with the cue. See, first he has to tie the cue word to the act before you can use the cue word to elicit the behavior.


When he shows the first intention of spontaneously (without your cue)rearing or bawling, (before he does, at the first muscle twitch before jumping or howling) try re-directing to an incompatible behavior, such as sitting and watching you. Pop a treat in his mouth BEFORE he howls and tell him "quiet." (or whatever cue you want to use) Later, down the road you can use it to stop the behavior once it has already started if you need to. First associate it with the actual quiet and with the payoff....plenty of reps and reinforcement.

Anyhow, I'd love to see pictures of your coonhound. He sounds like a doll.

[ToscasMom]

This thread is useless without a video! Get on it!

[houndlove]

I concur!

[drmom777]

I can't even get stills of my cats for the woman who resued them. This would require an extra person to film. Anyone want to come do it?

Great idea getting him to do it on cue, I never thought of that. Cool.

[Doberluv]

Well, there are two schools of thought on the putting a cue to an unwanted behavior. Some people think it shows the dog a distinction between doing it when asked and not doing it whenever the dog pleases. And some people don't agree with that idea....thinking that it is not very effective, or that it takes a long time. I'm sort of torn. I really haven't used that theory in practice. But, seeing as how your dog loves to do it, it would be a shame to squelch it all together. But it would be nice to give him an outlet, but a structured one which comes from your giving permission.

That would indeed be cool to see a video.