Puppy primal wolf-pack howl

AllThumbsBruce · #1 03-09-2016, 05:24 PM

Our cute-as-a-button 8 week old Labradoodle goes all Call of the Wild when I play guitar. At first I thought it was my singing, for which it is a natural reaction. But even gentle fingerpicking can set him off. Playing guitar music on the stereo doesn't do it. He is wagging his tail, so I guess he is having fun, and the vet says it is ok, but it is a bit disconcerting and kind of throws the old kabosh on my dream of sitting on the front porch strumming my guitar with the dog curled peacefully at my feet.

Does anybody else have experience with this? Will he outgrow it? Or should I resign myself to playing "You Ain't Nothing but a Hound Dog?"

HHP · #2 03-09-2016, 05:41 PM

Had an Afghan Hound at one time that ignored guitar but would let off deep, wild howls when I played mandolin.

The current canine resident pays little attention EXCEPT when I play my Lowden guitar. When that one is in use he sits quietly but attentively next to me.

I just assume they have their own reasons and leave it at that.

fazool · #3 03-09-2016, 05:45 PM

One of our two Schnauzers does that whenever our daughter plays her clarinet. The other one doesn't even seem to notice. The one runs up next to her and scream-*HOWLS* non stop while she practices.

Scott O · #4 03-09-2016, 08:00 PM

Funniest thread I've seen here in a while!

Br1ck · #5 03-09-2016, 08:10 PM

Don't have a problem with the dog, but i get howling when I come through the front door with an unrecognized guitar case...

....from the wife.

Methos1979 · #6 03-09-2016, 09:51 PM

It's funny what will or will not set off a dog to howling. We have a border collie/golden retriever mix (best dog EVER, Katrina rescue) and she didn't bark for the first year we had her and never howled at anything despite us trying to make her.

Her name is Lucy, or 'Lu' for short. This past Christmas season we finally found her 'switch'. You know on the Charlie Brown Christmas special where after Charlie Brown 'kills' the little tree and then the kids decorate it and then they all break into 'Hark, The Herald's Angels Sing' but they start by singing "Loo, loo, loo... loo, loo, loo, loo - loo..."?

Well, we started singing that ourselves one day and BOOM! she started howling! And it wasn't a fluke. If we start to sing that song, she howls. Weird.

rmoretti49 · #7 03-10-2016, 02:54 PM

Having had to euthanize our very ill dog last year, I would welcome your problem! Seriously, though, when your dog is present and you are playing, consider fido to be participating in the only way he/she knows how.

JNowlin · #8 03-10-2016, 03:01 PM

Haha, I have the very same thing happening with my dog. I have 2 Shih Tzu's that are 10 months old. The male will start howling when I play guitar. He seems happy and I think that he thinks he's just singing along.

AllThumbsBruce · #9 03-10-2016, 04:56 PM

Hey rmoretti49 - I can understand where you are coming from, and my heart goes out to you and your family. We lost our last dog about 15 years ago after he spent 17 years helping to safely and joyfully raise two sons. We all still miss him. I don't know why we waited so long to get another dog.

Mark E · #10 03-10-2016, 05:20 PM

We have a Schnauzer & Terrier mix dog that likes to howl whenever my son and I play "Ramblin Man". There's a point when my son is playing lead that the dog will start joining in. It's a hoot !

rmoretti49 · #11 03-10-2016, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllThumbsBruce

Hey rmoretti49 - I can understand where you are coming from, and my heart goes out to you and your family. We lost our last dog about 15 years ago after he spent 17 years helping to safely and joyfully raise two sons. We all still miss him. I don't know why we waited so long to get another dog.

Thanks for writing this, AllThumbsBruce. Dog owners who have gone through this understand that a good dog is very much a full member of the family.
Your last few words are the kind of encouragement I need.

I think it would be great if some of you who are writing about your howling accompanists would post videos! I think many of us would really enjoy that.

The Kid! · #12 03-10-2016, 10:27 PM

That's awesome. My dogs just sleep when I play.

Mobilemike · #13 03-10-2016, 11:23 PM

Sounds adorable

But seriously, he's an 8 week old puppy? He'll grow out of it quickly.

My fiancee and I adopted an 8 year old dog last year and when we first got him he would howl and cry and bat at my hand whenever I tried to play guitar... just hungry for attention. Now we've had him for a bit over a year and he is as calm as can be - I can sit playing guitar by him no problem.

-Mike

Slinky · #14 03-11-2016, 12:46 AM

I call my guitar the "quiet machine". When I break it out, they get quiet and lay down.

I have four dogs, a Shih Tzu, two mixed terriers and a Beagle.

I am my dogs favorite guitar player, they can't get enough "Pancho and Lefty".

AllThumbsBruce · #15 03-12-2018, 06:02 PM

I thought I would post an update. Two years later our labradoodle does indeed lay quietly at my side while I play. He even seems to find it relaxing, in that he knows that the normal stuff he does to get my attention won't work while I am playing.

Except for one song. Somehow with the first few notes he perks up and begins to quietly howl, with the howls getting louder and louder, finally crescendoing during the solo. I don't know why this one song does it.