Wolfish: The Basics
Your dog’s ancestors had quite the range — wolves make over 20 different calls!
Let your pup listen to a few and tell us what happens. Does your dog howl back? Tilt their head? Or give you that “you’ve lost it” look? Either way, you’ll help us decode the canine connection!
Howl
Howls exhibit various forms, spanning pitches from 150 to 1000 hertz. Typically, they endure 1 to 10 seconds, commencing around 350 hertz (middle F on a piano). Howls may be flat, rising, falling, or undulating in pitch. They can also feature breaks or modulations. These vocalizations serve multiple purposes, from locating pack members, identifying themselves on the landscape, and expressing aggression, distress, and social status.
Chorus
A chorus or chorus howl is when a pack of wolves communicate as a group, often to indicate that this is their territory...stay away. These performances are anything but uniform; they weave in howls, yip-yaps, and the distinctive “woa-woa” howl patterns that give each pack its unique signature. Wolves can estimate how many wolves are howling in a rival pack and they make a decision: if they're outnumber they typically leave the area; if not, they often approach the rival pack.
Howl
Howls exhibit various forms, spanning pitches from 150 to 1000 hertz. Typically, they endure 1 to 10 seconds, commencing around 350 hertz (middle F on a piano). Howls may be flat, rising, falling, or undulating in pitch. They can also feature breaks or modulations. These vocalizations serve multiple purposes, from locating pack members, identifying themselves on the landscape, and expressing aggression, distress, and social status.
Chorus
A chorus or chorus howl is when a pack of wolves communicate as a group, often to indicate that this is their territory...stay away. These performances are anything but uniform; they weave in howls, yip-yaps, and the distinctive “woa-woa” howl patterns that give each pack its unique signature. Wolves can estimate how many wolves are howling in a rival pack and they make a decision: if they're outnumber they typically leave the area; if not, they often approach the rival pack.