How To Stop A Norwegian Elkhound Howling
A Norwegian Elkhound Dog can be an extremely loveable pet, but behavioral problems can arise if an owner is inexperienced. These dogs are inherently pretty loud and will howl constantly if you do not stay on top of them, which can quickly make these dogs difficult to be around. If you are having problems with your Norwegian Elkhound and cannot get it to stop howling, there are a few things that you can do that will alleviate these problems in a hurry.
The first thing that you can do in this situation is try to determine why your dog is howling. The howling sound is a form of communication for your dog, so you must understand why the dog is making this sound. In some cases, it might be a result of separation anxiety, as the dog gets worried when you are not around. Separation anxiety will often have a few different symptoms, such as destructive behavior and signs of distress, so it should be easy to find out if this is the case. In other cases, the dog might be trying to get your attention because it is sick, so if the howling has started all of a sudden, it might be a good idea to visit a vet.
Howling definitely becomes a major problem when it is excessive, as no one wants to have a loud dog around all the time. Many dogs will only howl in response to another sound, which usually is not considered excessive and, therefore, it not a real problem. If these trigger sounds are common around your home, it might be a good idea to desensitize your Norwegian Elkhound to the noise by teaching it a new behavior when a noise occurs. For example, if your Norwegian Elkhound howls every time it hears a siren, start playing fetch with it every time a siren can be heard, so that the dog will begin to associate fun with the sound, rather than howling.
In many cases, a Norwegian Elkhound will begin howling in order to get attention, so you must be prepared to ignore this undesirable behavior whenever it occurs. Giving the dog any sort of attention in response to this howling will quickly teach the dog that it can get your attention through this means. The dog needs to learn that being quiet is the best way to get what it wants, so only reward the dog with attention or treats when it is behaving properly.
It is important to keep in mind that dogs will treat any type of attention as being positive, so even if you scold your Norwegian Elkhound for howling, it will still associate this act with attention. Even negative attention can be a positive for a dog, so pretend that the dog is invisible if you wish to curb this behavior.
As long as you stick to the plan, you should be able to train your Norwegian Elkhound to become the exact companion that you have always wanted.