A h-o-w-l-i-n-g good time?

[KarenBC]

Oh boy, I think it's going to be a long 10 days. I'm looking after a wolf/dog cross for a friend while she's away for 10 days. He's just arrived this afternoon, and we have him in my chicken run, 8' tall chain link fence, 30'x30' square. He has his dog kennel, hay in it, electric water dish, food and even an evergreen tree that she brought along for him to pee on!

But he's doing what wolves do - he's HOWLING.

I phoned the 3 nearest neighbours, which being in the boonies are not close neigbhours, but if they are outdoors they'll hear him. I don't want them thinking we are being invaded by a wolf pack.

[cinok]

Just curoius could his howling attract any unwanted "friends"

[momma_to_seven_chi]

Wait until your GPs try to howl with him. They sound so sickly when they do it. It's funny. We have neighbors down the way with about forty coondogs/beagles and when they howl a lot the GPs will try to talk back. You are going to have great fun just listening to the serenade.

[grumble]

Malamutes are about the greatest dogs ever. He's telling you he wants some company. He's a pack animal, and doesn't really care who's in his pack, it can either be you or another dog, so long as he thinks his pack is at least as smart as he is (and that takes some doing!). He will try to establish dominance with males, human or canine, but not with females.

Enjoy your time with that guy!

[KarenBC]

Hmm, I hadn't thought about the howling bringing in new friends. Didn't happen overnight. Apparently he loves to play, but so far my 2 want nothing to do with going up anywhere near him.

Talk about pace...he's worn a path in the snow a foot deep. The lady warned me he paces, so this isn't unusual behavior.

I can see him from my computer window, and he's realized he can see me, every so often he looks up to see if I'm watching him. So I'm not sure who is watching whom.

He's having fun "pouncing" on invisible mice under the snow.

[grumble]

Has he "posed" for you yet? Ears forward, looking intently at something in the distance? You're supposed to say, "oh, what a pretty dog," and then he can go back to normal. Trust me, he knows what he's doing, and is trying to impress you. He has more ego than a bodybuilder. And he's smarter than most of them, just look at his eyes, he understands what's going on around him.

When your dogs come anywhere near him, watch his tail. It will curl tightly above his back and make short jerky wags back and forth. That means he's excited and on high alert, either for play, mating, or ready to fight. And all of three are about equally fun to him. If he does that when you approach him, talk to him and watch the tail wags get larger and probably more relaxed.

If you take him for a walk on a leash, make sure both you and the leash are strong enough, he'll choke himself pulling. Unless his owner was better at leash training than I was.

Wish I was there to help you watch him.

[Native87]

Shoot. That sounds like a good time you are having. I enjoy the howling myself. I just have to keep a close eye on the goats.

[KarenBC]

I don't think this fella is a malamute cross, he looks more shepherd/wolf.
He often does this great long howl and then stops and looks in the window to see if I'm watching...so he definitely does know what he's doing.

I don't expect I'm going to be brave enough to take him out on a leash for a walk, he has a pretty big area to hang out in for the week. It's not that I'm scared OF him, I'm more scared of losing him. His actual owner is a soldier who is deployed overseas, and the last thing I want to have to do is tell him I lost his dog.

Does he ever have eye shine if a light is shined on him! I've got one of those hats with the ear flaps and lights in the brim - when I was checking on him after dark the lights really picked up the eyes.

[Rimfire_Red]

Wait until your GPs try to howl with him. They sound so sickly when they do it. It's funny. We have neighbors down the way with about forty coondogs/beagles and when they howl a lot the GPs will try to talk back. You are going to have great fun just listening to the serenade.

This is so true! We had a female German Shepherd. She was about 13.5 YO when she died. We got her as a pup and she would howl with the coyotes - how pathetic!!! We used to laugh and laugh! As she matured her tone quality improved as did her ability to blend with the coyotes. Still - it was the "coyote howl" - we would hear that and roll over at night. Much different from any type of an alarm bark.

Aren't dogs great?! I have been blessed with 6 in my life and have a lifetime full of fond memories of each.......

[Genevieve]

someone in my area has a pack of hunting dogs. They get to "singing" and then they get in tune with each other. Love it! You can hear them every morning at 8am. I think thats when the owners are feeding them. And then again around 7-8 pm.In warmer weather I sit on the back porch with my coffee and wait and listen for their singing.
LOL my two pups could care less.
I had a wolf/shepherd mix when I was growing up. Absolutely THE smartest dog I had until I got my Dalmation ( Momma Phe). Major would "throw" snow at you. Could play Tag, and Hide-N-Seek, and his version of soccer with a ball. When we first got him, he stayed inside with us ( it was winter) and he slept with me. Well, a couple of months later he was so big that he was actually knocking me out of bed at night taking over the twin bed I had. LMAO Thats when we fenced the yard and he had to go out. But I think he liked it more out there.Sorry, I'm one of those people who think animals should be outside.Not in your purse or car ( unless transporting to medical care, competitions,etc).

[Aamylf]

So you really haven't heard 'pitiful' howling until you see a 4.5 lb. pomeranian toss her head back and howl when an ambulance goes by. thought I might wet myself the first time she did it.

Had a friend with a wolf. Greatest animal ever.