Anyone thats been on here a while know Cassie is our Akita and we have had problems with her due to her being mistreated as a small puppy, mainly with her being nervous around strangers and weeing when coming into contact with something different. Well im pleased to say that at 11months old Cassie has now grown out of this and is getting more and more confident BUT has started something else abit worrying. It only happens when im in on my own with the kids but on Tuesaday i had an insurance man come round about a leak, Cassie doesnt care for people she doesnt know and i dont mean she is aggressive or anything she just aint interested, she loves my family and barneys family and our friends but anyone else especially men she doesnt care for,,,, but anyway lol,,,,, this chap came round Cassie let him in and when he came in the livingroom and she sat at the front door howling (ive never ever heard her do it before) i told her to stop which she did for all of a minute then started again the insurance man said she was scaring him so i put her outside(which i dont really wanna do cos i like to have her in the house when strangers come in). i think she was just being protective or was scared herself!?!? just wondered what everyone elses thoughts were? also any ideas on getting her to stop it? thanks

Could it be because she wants attention? Your attention was on the Insurance man and because she's such a well mannered girl she howled instead of jumping all over you?

i hadnt thought of that! ya might be right , i dont really want her to do tho and i dont wanna keep telling her no cos then it might bring back her problem with people coming in think im gonna buys some pigs ears or something like that n when people come in after she has greeted them give her somethiong to take her attention

Sounds like a good plan. Or if it's possible have her sat by you giving her some fuss, that way you can keep her in the house like you want to! Can't believe the Insurance man was scared by a bit of howling!

and she wasnt even sat in the same room he was just being a wimp!

That's what happens when you sell insurance for a living I suppose!

it was the first time she has ever done it and has done it once since.......she is a strange dog

I think Cassie wqs probably just scared, and felt more vulnerable because your partner was out, giving her pigs ears when a stranger comes is a good idea, she will then associate strangers coming with something good. She has started howling because of her age, she will shortly be coming into adulthood.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that dogs who howl (unless of course they are of a breed whose natural communication is howling, such as huskies and akitas) do so because it is the ultimate way of drawing the pack leader's attention to a threat. From what I remember, there is a sort of hierarchy of sounds dogs use to warn of threats, starting from growls, progressing through barks and finally getting to howls - depending upon how serious they view the threat. Trouble is, I can't remember wher I read it, or who wrote it - has anyone else on here come across this info? If it's true, Claire, it would seem that Cassie felt he was a serious threat and was trying to warn you.

I agree with this and dogs are a wonderful judge of character if she does it again put her on a lead and have her alongside you with one hand on her to reassure her

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