Why dogs howl at the full moon?

[makemyday]

So I was just sitting in my balcony looking at the shiny full moon.. And my childhood memories brought me back the scene: The old wooden summer house on the hill, surrounded by a dense forest, and the night sky is full of unexplainably yellow bright moonlight (yeah, I remember it was something like a horror movie scene, really creepy). And there was a dog or maybe a wolf howling and barking all-night-long. Very disturbing, I couldn't sleep at all that night.

Alright, the story was an offtopic, but here's the question. Why the hell dogs and wolves are tend to bark or howl at the full moon? What's the relation between two? Some annoying frequency from reflected sunlight, that call to brains and cause some effect even to humans?

[thoughtmage]

I'm not exactly sure, but studies have shown that crime rate also increases on nights with a full moon.

Or at least, that's what my psychology teacher told me.

[deadhawk]

I have owned dogs my whole life and never have any of them howled at the moon or even looked at it for that matter, are Labradors just to laid-back to do it?

[loading]

I have owned dogs my whole life and never have any of them howled at the moon or even looked at it for that matter, are Labradors just to laid-back to do it?

Yes.

[cpfc12]

I think its because they sense the reptilians, they have it like a sixth sense, they can detect shit like that, espescially because of their frequency ranges are better.

[loveisthelaw]

I believe it is due to the night time, and not because of the moon. They howl to mark territory, announce they are there and to find mates. Could also be communication between pack members hunting.... Though that was from a distant past nature program so do not know how factual it is.