Eating and Howling

Question
I have a 5 year old husky/akita mix. He is a very sweet dog, we have had him since he was about 8 weeks, we also have another dog who is 8.  Recently Cody started howling a lot, not just his usually talking but just sitting there and howling, my husband works from home so he is home all day with the dogs so it can't be lonely, plus he has the other dog and we also have 2 cats.  Both dogs get a good amount of exercise, my husband takes them to the dog park every morning and they run and play with other dogs, he will also sometimes take them over to the golf course we live near to get a extra run in.  Cody has also started this thing with his food, he will push it around with his nose and knock it out of the bowl but won't eat it.  We tried changing his food and we also bought a different bowl to see if that helps but so far it hasn't.  He hasn't been eating much either, I know they don't require a lot of food but it is really concerning us. We tried putting 1/2 of wet food mixed in and he will eat some of that.  We don't know what to do

Answer
Howling can be done for A LOT of reasons, and it's tough to say.  I think the food issue is common for dogs that are getting older.  A lot of times, huskies actual self-regulate, and since they don't need a lot of food, a lot of times they just don't eat much - and sometimes get picky and wait for the really good stuff.  Keep an eye on his weight, and if you see him steadily loosing more than about 5 lbs., then be a little more concerned.  I have a 4 year old male that could care less about eating, but some shredded cheese or chicken broth keeps his interest in the otherwise bland kibble.  I usually don't do it all the time, but just when he hasn't been eating too much lately.  I think he has me trained!!

As for the howling, here's some ideas of causes.  You see and live with the dog on a daily basis, so maybe understanding some of these and you can help move in the right direction:

1) Loneliness (probably not a cause here)
2) Reunion - when a pack gets together again, there's reason to celebrate and what better way than singing together
3) Playfulness - trying to get someone to pay attention to me so we can play
4) Reuniting the pack - different from the "reunion howl" this is a way to try to get lost pack members home
5) Hungry - get your attention for feeding
6) Pain
7) Just because - my 4 year old - he just likes hearing himself talk.

Unfortunately to diagnose anything from here is difficult, but share this list and see if anything seems to be a trigger.  Oftentimes it is something little, but once you start looking at cause/effect, you might notice a pattern - and that's critical in understanding what might be wrong or happening.