Has anyone else had experience of this?
Our first Basset did it once shortly after he came to us & our resent rescue a Clumber has done it twice in the last 7 weeks, such a mournful eerie sound. Never physically woken them, but quietly talked till they've woken.
Dreaming? I can understand why it's been associated with death.

Not exactly howling but whispa would be quite vocal when sleeping on occasion. At least enough to wake me if not him .he would also do the chasing bunny with his legs . He never woke up and never seemed distressed .I just learned to accept it was him but it got more noticeable as he aged and let more deeply

My previous Golden often did this. Very unsettling for me but he would just carry  on sleeping after he had stopped howling. My present Golden has done it once as well. I would love to know what is going on in their heads!

Paige does it every now and then.  Always in the dead of night and always very sudden and very loud!  I wake her up when she does it because frankly, it scares the bejeebus out of me when I'm dead to the world myself

My first dog was a sensitive rescued WSD. The only time I ever heard her howl, was when my Granddad was living with us after suffering a stroke. Her soulful howl alerted Mum to check on him, and he had just died. Probably a co-incidence, but a very spooky experience.

As you well know Lacy, howling, vocalising when sleeping/dreaming is far from unknown in Bassets.   I tend to suggest to my new puppy owners that they keep the waking experiences of their puppies as good as possible, so they have no nightmares.  BUT going by what mine do, all this noise when dreaming is just par for the course  and doesn't need to be nasty dreams at all.   Quite the opposite as more often than not, it's about chasing good smells     Could be that some of what's going on with your new Clumber is down to some bad experiences he's had when awake.  I know it's not nice to hear, but just leave him to his dreams - and make his life from now on, a happy one, which I know you will.    I certainly don't attempt to wake mine up when in a dream sequence - there's no need to be concerned, unless of course, this is about fitting!! 

Second that mamabas I know she will be making his life lovely now he is with her.

Thank you both.
Perhaps should have used 'Moan' rather than howl. With our Basset he woke himself up, ran from the room & found cowering in the kitchen, but with Oscar there's no movement as in chasing bunnies but a long mournful wail & yes due to 'others!' being in the house do gently talk to him to wake, it's an unearthly sound.

Oh, our American cocker did this occasionally!! It frightened the life out of me the first time, thought he was having a fit!

Only once had this and it was the first night Geno was on his own as our other dog had been PTS that day. It was soooo sad to hear. He has never done it again.

its funny you should ask this Lacy, neither of my two clumbers have ever done this, age 5 and nearly 4, but the other night for the first time the 4 year old did. It worried me a lot as never heard him do this before and he didnt move but was soundo.
I checked him in an instant as thought it was a final breath with slight pain. But he was ok and hasn't done it since.
It was a proper clumber howl and quite loud.

hope all is going well