Cats purr. Cows moo. Lambs bleat. Snakes hiss.
What do dogs do? Why, the bark, of course! It’s 100 percent natural for dogs to bark!
So, why do we get stressed by their barking? Probably because we don’t like it when it’s done too much, too loudly or at the wrong time.
If we are to synchronize and enjoy harmonious lives with our dogs, our dogs need to fit into our lives and know what is appropriate and what isn’t.
At the same time, we need to understand that all behaviors we observe in our dogs are the result of their needs — for stimulation, for relief, for attention or for change.
It’s unfair for us to expect a dog to stop barking if we haven’t taken the time to identify the dog’s message in barking. Dog trainers and behaviorists have identified 7 or 8 different barks in domesticated dogs. Let’s review three of the most common ones.
Excitement barking. When your dog is anticipating something good. Like having you throw a ball. Or put down a food bowl. This is not pushiness. This is exuberance.
Learn to appreciate that your dog is taking pleasure in what he is expecting. Do not reprimand this kind of barking. It’s temporary. It is often high frequency and rather constant, with few breaks in the sequence of barks.
Instead of trying to extinguish this form of barking, remain calm and ask yourself what your dog might do instead?
Maybe fetch a ball. Hold a favorite toy in his mouth? Sit in anticipation of catching a dog treat in his mouth. Your dog can’t bark and offer a replacement behavior at the same time.
Warning Barking. This is typically a short woof that is repeated a number of times and with an alertness that suggests that the dog is warning you, other dogs, etc. of an unfamiliar presence.
Again, this is not something you want to reprimand. After all, we humans have spent 15,000 years selectively breeding our dogs to serve the functional purpose of alerting us when things are amiss.
It makes no sense to be upset at the dog for this hardwired tendency. If you don’t want your dog to engage in this behavior, consider removing him from the area where he is exposed to unfamiliar visitors.
Leaving your dog in the front yard behind a fence to bark at every passerby, cyclist, etc. isn’t a recipe for success. You can also call your dog to something more interesting than the stranger who has his attention (a favorite toy, a hot dog tidbit, etc.).
Basically have him swap one interesting thing for a more interesting alternative.
Fear Barking. This bark sounds a lot like excitement barking, but it has an unmistakable quality of fear in it. The dog’s body language will also reflect false confidence.
As you might have guessed, I am suggesting that reprimanding a dog for this form of barking is a bad idea. Imagine being punished for expressing fear of something. Sadly, this is the form of barking for which dogs are most often punished.
Whether your dog is merely a little uncertain about something or in a total panic, the solutions are the same. Avoiding the source of fear in the dog is the first thing you should try to do.
Don’t try to coax or push the dog toward that which he fears. Doing so, even if well intentioned, is especially traumatic. If that’s not possible, get between the dog and the scary thing; your dog can’t be afraid of something that he can’t see.
Most importantly, work on the problem in a controlled environment. Counter-conditioning (using rewards in the presence of the scary thing, while incrementally decreasing distance to that source of stress) is almost always effective, as long as you keep the dog under threshold every step of the way.
As mentioned above, these are just a few of the forms of barking that dogs use to communicate. Don’t worry too much about the whispering.
Instead, focus on the listening. The short lives our dogs share with us are more colorful and meaningful if we learn how to listen and respect our dogs’ needs.
Hany Hosny shares life with his adopted shelter dog, Stella. He volunteers at animal shelters and shares his relationship-centered ideas on living with dogs, on his popular Facebook page, Smarter You, Happier Dog.