Barking Mad
Does your dog bark incessantly at you, making you want to tear your hair out? Do you feel like she's doing it on purpose, just to annoy you? Does he bark at every sound he hears or when he sees anything move out in the yard? Does she bark non-stop when you're out on your walk and you see other dogs?
You are not alone.
There are so many different reasons why dogs bark - it's their form of verbal communication and we, as dog-owners, tend to see it as a nuissance and try to punish the dog. This is simply forcing the dog into silence and disallowing communication. I'm not saying that we should let our dogs bark incessantly - but we do need to learn their language and then learn to communicate back to them in order to control the barking.
You're probably imagining yourself standing on a street corner, barking back at your dog right now, aren't you?
Let's take a look at a few common reasons why dogs bark.
Territorial Barking
Dogs can bark excessively in response to people, dogs or other animals within or approaching their territories.
Your dog's territory includes the area surrounding his home and, eventually, anywhere he has explored or associates
strongly with you: your car, the route you take during walks and other places where he spends a lot of time.
Alarm Barking
If your dog barks at any and every noise and sight regardless of the context, he’s probably alarm barking. Dogs
engaged in alarm barking usually have stiffer body language than dogs barking to greet, and they often move or pounce
forward an inch or two with each bark. Alarm barking is different than territorial barking in that a dog might alarm
bark at sights or sounds in any location at all, not just when he’s defending familiar areas, such as your house, yard
or car.
Attention-Seeking Barking
Some dogs bark at people or other animals to gain attention or rewards, like food, toys or play.
Greeting Barking
Your dog might be barking in greeting if he barks when he sees people or other dogs and his body is relaxed, he’s
excited and his tail is wagging. Dogs who bark when greeting people or other animals might also whine.
Compulsive Barking
Some dogs bark excessively in a repetitive way, like a broken record. These dogs often move repetitively as well.
For example, a dog who’s compulsively barking might run back and forth along the fence in his yard or pace in his
home.
Socially Facilitated Barking
Some dogs barks excessively only when they hear other dogs barking. This kind of barking occurs in the social context
of hearing other dogs, even at a distance—such as dogs in the neighborhood.
Frustration-Induced Barking
Some dogs bark excessively only when they’re placed in a frustrating situation, like when they can’t access playmates
or when they’re confined or tied up so that their movement is restricted.
Other Problems That Can Cause Barking
Illness or Injury
Dogs sometimes bark in response to pain or a painful condition. Before attempting to resolve your dog’s barking
problem, please have your dog examined by a veterinarian to rule out medical causes.
Separation-Anxiety Barking
Excessive barking due to separation anxiety occurs only when a dog’s caretaker is gone or when the dog is left alone.
You’ll usually see at least one other separation anxiety symptom as well, like pacing, destruction, elimination,
depression or other signs of distress.
When in doubt, contact us directly to book a Behavioural Assessment and we can customize a program for you and your dog!
With notes from the ASPCA
