Kim Campbell Thornton - Barking: Simple Solutions

Ruth Strother, Project Manager

Nick Clemente, Special Consultant

Amy Fox, Editor

Michael Vincent Capozzi, Designer

Copyright 2002 by I-5 Press

Illustrations copyright 2002 by Buck Jones

The dogs in this book are referred to as he and she in alternating chapters.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Thornton, Kim Campbell.

Barking / by Kim Campbell Thornton ; illustrations by Buck Jones.

p. cm. (Simple solutions)

ISBN 1-889540-81-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)

eISBN 9781620080641

1. DogsBarking. 2. DogsBehavior. 3. DogsTraining. I. Dog fancy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) II. Title. III. Series.

SF433 .T52 2001

636.7'0887dc21

2001004823

I-5 Press

A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC

3 Burroughs

Irvine, California 92618

Printed and Bound in Singapore

10 9 8 7 6 5 4

Contents

Why Do Dogs Bark?

Dogs bark for any number of reasons. They bark when someone approaches their territory, in response to other dogs, and sometimes in response to noises, such as sirens. They bark at squirrels and other potential prey. Some breeds are born to bark; its in their nature. Often dogs bark in excitement, such as when they know they are going for a walk, taking a car ride, or getting their dinner. Occasionally, barking is stress related, a sign of separation anxiety. Sometimes dogs bark just because theyre bored.

Researchers have found that dogs almost always have a reason for barking. Barking is a complex means of close-range communication, and dogs make a number of basic vocal sounds. Their barks often express various emotions, such as loneliness, fear, distress, and pleasure. For instance, a stressed dogsay, one whos left home alonehas a high-pitched, atonal, repetitive bark. Noisy barks are usually defensive in nature, while harmonic barks occur in play and other social contexts.

Just as people in different parts of the world have different accents and languages, different dog breeds have subtle variations in their types of barks. These variations are believed to correspond to dialects. And even the sounds people use to describe dog barks vary from country to country, from woof-woof in English to jau-jau in Spanish to wung-wung in Chinese. Is this because our dogs are speaking different languages, or are we simply not paying careful attention to what theyre saying?

Dog-to-English Dictionary

If you pay close attention to your dog, you can learn to decipher her different barks. To get you started, here are some translations from canine ethologists (people who study dog behavior):

A rapid string of three or four barks with pauses between each series means, Lets get together. Theres something we need to check out.

Rapid barking at a midrange pitch is an alarm meant to alert other dogs or people. It usually occurs when a stranger enters the territory.

Continuous barking at a slower pace and lower pitch than the alarm bark indicates an immediate threat.

Bark and pause, bark and pause, bark and pause for a long period of time indicates a dog is lonely.

One or two short, sharp barks is a typical canine greeting.

A single loud bark means, Knock it off! Dogs often do this when theyre awakened from a nice nap or their tail is tugged by a playful puppy.

Puppies use insistent barks to get attention.

Some dogs learn to call their owners when its dinnertime or when theyd like to go outside. They usually do this with a single, purposeful bark.

A dog whose bark rises in level of intensity is excited or having a good time.

Who Barks and Why?

Some dog breeds have been bred to bark. Perhaps the most well-known barking breeds are the terriers. These specialized hunting dogs, whose original purpose was to follow their prey into underground dens or burrows, needed to have some way of letting their people know where they were in case they got stuck underground. Barking was much more effective than, say, collars with bells, which had the drawback of getting stuck on roots underground and were sometimes difficult to hear. People who kept terriers for hunting began selecting dogs who barked loudly when they were excited. They bred them with other dogs who had this trait, and before long, all terriers were barkers. Other breeds that tend to bark a lot include beagles, keeshonden, cocker spaniels, and herding breeds, such as Shetland sheepdogs.

The basenji, on the other hand, is known as the barkless breed. The basenji does make noise, although the sound is usually described as a soft howling or yodeling. Its not that basenjis cant bark; they just seldom do so unless theyre terribly excited. Why dont basenjis bark? We dont know, but it may be that silence was safer for dogs in the African wilds, where the basenji first originated. It may also simply be a genetic trait for this particular breed.

The tendency to bark is very likely the result of a dominant gene. When dogs who dont bark much are bred with dogs who bark a lot, puppies are much more likely to bark than not bark. Researchers have not found whether female dogs bark more than male dogs or vice versa. Purebreds and mutts are equally likely to bark excessively.

Dogs can also learn to bark from each other. A dog who has learned to bark appropriately is invaluable in teaching a new puppy what kind of bark is necessary for asking to be let outside or how long to bark when people come to the door. However, a nuisance barker can teach bad habits to a new dog. And just as humans sometimes pick up the accent of the place where they live, dogs can learn to copy the intonations of other dogs barks.

When Barking Becomes a Problem

The most important thing to know about barking is that it is a normal dog behavior. At appropriate times and levels, barking is even considered to be a useful behavior. Many people get dogs because they want them to bark when someone is either coming to the door or prowling around at night. But when barking becomes excessive, the noise can be a real headache for owners and their long-suffering neighbors. According to the Cornell Animal Behavior Clinic, up to one-third of behavioral complaints involve nuisance, inappropriate, or excessive barking.

Before things get out of hand, take steps to teach your dog when its okay to bark and when she should stop or remain quiet. If you want her to bark when people approach the house, enlist your kids, spouse, or a neighbor to help with the training. Ask the helper to come to the door and knock or ring the doorbell. If your dog doesnt bark at the noise, encourage her by excitedly asking, Whos there? Is someone at the door? Praise your dog when she barks at the sound.