First things first, dogs bark!
It’s a dog, it’s what they do. You wouldn’t ask a lion to stop roaring.
However, the fact that dogs live in our homes makes this often an issue for us humans. And of course we often expect our furry friend to behave perfectly, in all sorts of ‘human’ situations.
This article is about understanding why your dog barks and how to deal with it, including teaching alternative behaviours, providing outlets so they don’t need to bark in the first place as well as preempting, managing and, let’s say, tone it down a notch, or two.
Before I delve into the different types of barking and how to deal with these, here are some things to consider that can impact on most barking behaviours:
Careful socialisation, habituation and desensitisation
Good socialisation should be a key component in every puppy’s life, and this also applies to getting a rescue dog used to their new environment. A dog who is well adjusted to the world around him, is a calm dog who will naturally have less things to bark at or about.
And even for adult dogs, it really never is too late to teach an old dog new tricks (that includes us humans, too).
Always remember; quality over quantity. Give your dog control over their environment and offer choice whenever possible.
Size matters
Smaller dogs often tend to be a bit more vocal, no matter the breed. And no, it’s not ‘small man syndrome’. There is just so much more for a smaller dog to be scared of. Imagine being only a few inches above the ground and moving around our human made world. Everything is huge and potentially threatening, from that stranger’s big hand reaching for your head to the car’s exhaust pipe spewing stinky smoke right into your face.
Small dog owners can also often overlook the importance of training their little friend, and therefore preparing them for the human world around them and how to navigate and cope. Studies show that dogs participating less frequently in activities and training are more fearful in novel situations, for example. And fear often leads to, yes you’ve guessed it, barking.
Diet/ dog food
Let’s look at this behaviour from the inside out: diet impacts hugely not only on a dog’s health but also on their behaviour. Nutrient availability and diet composition affects behavioural regulating hormones and neurotransmitters in a dog’s brain, and gut (the second brain, as it’s called).
One of those, the ‘happy hormone’ serotonin, has a big influence on a dog’s mood. And if the serotonin production is out of kilter, the dog’s mood is out of balance, which can lead to stress, excitability, inability to settle and more. All of those behaviours, more often than not, result partly in barking.
There’s of course much more to this topic and I could, quite happily, go on and on about the importance of a good quality diet but let’s move on to the next subject.
Dog Genetics
Another internal component is of course genetics; some dogs have been bred to bark. Don’t get a Chihuahua and expect to enjoy the blissful sound of silence together. With naturally ‘barky’ breeds you may have to work a little harder to find a good sound equilibrium, but don’t despair, it is possible. That said, some dogs are just a bit chattier than others and we can’t blame it all on DNA.
The most common types of barking include:
Fear/ anxiety barking
Warning barking
Excitement barking
Frustration barking
Demand barking
How to deal with dog barking
Most barking types can and should be taken care of via:
Pre-empting/ managing; the reason/s why your dog barks
Interrupting and redirecting; switching your dog from an emotional to a cognitive state
Counter conditioning; changing your dog’s association with whatever makes him bark
Teaching alternative behaviours
There are, naturally, different nuances to each individual dog’s bark; from “Dude, I’m super bored, can we please play NOW!” to “I’m really scared of this stranger reaching for me, please make him go away.” or “OMG I haven’t seen you in, like, ten years. What do you mean, you’ve only popped out for five minutes? Anyway, let’s partaaayyyy.”
And every behaviour, including barking, comes with context, and plenty of readily available information for us humans to read.
So, the one overarching first step has to be: learn about dog body language, especially early/ subtle signs of stress, then get to know your dog. Looking at your dog’s body language will help you figure out their emotional state and unveil the Golden Grail of ‘why is my dog barking’.
For example, is your dog frozen to the spot? Are his ears pinned back and is his face tense while he’s looking at the dog across the street? Time to get him out of that situation and ideally before he starts to bark; interrupt and redirect (gently and always force-free), then make a point of working with your dog on changing his association with what’s obviously stressing him (check out my article on management tools tot get your dog out of a sticky situation).
Visual barking
For example when your dog is watching through your living room window and barking at people or other dogs passing by your house whilst perching on the top of the couch, can be frustration barking (why am I not out there as well???), it can also be warning barking. And it’s best to manage with, well, blocking your dog's view! Close the curtains or blinds, re-arrange the furniture or get some window film. A perfect example of a simple pre-empt and manage situation; eliminate the visual trigger. Et Voila!
Barking at noises
At home or when outside can have a variety of root causes. From frustration to warning and to fear barking. There could also be physiological underlying reasons that play into this behaviour.
Using a white noise machine may help in some cases and if your dog reacts loudly to specific noises, such as the neighbours entering the shared hallway, I would suggest to work on desensitising your beloved friend to these specific events. The same goes for the good old sound of the doorbell of course.
I personally think it’s ok if a dog has a couple of barks when the doorbell rings or someone knocks on your door, but if this turns into a complete barking bonanza every time someone hovers outside your door, it’s time to get your trainer hat on.
This would be a great example for teaching an alternative behaviour, I.e. you could teach your dog to pick up a toy every time someone is at the door (somewhat difficult to bark with a full mouth) or to run to a specific station (AKA mat, bed, etc) as it’s raining treats on that very spot when the doorbell rings.
First you teach the alternative behaviour, then you pair it with the sound of the doorbell. I recommend recording the doorbell sound on your phone for easy repetition when at the start of the training process, then eventually using the real doorbell (sound).
Another great tool when it comes to fear, warning or guard barking is scatter feeding;
which is scattering food or treats across a wide area for your dog to seek out.
Searching, sniffing, licking, eating all those tiny morsels of food switches a dog from emotional (I.e. fearful) to cognitive (when a dog is searching for food they are in their prefrontal cortex, meaning they are in a thinking/ cognitive state, and when they are fear barking they are in their amygdala, which means fight or flight, and stress hormones are released into their system, which is to be avoided). And don’t worry about potentially reinforcing the barking behaviour with food (rewarding), you can’t reinforce an emotion (oh how I love science!).
Adding mental exercise
(positive reinforcement training, play, puzzle toys, etc) to your dog’s daily routine will further help with most barking types. A snoozy dog doesn’t bark and this applies to puppies, adult dogs and, especially, adolescent dogs (and please don’t be tempted to physically over-exercise your adolescent dog to wear him out).
Last but not least, there’s the one barking type that should be ignored….
demand barking
When your dog sits in front of the treats cupboard and yodels at you to get your lazy self up and over to open that dang thing so she can dive into cookie heaven, well, don’t. And don’t tell your dog ‘no’ or explain why you won’t do this or that. Just 100% ignore your smart friend, and if needs be, leave the room for a moment (and get yourself a cookie, you deserve it!).
It goes without saying that using punishment is an absolute NO-NO!!!
Using bark collars, if it’s a shock collar or using citronella spray, is absolutely NOT ok and you can throw the Pet Corrector and slip lead in the bin now, thank you. And neither is it ok to use a can filled with coins or a water spray bottle. Would you spray your baby for gurgling?
Dogs need to be able to communicate freely with the world around them and closing off a channel for expression of a natural behaviour often brings out other equally unwanted behaviours. Not to mention that suppressing or punishing one behaviour brings a high risk of fallout, like aggression or anxiety.
So, if your dog is competing for the title of Chatty Pooch of the Year, sit down, have another read of the above and think about why and how you can help your friend.