Barking is only one part of a dog’s language, however, with much more communication happening non-verbally, we don’t notice the silent bits (the tail wagging, head turning, whining, teeth baring etc) – which is a shame as it would help put the barking into context and allow more people to realise that barking is simply the sound of a language. Asking a dog not to bark is akin to them asking us to stop talking!
Why Do Dogs Bark?
Contrary to popular belief, dogs don’t bark to annoy us and don’t bark to be “dominant”. There is always a reason for their barking – even if sometimes it is simply for fun (self-perpetuating barking is a classic sign of boredom and a lack of stimulation). Dogs bark for a variety of reasons and each bark has a unique sound to it which helps us understand what they are communicating and therefore, why they are barking:
Boredom and frustration
(an endless row of static barking, the same tone over and over again sometimes ending in a howl. Repetitively, the entire sequence is repeated)
As an audible warning (to warn about an intruder, for example)
(short, sharp “woof” noises)
Excitement
(high frequency and often sounds hysterical. The barking is fairly constant or in a series of barks with short interludes. Sometimes there are whines between the barking)
Fear
(high-pitched, it comes in a long series of barks. Similar to excitement barking, however, you can clearly hear the fear in the dog’s bark. Sometimes the long series of barking will end in a howl, a call for help, as if crying out to the puppy’s mother)
Guard barking
(usually interspersed with growling: “grrrrrr – bark, bark – grrrrrr”. It is normally depper and shorter than fear barking, however, if the dog is afraid then the sound can be high-pitched and similar to fear barking)
Learned barking
(the dog will bark, take a break and then look around to seek attention or reinforcement caused by the barking. If the attention is not forthcoming, the barking will start again)
To generically stop a dog from barking without any regard as to understanding why the dog is barking is foolhardy. Suppressing barking can be dangerous if the dog learns to avoid barking for fear of punishment – imagine the dog that has been shouted at and punished for barking so then doesn’t bark to warn the child that is annoying it and simply goes straight to bite without warning. Many people ask me how to stop their dog from barking and my initial reply is to ask: “why does your dog bark?”. Many people don’t know but they will be able to identify a pattern for the barking, for example, when you get the dog’s lead out (excited); when people knock on the front door (guarding, fear, excitement) or when another dog passes you in the car (guarding, excitement, fear), which will indicate the dog’s reasoning.
Barking is a self-rewarding behaviour, so ignoring it will not make it go away. Punishing it is completely ineffective and can have serious consequences and far too many trainers have resulted in the past to punishing the dog for barking using air canisters, metal discs or spraying the dog with water. That’s the equivalent of smacking a baby for crying, or punching your spouse for speaking.
One of the most effective ways to stop your dog from excessively barking is to channel its energy and focus into something else (for example having him go find his favourite toy when someone knocks on the front door) or even to use those times when you know the dog will bark (like when you get ready to go for a walk) to teach the dog to bark on cue. From teaching the dog to bark on cue it is very straightforward and effective to then teach the dog to be “quiet” on cue.
Teaching your dog to bark on cue
1. Request the dog to “speak” or “bark”, using whichever cue you prefer.
2. Activate the barking by taking the dog’s lead out or knocking on the front door, for example
3. The dog duly barks
4. Praise and reward the dog
5. Several repetitions of this and you will have a fog that will bark on cue
To train the ‘barking antidote’, simply wait until the dog is barking, give the desired cue (“quiet” or “shush”) and put a tasty treat such as Trainers Secret liver treats or a small piece of sausage or bacon under the dog’s nose. Dogs cannot bark and smell at the same time. Praise and reward as soon as the dog stops barking.
Remember – barking is a normal and natural behaviour for dogs so there’s no point trying to stop it completely. Just as crying children can be unpleasant to hear but we need to understand that they are simply trying to tell us something, use your knowledge and understanding to try to find out what it is the dog is communicating.
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