All dogs bark. Barking is normal dog behaviour. Your dog is barking because it is trying to communicate with you. Dogs do not have the same level of verbal communication as humans but they do use barking, growling and howling to communicate to each other and with humans. They are just communicating in the language they know how to use.
In much the same way that humans have different ways to vocalise, dogs are doing the same thing. Because barking is a form of communication it is something we as dog guardians need to understand. We need to know what your dog is trying to communicate with you.
Although barking is one of the ways your dog communicates with you but a dog that barks excessively can be frustrating. In recent interviews with 78 pet dog guardians seeking advice on improving their dog’s behaviour two-thirds nominated nuisance barking as their number one training challenge.
This barking was often categorised as “reactivity” by which the interviewees mentioned the barking was either in response to other dogs, noises or people. The majority (n=28) of the reactivity challenges were either a concern in themselves or was matched with various anxiety behaviours. For example, barking at noises and barking when left on its own. A third of these interviewees mentioned that this reactivity occurred while walking their dogs on the lead.
Whether your dog is barking at things that it can see out the window, barking at visitors, other dogs, or the doorbell, excessive barking can damage your relationship with your dog, create arguments in your family, and even cause rifts with your neighbours. Remember that excessive noise is the number one complain made to local councils and this includes dogs barking
It can be easy to think that a barking dog is being disobedient or stubborn but that is not true. Your dog is experiencing an emotion and it is trying to communicate that emotion. Identifying why your dog is barking will help you to know what to do about it. Your immediate response should not be to stop that your dog barking. Your immediate response should be ‘I wonder why the dog feels the need to vocalise?’ The answer to that question will help anybody who has a barking dog to know what to do next.