Do You Speak Dog?

Barking is used as a form of communication to convey a wide variety of emotions from joy to fear. Common reasons for dogs to bark include the need for attention, warning of a threat, stress, anxiety, boredom, fear, happiness, and a desire to play. The pitch and tone of the vocalizations has specific meanings for dogs, and dog pawrents that are tuned into dog language. Like the crying of a human baby, puppies can bark excessively as they try to express what they need and feel.

The University of Queensland's Center for Animal Welfare and Ethics study on dogs that were reported as nuisance barkers, suggests that age may be a significant factor in excessive barking. In a study of 150 dog owners, they found that a statistically disproportionate percentage of nuisance barkers were under the age of one. This makes absolute sense as puppies are still learning, and discovering that excessive barking may be unacceptable to their human pawrents. The study published in the Australian Veterinary Journal, also suggests that certain breeds, such as herding breeds like Border Collies, German Shepherds, and Cattle Dogs just tend to be more vocal.

If you're attentive to your dogs barking, you will begin to understand the meaning of the various vocalizations of your dog. Interestingly, dog experts suggest that different breeds have subtle variations of barking dialects. In other words, a "Let's play!" bark for a Golden Retriever may be slightly different than a "Let's play!" bark for a Rottweiler. Sort of like a doggie accent? As far as excessive barking goes, rather than correcting your dog, it may be more effective to focus on the specific issues that are causing it. If your dog is lonely, bored, anxious - these can all be addressed in a positive manner, with no need to ever scold your dog for talking about it.