Dogs bark. It is part of their normal and natural communication and behavior. Dogs can bark for appropriate and good reasons, such as when strangers approach the house, they hear an odd noise, or they are herding sheep. Most people want their dogs to be "watch dogs" and to alert them to anything unusual. But dogs can also bark inappropriately. In two scientific surveys of dog pet parents, approximately 1/3 of them reported their dogs barked excessively. In order to control barking, first the reason why they are barking needs to be known.
Types of Canine Vocal Communication
Dogs, as well as wolves, use many types of vocalizations to communicate. This communication starts very early in life. Young puppies make a mewing-like sound when they are searching for food or warmth. Louder crying sounds are heard if the puppy is hurt or frustrated. As dogs get older, they make five main classes of sounds: howls, growls, grunts, whines, and barks. Each of these classes of sounds is used in different situations.
Howling is used as a means of long-range communication in many different circumstances. Howls are more often associated with wolves, but dogs howl too. Wolves often howl to signify territorial boundaries, locate other pack members, coordinate activities such as hunting, or attract other wolves for mating. Dogs may howl as a reaction to certain stimuli such as sirens.
Growling can occur in very different activities. It is used to threaten, warn, in defense, in aggression, and to show dominance. But growling is also used in play as well. Body posture helps tell the difference. Growls during aggression are accompanied by a stare or snarl, and the growling dog often remains stationary. Play-growls occur in combination with a happy tail and a play bow to signal willingness to play. These dogs are often moving and jumping about to entice play.
Grunts in dogs are the equivalent of contented sighs in people. They can also be heard when dogs are greeting each other or people.
Whines or whimpers are short- or medium-range modes of communication. Dogs may whine when they greet each other, are showing submissiveness, are frustrated or in pain, to obtain attention, and sometimes in defense. Dogs generally whine more than wolves, perhaps because they use the whine more as an attention-seeking behavior, and are often rewarded for it. The first sound you may hear from a new puppy is the whine at night when she finds herself alone. We often are guilty of unintentionally reinforcing this whining by giving the puppy the attention she wants.
Barking is another mode of communication that seems to be more common in dogs than other canine species. Again, this may be the result of human encouragement. Certain breeds have been bred to bark as part of their watchdog or herding duties. Barking is used to alert or warn others and defend a territory, to seek attention or play, to identify oneself to another dog, and as a response to boredom, excitement, being startled, lonely, anxious, or teased.
Why Dogs Bark
As you can see, there are many reasons for barking and most barking is a normal behavior. There are some instances in which barking is considered pathological. This will be discussed later in the article.
Characteristics of a Barker
Studies have been done to try to determine which dogs are more likely to be barkers. Although there was no difference in the percentage of excessive barkers between males and females, there was a breed difference. Beagles, Terriers, and some herding breeds tend to bark more. That is not surprising, since this is one of the characteristics for which they were bred. Excessive barking can occur in purebred dogs as well as mixed breeds.
Controlling Undesirable Barking
To control barking, the dog needs to be able to obey commands and relax. The dog needs to look to her pet parent for behavior clues. If the pet parent can call her, have her lie down (dogs do not bark as much when lying down) and stay, the nuisance barking problem is well on its way to being solved. In addition, there are some common principles used in modifying barking behavior.
First, in most cases shouting "No" is only going to make matters worse since the dog thinks you are barking too (and is probably happy you joined in).
Be consistent. Pick a one-word command for the behavior you want and always use that word in the same tone of voice. Everyone in the household must use the same command and act identically.
Be patient with your dog and yourself. Changing behavior takes a lot of time, and you need to take it slowly, one step at a time. If you become angry at your dog, the chance to correctly modify the behavior will be gone.
Reward your dog for good behavior. Positive reinforcement is much more powerful than punishment. Punishment will do nothing but make your dog fearful of you and break down the bond you wish to have with her. Food treats are fine to use as a reward at first. Often, picking a very special treat like small pieces of cooked chicken will make the reward seem even better. As time goes on, you will not give a treat every time, sometimes just rewarding with praise and a pat on the dog's chest.
Do not hug your dog, talk soothingly, or otherwise play into your dog's barking. Your dog may then believe there really was something of which to be alarmed, afraid, or anxious. This reinforces her behavior and she will likely bark even more the next time.
Control the situation. As much as possible, set up situations to use as training. Practice in short, frequent sessions, generally 5-10 minutes each.
Do not be afraid to ask an expert. Animal trainers, behaviorists, and your veterinarian can give you valuable advice. Having them witness your dog's barking episodes may give them valuable clues on helping you solve the barking problem.
Types of Barkers
There are different types of barkers and specific ways to modify the behavior.
Alarm/Warning Barkers
Dogs that bark at mail carriers, joggers running by the house, or cyclers on the street naturally have the barking reinforced. The dog sees the mail carrier, barks, and the mail carrier leaves. The dog thinks her barking made the person leave. In modifying the dog's behavior, this reinforcement needs to be overcome.
Sometimes, by just preventing the dog from seeing the intruding mail carrier, can solve the problem. Often, however, more needs to be done. First, do not reward the dog for any type of barking. If the dog barks when she wants to eat, and she is immediately fed, we are rewarding vocalization. If the barking is ignored, but the pet parent eventually gives up and gives attention, the dog learns that short barks will not do the trick, but excessive and extended barking will.
After the dog has alerted the pet parent to an "intruder," she needs to be signaled after one or two barks that she was a good dog for the warning, but now the pet parent will take control. Often the command "Enough" will accomplish that goal.
Teaching the Command Enough To teach "Enough," set up a situation in which your puppy will bark, but not excessively; knock on the door, for instance. After one or two barks, stop knocking and make a sound or distraction that will get her to switch her attention to you. If she stops barking, immediately say "Enough" and reward her with a treat and praise. If she does not stop barking, put that delicious treat right in front of her nose. When she stops barking for a second or two say "Enough," wait a few more seconds and if she is quiet, give her the treat and praise. Timing is critical, she must be quiet when you give her the treat or she will think she is being rewarded for continuing to bark. Be sure to say "Enough" when she is quiet, not when she is barking. Later, as she associates "Enough" with being quiet, you can use it as a command to stop barking.
Fear Barkers
Some dogs may start with an alarm or warning bark, but then progress to a bark that is associated with fear. One of the more common examples of this is those dogs that bark at approaching strangers.
If your dog is barking out of fear of people, first he must learn to be obedient, defer to you for his behavior cues, and relax. Then you can start setting up situations in which people approach from far off, and as your dog remains relaxed, give him treats. Slowly (over days and weeks) have people approach him only to the point where he remains relaxed and you can reward him. As people come even closer, have them throw treats his way so he starts associating people with good things happening. While this controlled training is going on, it is best to not put him in situations in which you do not have control, e.g., walking down a busy street.
Do not encourage your puppy to bark at people. You may set a bad habit in motion and he may become suspicious and even fearful of people. Chances are, he will bark at odd situations and strangers.
Attention-Seeking Barkers
Young puppies, as well as adults, soon learn that barking will incite attention from their pet parents. The problem is that dogs will be happy with any attention they receive, be it negative or positive. A stern "No" from you is still attention, so the puppy got what she wanted and you reinforced the behavior. It is best to just ignore this type of barking, as hard as that may be.
Sometimes, the use of a remote correction is helpful in controlling this type of barking. Coins in an empty soda can, foghorns, or other noisemakers can be used to startle the dog while she is barking. When she is startled, she stops barking, and at that point, you can give her a substitute for barking such as a toy or a walk. Just make sure she stops barking before you give the substitute or the dog will perceive it as a reward for barking.
Play/Excitement Barkers
If your dog barks excessively during play, it is best to let her calm down and slow down the game. If she continues to bark, stop playing until she has settled down.
Self-Identification Barkers
This type of barking is quite instinctive and can sometimes be difficult to control, especially in a household of multiple dogs. Often there is an instigator dog and all other dogs join in. This type of barking may be controlled using a similar approach to alarm/warning barks, i.e., obedience and relaxation methods with a substitute behavior offered, like playing with a toy.
Bored Barkers
Dogs who bark when they are bored may be similar to dogs seeking attention or those that are lonely. Dogs who are bored need something to do besides barking. These dogs need a more stimulating environment and usually a lot more exercise. A tired dog is less likely to be bored. Toys such as Kongs and Buster Cubes that can be filled with treats can get your dog's brain, as well as her body, working.
Lonely/Anxious Barkers
Dogs who bark when they are alone may be showing a symptom of their separation anxiety. These dogs are in the midst of a vicious circle...the more lonely they are, the more they bark, the more upset they get, the more they bark.
As in alarm/warning barking, these dogs need to be taught simple obedience and how to relax. Then the separation anxiety can also be addressed.
Start out by leaving or acting like you are leaving for a short time - and before the dog starts getting nervous and barking (this may be one second at first), come back. This way, you are not rewarding barking, but rewarding relaxation and silence. Gradually extend the time you are gone and return before the dog gets anxious. If your dog is anxious even if you leave the room, then you will need to start by just taking several steps away from her while she remains relaxed. While going through this behavior modification, you cannot go too slow, but you can go too fast.
Pet parents often need to change their habits too. Often the dog starts getting nervous when they go through their routine of leaving. Maybe the last thing you do before you leave is put on your shoes and pick up the keys. Vary this and put on your shoes and pick up your keys but do not leave. Go to the couch and read a book. If you only play the radio on weekends when you are home, turn it on during your workdays. As hard as it may be, set your alarm on weekends, get up, but stay home. Continue these changes in routine until your dog does not pay attention to your cues anymore. It is also very important to not give your dog a lot of attention when you leave.
When you are gone, make sure your dog is comfortable. If your dog is outside, a doghouse may help her feel more secure. Some indoor dogs will be more content if they can watch what is going on outside, be it traffic or chipmunks. Others may be more anxious if they can look out and do better with the drapes closed. You will need to decide what makes your dog less anxious. Make sure you give your dog a lot of exercise a half hour or so before you leave. As with boredom, tired dogs are less likely to become anxious.
If your dog happens to not only bark, but destroy things while you are gone, a crate may be necessary. Never punish your dog when you come home and find something chewed or torn. If you do, your dog will soon associate your return with being punished. That is going to make her even more anxious. If you videotape these destructive dogs, you may see the dog is anxious when the pet parent leaves. Anxiety also increases just before the owner's usual time of return, when the dog becomes anxious about the owner's impending return and punishment.
Just as you should not punish your dog upon your return, do not give her a lot of attention either - then your returning home will not be such a big deal to her. Instead, come in the door, say "Hello" and go about a household task. Once your dog has settled down and is quiet, then you can spend some quality time with her.
Initially, while you are working on behavior modification it may be helpful to get a neighbor or pet sitter to come in once or several times during the day. This will help break up the long hours your dog has without you.
Finally, if the separation anxiety is severe, medications are often needed during the behavior modification process. Medication alone will not solve the problem, but it can be a useful adjunct to the process. Consult with your veterinarian to determine which medication would be most appropriate.
Startled Barkers
Startled barking can best be handled using the similar techniques for alarm/warning barking. Teaching "Enough" will really help in this situation. If a certain sound consistently startles your dog, record that sound. Start by playing it back very softly so your dog will remain relaxed when she hears it. If she remains quiet, then reward her. Over days and weeks, gradually increase the volume until she is no longer startled into barking when she hears it.
Pathologic Barking
Barking that is a simple nuisance is not the same as barking that is pathologically excessive. Most of the barking discussed thus far is normal barking behavior except for that connected to separation anxiety. Barking can be abnormal or "pathologic" in situations of separation anxiety, as a result of an obsessive-compulsive disorder in which a dog barks very excessively or at inappropriate things (a leaf falling), or in dogs who become hyper-excited with the approach of people or other dogs. Dogs who become aggressive during barking episodes need to undergo behavior modification for the aggression before the barking behavior can be modified.
For dogs with pathologic barking or additional behavioral problems, it is highly recommended to use a team-approach to the problem. The team consists of all family members, an animal behaviorist, and a veterinarian. Each family member must work with the dog in the same way, using the same commands. The animal behaviorist may be able to cue in on unique characteristics of your dog's behavior and help you set up training situations that will be most effective. Your veterinarian may also be able to give you insights as well as prescribe appropriate medications to enable the dog to be more responsive to the behavior modification.
Preventing Nuisance Barking in Puppies
Teaching your puppy appropriate behavior from the beginning is easier than changing behavior that has become a bad habit. Some behavior that may be cute in a puppy may not be cute in an adult dog. So, think ahead to avoid potential problems.
The first few nights after bringing your puppy home will be the hardest. You may want to put her crate in your bedroom. The puppy will be more secure with you near. Security builds trust. Trust will decrease the possibility of separation anxiety in the future. Just remember not to give any attention to the puppy if he is whining that will only reward her undesirable behavior.
By starting to train your puppy in obedience and relaxation at an early age, you can greatly reduce the probability your puppy will grow into a problem barker. Nip problems in the bud and always look at why the puppy is barking. Is it fear, anxiety, attention-seeking? Use the appropriate measures to treat the underlying problem.
Remember that if for some reason you want your dog to bark on command, or in a certain situation, you must also be able to teach her to stop on command. Teach "Enough" at an early age. This was described under "Alarm/Warning Barkers".
Introduce the young puppy to situations that may cause anxiety later on. Get your puppy used to walking on the sidewalk along a busy street. Expose your puppy to sounds like vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, and other noises. Take things slow so your puppy does not become anxious while being exposed to these new things. Reward the puppy when she is quiet and relaxed.
Puppy classes are a great place for your puppy to meet new people and other dogs. She can learn to obey you even when there are numerous distractions. You also have a trainer present who can help you with any potential problems.
In short, it will be a lot more fun for everybody if your puppy learns to communicate through a wag of the tail and looking to you for guidance rather than through excessive and relentless barking.