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The
Barking Dog Blues
Why
dogs bark and what to do about it
by Dr. Stanley Coren
One of the most common complaints that
people have about their dog is that it barks too much, however one
of the reasons why humans and dogs formed their working relationship
is probably due to the fact that dogs bark. It started in the dim
past when dogs began hanging around human settlements because
primitive man was a slob, and would scatter garbage outside the
camps. For dogs, that garbage was a free meal that didn't require
hunting. The presence of the dogs was tolerated simply because they
would dispose of the refuse, thus keeping the smell and vermin level
down.
Men soon learned that there was another benefit to having the
dogs, namely that dogs would sound the alarm when dangerous animals
or potentially hostile strangers approached the settlement. Since
the dogs were always vigilant, human guards did not need to be
posted throughout the night, thus allowing for more rest and a
better lifestyle. It takes only a short journey to get from the dogs
guarding the edge of the village, to a watch dog for an individual's
home. Soon the dog's bark would serve the benign purpose of alerting
the family to the approach of visitors (a sort of canine doorbell)
or to warn of the approach of potential thief (a canine burglar
alarm). It seems obvious that for personal and community security
purposes, the most effective dog is one with a loud and a persistent
bark. A dog which barked loudly was kept and bred with others that
also barked. One that did not bark was simply disposed of as being
useless. In effect, one of the distinctions between wild canines and
domestic dogs is that our domestic dogs bark, while wild dogs seldom
do.
Most problems with barking have to do with
misunderstanding what barking is about. The most common form of
barking is designed to sound the alarm or alert the pack. It really
means something like "Rally around me and check this out! There may
be a problem here!" It consists of bursts of two or three barks with
a short interval between them. The dog simply wants the leader of
the pack and the other pack members to observe what he has detected
and make a decision as to the proper course of action.
Unfortunately, when people are at home and such barking occurs their
response is something like "No! Stop that!" which is a bad move.
Here we have a situation where the dog's master simply
does not understand the basics of dog language. To a dog, loud short
words like "No!", "Shut up!", "Don't bark!" and so forth, sound just
like barks. Think of it this way, the dog barks to signal a
potential problem. Now you (who are supposed to be leader of his
pack) come over and also bark. This clearly indicates that you agree
that this is the right time to sound the alarm and it will often
lead to more frantic barking on the part of the dog.
The appropriate response is to recognize the message
and answer it. To get up and obviously checking the window or door
that the dog is barking at is the appropriate response. Remember
sometimes the dog is correct and there is something that you need to
respond to, however if it is a false alarm such as a car pulling up
to the curb, or a delivery next door, simply reassure the dog with a
calm phrase like “Good guarding, but we’re quite safe.” Give the dog
a pat and bring him away from the door and have him lie down next to
you. In most cases this is all that is needed, since the dog asked
for the leader of the pack to check things out, he did, and there is
no danger or need to defend the home.
Barking in public situations, often in response to
seeing other dogs or people requires a different approach. For
example, while I was watching a beginner's dog obedience class a
Border Collie, named Richard, began barking at the other dogs
sitting in line across the room. Richard’s owner’s shouts of “No!”
and “Quiet!” of course had no effect, for the reasons I already
mentioned.
The instructor of the class (call him George) knew a
little bit about dog communication, and decided to use a dominant
threat to stop the clamor. His attempt to quiet the dog involved
staring directly into its eyes in an accusing manner. Richard's ears
folded back in a submissive manner and he lowered his body to show
that he recognized the threat. His barking stopped, but only until
George looked away. Once eye contact was broken Richard started
barking again.
George’s next attempt was to take the dog and place him
in sit next to his left leg. The moment that Richard barked,
George's right hand shot up under Richard's muzzle applying a sharp
smack which clapped the dog's jaws together for a moment and then,
just as quickly, the hand returned to George's side. The scene
repeated a couple of times -- bark, smack, silence -- bark, smack,
silence. When George returned to the front of the class and was out
of smacking range, however, Richard began to bark again.
In order to stop dogs from public barking many
different techniques have been tried. I have seen water pistols and
squirt bottles, lemon juice sprays, muzzles, adhesive tape, rolled
magazines, rattle cans and electric collars all used to stop the
noise of barking. Sometimes these work -- often not. Even when they
do work they tend to be harsh, and can damage the relationship
between dog and master and often only provide a relatively short
term solution to a problem that is easily solved if you understand
dog communication patterns.
Although wild canines do not bark much, they do bark as
puppies. In the safety of the den area there is little harm in such
noise, however, as the puppies grow older and begin to accompany the
adults on hunts, such barking becomes counterproductive since the
sound could easily alert potential prey that the pack is near.
Barking could also attract the attention of other, larger,
predators, who might have developed a taste for wolf meat. To stop
this, a simple communication pattern has evolved. It obviously does
not involve any sound signal, since the major aim of the behavior is
to stop noise. The signal to stop should also not involve direct
aggression against the noisy individual since nipping or biting the
barker is apt to cause yelps of pain, growls or dashing around to
avoid or respond to the aggressor's physical violence which is just
as likely to alert other animals as the original barking itself.
The procedure worked out by wild canines to stop
barking is really quite simple. The pack leader or the puppy's
mother places its mouth over the offender's muzzle, without actually
biting, and then gives a short, low and breathy growl. The low growl
will not be heard very far, and it is short in duration. The mouth
over the muzzle is not actually inflicting pain, so there is no
yelping or attempts to escape. Silence usually follows immediately.
Humans can mimic this behavior to stop barking. With
your dog sitting at your left side, slip the fingers of your left
hand under the collar at the back of your dog's neck. Pull up on the
collar with your left hand, while your right hand folds over the top
of the dog's muzzle and presses down. In a quiet, business-like and
unemotional tone, you simply say "Quiet." You repeat this silencing
manoeuvre whenever it is necessary. Depending upon the breed, it may
take anywhere from two to a couple of dozen repetitions to associate
the calmly stated command, "Quiet" with an end to barking.
What you have done in this instance, is to effectively
copy the way in which the pack leader will silence a noisy puppy or
other pack member. Your left hand on the collar simply immobilizes
the head. Your right hand serves the same function and communicates
the same message as the leader's mouth over the noisy animal's
muzzle. The softly spoken "Quiet," mimics the short, low and breathy
growl.
Returning to the obedience class and the barking Border
Collie, I signalled to George that I would silence the dog's din.
Richard was in full frantic barking mode when I arrived beside him.
I used the hushing signal that I described above, and a low voice
saying "Quiet!" Richard only required three repetitions of this
action to end his barking for the evening. I later learned from his
handler that within a week, a low, matter of fact "Quiet!" became
all that was needed to stop his barking.
Be sure, however, that you only use this procedure to
stop a dog from barking when barking is unnecessary, as in an
obedience class or a public place. Remember that we specifically
bred dogs to bark, so if your dog sounds the alarm at the approach
of stranger, or even at the sight of a cat outside of your window,
don't correct him. If there is no cause for any action, just call
him to your side and give him a quick pet or a rub. By barking your
dog is only doing the job which we designed him to do thousands of
years ago.
Stanley Coren, the well-respected scientist, psychologist,
researcher, and Professor of Psychology at the University of British
Columbia, is best known to the public for his series of best-selling
books on dogs, including "How Dogs Think", "How to Speak Dog",
and "Pawprints of History".
Coren's easy-going style has made him popular with the media,
resulting in numerous interviews, program and articles, including:
NBC Today Show, CNN, Canada AM, CBC's Fifth Estate, NBC's Dateline,
CBS's 20/20, Oprah Winfrey, Larry King,Vicki Gabereau, USA Today,
the Globe and Mail, Time, Macleans, Saturday Night, and many others.
For more information on Dr. Coren and his publications, visit
www.stanleycoren.com.
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