Dogs have a voice... and let’s be real, at times that voice can turn into what you might call excessive barking.

“Okay, okay! We hear you!”....but do you? I mean yes, of course, it’s hard to ignore that ear-piercing bark, but do you actually understand what your dog is communicating to you when your dog barks? Although it may seem as though sometimes your dog is barking just to hear himself or herself bark, all behavior has a function and it’s usually a bit more complex than that.

Learn your dog's language (just as we want them to understand ours)

The sooner you start to learn your dog's language and what each dog bark means a bit better, the sooner you can stop muting yourself in the middle of zoom calls to soothe your barking dog. So let's talk about barking, the common reasons dogs bark, how to decipher different types of dog barks, and what your dog might be trying to tell you.

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Dog Barking - to every bark there is a reason

Dog barking comes in all shapes and sizes, and it's a natural communication skill for your dog. Your dog finds it quite useful in a multitude of situations. To dogs, barking is normal. We don’t want to entirely take their voice away.

Which is another reason you should never use aversive anti-barking collars/shock collars or those sonic eggs that emit a high pitch sound every time your dog barks. Because dog barking is normal, suppressing your dog's barking can create an enormous amount of stress and anxiety in your dog.

Can you imagine being shocked every time you spoke? Insane, right? These aversive tools are painful to your dog physically and emotionally and prevent learning as well as destroy trust and your dog's bonding with you. So let’s focus on determining the function of your dog's barking and create a plan to teach more reinforcing behaviors to decrease the frequency of dog barks.  

Why do dogs bark...

First, it’s important to note that sometimes genetics can play a role in a dog’s excessive barking. Some dogs bark excessively or are more inclined to bark thanks to genes and their somewhat ingrained historical purpose. Let's say your dog is a hound dog, and the hound family as well as other genetically predisposed barkers naturally likes to bark.

That doesn’t mean you’re out of luck in toning down your dog's barking. It simply means your dog is more likely to communicate via barking and we want to get a handle on that early by teaching your dog “quiet” or another cue word you can say calmly to help with any excessive barking. 

Aside from the role genetics can play in a dog’s desire to bark, some common reasons dogs make their voices heard:

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1) Alert or alarm barking

Its function: to alert us to something happening.

Some examples of alert barking:

“MOM MOM MOM, THERE’S A STRANGE PERSON ON THE SIDEWALK!”

“DAD! THERE’S A DOG ON TELEVISION!”

“MOM, I HEARD A WEIRD NOISE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN!”

It's worth recognizing that your dog sees alerting you and the family as his or her job, a noble calling that your dog likely takes great pride in doing. That's one of the many reasons we always want to understand the why behind our dogs' behaviors like barking and use positive reinforcement to teach alternate behaviors.

2) Fear barking

Its function: to make something scary or a perceived threat go away.

Some examples of fear barking:

“PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON’T COME ANY CLOSER, OTHER DOG I DON'T KNOW!”

“GO AWAY, LOUD SCARY THUNDER NOISES!!”

Is your dog barking at other dogs when walking past or at the neighborhood cat? That's almost always fear barking (and often misread as aggression). Barking at other dogs is a classic "go away, scary thing" bark.

3) Frustration barking

Its function: To provide an outlet for frustration, or to assist in coping with something stressful occurring. 

Some examples of frustration barking:

“MY BALL IS SO CLOSE BUT SO FAR AWAY! WHY IS MY HEAD TOO BIG TO FIT UNDER THIS COUCH?!”

“GET ME OUT OF THIS CRATE! UGHHHH”

Frustration barking can have comparatively simple solutions, particularly when the situational change needed is a quick fix (like making sure the ball stays in reach). In other cases, we can teach our dog to associate good things with a formerly stressful situation with positive reinforcement and practice (stay tuned for upcoming guides on training activities!).

Making sure your dog's exercise and mental stimulation needs are regularly met (see below) in general makes for a more relaxed, less-likely-to-get-frustrated dog.

4) Attention barking

Its function: to get us to acknowledge their existence.

Some examples of attention barking:

“MOM MOM MAHHM MOM!”

“DAD DADDY DAD DAAAD!”

We've all had experience with this one, right? See below for some ideas for helping your dog feel thoroughly acknowledged and happy.

These are just some of the many types of barking, and understanding the function of your dog’s bark can help you determine the best training path to take. (Keep in mind if your dog’s barking behavior seems sudden and out of the ordinary, it may be worth investigating with your vet any underlying medical issues that could contribute to this.)

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First - for reducing barking, are your dog's needs being met?

With any new training plan, the first thing every good certified professional dog trainer will tell pet parents is to make sure your dog’s needs are being met!

Is your dog getting enough exercise? Mental stimulation and enrichment? That’s where you want to start, since it's often the underlying cause of your dog's barking - particularly so with attention and frustration barking in many dogs. Our dogs are bored and not getting regular stimulation, so they're seeking that outlet and frustrated when unable to satisfy their natural dog desires. 

Try this

• Ditch the bowl: Feed in a puzzle bowl, DIY enrichment boxes, treat dispensing toys, use your dog's meal throughout the day to reward really good behavior (and quiet moments)
• Decompression walks: Long lead walks that allow your dog the freedom to explore, investigate and smell all the smells.
• Incorporate dog training cues into your daily routine: Use and reinforce cues that your dog is familiar with to keep your dog's brain engaged throughout the day.   
• Play with your dog: Not only does play help to build healthy relationships between you and your dog, it can also help decrease stress and anxiety. 

When you make these activities part of your everyday life with your dog, you may be surprised to see how quickly your dog stops barking at every opportunity.

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Next to stop barking - manipulate the environment

Next step, and so very important: manipulate the environment to prevent your pup from being a Barkmaster and stop barking before it starts.

• Most alert barking occurs at the front door & windows near the front of the house. Manage and prevent this dog barking from occurring by blocking access to the front of the house, closing your blinds, getting film covers that block the visual triggers your dog sees. This is especially important when unsupervised. 
• For attention barkers, set them up with a self-entertaining toy, edible chew, or frozen, filled chew toy before you sit down on a zoom call or to enjoy your dinner in peace. 
• For stranger-danger dogs: Create a safe space for your dog to hang out in (with a self-entertaining, frozen, filled toy) before your new guest enters the home. Note: We also have tips and tricks on dog reactivity in our guides in the Reactivity Channel. This applies to our fearful, anxious, and frustrated pups.
• When you're away from the home, block outside noises by playing music, tv, a fan or other sound-covering white noise.

With these tips, you’ll start to be able to reduce your dog's barking behavior and create a happy, peaceful environment for both of you. Remember - it takes time, patience and consistency. Rewarding desired behaviors (quiet moments!) will help reinforce the message quicker with your dog - as well as let your dog know how much you appreciate them!

Next up in the Barking Channel on Dogly

Now that we've discussed the different types of dog barking, the function and normality of this loud, and at times obnoxious, behavior, as well as management and enrichment to prevent and minimize dog barks, we're ready to dive into some training exercises to improve your dog's barking tendencies in the next guide here.

If you have any questions about your dog's barking, just ask in the community discussion in the Barking Channel here on Dogly.

Or if you ever need more personalized dog training guidance, please reach out!