Barking is how dogs communicate. But exactly what they want to communicate can vary widely, and so it may take some detective work on your part to find out exactly why your dog is barking. Here are some common reasons why dogs bark, according to the Humane Society.
He wants something.
He may be hungry, or he may want to go outside, or he may just want you to play with him or focus on him.
He is afraid.
Barking can be a sign of fear. Your dog might be fearful of a person, place, object, other animals, or loud noises from things such as thunder or fireworks. You can tell if fear is the reason for barking by his body language. If the dog is afraid, he will have his ears pinned back and his tail will be low.
He is being defensive.
Your dog may be barking as a way to protect territory from intruders. The intruders could be people or other animals, maybe from nearby yards. If he is barking to protect territory, he will look the part – appearing menacing with ears up and forward and his tail up high.
He is excited.
Some dogs just like to bark when they are excited, such as when they are greeting their owners or people they know.
He may have health issues.
The barking may be due to health problems such as canine cognitive dysfunction or deafness. If this is the case, the dog is barking because he cannot hear himself barking.
If you have an older dog, this may be an issue. Older dogs can have dementia or deafness. If this is the case, you want to exercise patience with your pet. Don’t make changes to his usual environment – keep it simple. Talk to the vet about medications that could help with the issues.
If deafness is a problem, you can teach your dog to stop barking by using a quiet command with a hand signal or some other visual stimulus, such as a flash of light.
If you have more than one dog, you may have a problem with all of them barking at once when something sets them off. To control this problem, you have to begin by working with each dog separately before you try to work with them as a group.
If your dog barks a lot when you’re out of the home, he may be lonely. If this is the case, you may want to consider Barney’s Ranch’s day boarding service.
For more information about our day- and overnight boarding services, contact us at 469-450-7040 or send us a message at info@BarneysRanch.com.