{"id":787,"date":"2019-09-25T12:27:54","date_gmt":"2019-09-25T12:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/slaneyside.wpengine.com\/?p=787"},"modified":"2019-09-25T12:27:54","modified_gmt":"2019-09-25T12:27:54","slug":"dogs-barking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slaneyside.com\/dogs-barking\/","title":{"rendered":"Dogs Barking"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.5″]<\/p>\n

Why do dogs bark and how can you reduce unnecessary barking?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The persistent barking of your dog, or perhaps worse, a neighbour\u2019s dog, can at the very least be an annoyance.\u00a0 If very loud and sustained over periods of time it can drive you to distraction.<\/p>\n

So why does a dog bark and what can you do about it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It would of course be unrealistic and unreasonable to expect your dog never to bark in the same way you would expect a child not to cry.\u00a0 A dog\u2019s barking, along with whining and howling is one of its natural means of communication so you should not be looking to prevent them from this action completely.\u00a0 Instead you should be striving to control their behavior, building trust and confidence with your dog, so that they bark when it is appropriate for them to do so.<\/p>\n

What triggers a dog to bark?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Genetics<\/p>\n

Some dogs are more predisposed to barking than others.\u00a0 According to\u00a0Baxterboo<\/a>\u00a0Beagles and Yorkshire Terriers are amongst the biggest barkers where as Great Danes and Collies bark very little.<\/p>\n

Of course environmental factors play a role in triggering a dog to bark.\u00a0 For example:<\/p>\n

Being left alone and being bored<\/p>\n

A lonely dog is often an unhappy and bored dog and one way for them to express their boredom is by barking.<\/p>\n

Young, undisciplined dog<\/p>\n

Much like a small baby a young dog knows no better and makes a range of different sounds including barking.<\/p>\n

Warning of danger<\/p>\n

If a dog senses danger one of their natural responses is to bark.\u00a0 This what makes dogs such good security guards!<\/p>\n

Territorial behavior \/ About to attack<\/p>\n

You often see dogs\u00a0\u201c<\/strong>mixing\u201d with other dogs and sometimes their barks, coupled with their body movements are fierce, with owners (hopefully) restraining their own dogs on leads.\u00a0 This type of bark is one way a dog can protect its territory and also be a warning of attack.<\/p>\n

Wanting to play<\/p>\n

A nice bark is one when your dog bounds up to you with a stick in their mouth, drops the stick and barks once, it\u2019s a fairly clear sign they want you to play with them<\/p>\n

Tips to prevent a dog from barking<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dog barking should not normally be ignored.\u00a0 As we have shown above, dogs bark for a reason.\u00a0 Some of these are good, some acceptable, whilst others are of concern.\u00a0 All should be understood and appropriate action taken.<\/p>\n

Be the boss<\/p>\n

If your dog knows you are the boss they will more likely respond to your order to stop barking.\u00a0 There are a number of ways this can be done:<\/p>\n