Dog Bark Facts [Infographic]
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27 Comments
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Gary
July 25, 2010
Squirreis also bark. I have been walking under trees and hear a strange yapping noise and found a squirrel looking in my direction and making what I would only describe as a barking noise. It seemed to be some sort of protective action.
Jim
August 1, 2010
I have heard this, too. Whenever my dog and I sit on the bench under a particular pecan tree, the squirrels do exactly what you described.
Robin
July 26, 2010
The closest translation of the common bark of domestic dog is: “Go away, come here! Go away, come here!”
Choey
August 1, 2010
My Mother-in-law barks at me. Is that significant??
Cami
August 23, 2010
Hahahahaha!!!
Jo
August 1, 2010
Fun facts, though I must say that not all basinjis are barkless. I own a basinji named Nelson, and he barks more than any other dog I know. He also sings, yodels, howls, talks, yawns, and makes a Chewbacca gurgle. I think the “barkless” thing is only sometimes true. I just don’t want people getting these dogs because they think they are quiet animals. On the contrary, they are extremely vocal.
jcrens8392
August 1, 2010
“Chewbacca gurgle” – priceless.
Thanks for the info Jo!
Val
August 5, 2010
Good call. I’ve cared for some Basenjis and they were far from quiet! They made some awesome sounds, which did include something very close to a bark, if not a bark.
Flchic73
September 28, 2010
I also have a basenji. He’s about to hit 11 years old and Ive never heard him bark once. But, but, he can make a sound that cuts right through you!
Trishy
August 6, 2010
Having had a white Shepard before, I can totally believe one having the loudest bark.
Allie
August 11, 2010
What?!? – the methods to stop barking are insane.
Also be careful with “play bows” they are typically an indication of play – but fear aggression (or more PC “fear reactive”) dogs may give a play bow – that does not mean it’s safe to approach.
Better resources:
If you click ‘gallery’ on Turid Ragaas’ link you can see illustrations. I also like these illustrations and Kikipup has a cute video. Also Leah Roberts. The cutest illustrations I have found are here.
As far as methods to stop barking:
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Remove the dog from the ‘trigger’
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If the dog barks for attention/food/play never respond. Get up and leave the room if you have to. If you respond sometimes the dog will learn to try harder when you ignore him. If you used to respond, it will take a little longer to extinct this behavior – remember the dog will try harder before he gives up. Also, a attention seeking dog may bark for attention even when the attention is negative. Make sure you spontaneously give the dog attention when he is being good.
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Sophia Yin has some good videos on counter conditioning. (I think, she changed her website and I have not rewatched). The idea is that you put the dog in a situation where the trigger is present but small or quiet enough that you can keep him calm with treats. Keep rewarding him at high frequency, lowering the frequency of reward or raising the intensity of the trigger overtime. Remember high value treats.
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Train a strong “down” as part of the above bullet. Some dogs just won’t bark when they are sitting down.
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The most awesome and effective method is BAT, also a blog about BAT here.
Remember the best way to deal with barking is to get an accurate diagnoses of why the dog is barking. Fear barking will respond to different methods than boredom barking. Same idea with warning barks. I recommend an experienced, certified trainer for that. I have faith in any of these or anyone they recommend. Otherwise ask lots of questions – and be sure to pick someone whose methods don’t involve making the dog more anxious. Even ‘dominance’ or warning barks have an anxiety component. A truly confident dog doesn’t feel the need to be on the offensive. That means non-aversive training only.
If you have a dog who you think might bite it’s especially important never to punish a bark or growl – the bark or growl may be the only warning you have. Punishing does not make the situation better – in fact it confirms to the dog that he has a reason for aggression.
jcrens8392
August 12, 2010
Wow, great info. thanks Allie!
Nona
August 12, 2010
I agree, great info Allie.
Your last statement is very important. I just wish more dog owners would realize it!
The same is true if you raise your voice or yell at your dog to shut up. He/she perceives this as you barking too, leading them to believe there is a necessity to bark.
Vikky
August 13, 2010
Most of those ways or not good ways to stop a dog barking. Infact, they are INSANE.
Giving them drugs? No, unfair because that alters their mood with no choice, however, it is ok for YOU to take prescribed drugs to calm YOU down when the dog does bark.
Shock collar? Cruel. Why would you want to cause your beloved pet pain because you can’t teach them what is good or bad? YOU wear the shock collar round the dog so when it barks, YOU get the shock. If you still think it will be ok, the collar is obviously defective so why not, give it to the dog.
And surgical removal? Have you lost the plot? This is TOTALLY unneccesary and cruel. Imagine saying to one of your mates “yeh, I’m just taking the wife down to the hospital to get her vocal chords removed, she yabbers on too much” … NONSENSE. Solution, take yourself down to the hospital and get them to block your ears permenantly so you never have to hear again. Should work.
Vikky
August 13, 2010
edit … “YOU wear the shock collar *when you are* round the dog …
jakey
September 24, 2010
the process is actually quite simple and painless and it dosent stop the barking it just reduces the sound it is generally for dogs who cannot be trained to be quiet or have excesievly loud barks its not removal of anything its an incision in the vocal chords and is not unneccesary infact my friend who is a vet that recomended it for my moms dog who has a very loud bark. so get your facts staigt before you rant
anonymous
August 16, 2010
Who the hell has a dog’s vocal cords removed to stop it barking? If you can’t train it not to bark, you shouldn’t have a dog.
Nic
August 20, 2010
I think the worst I’ve ever seen was when a family in my neighborhood got two beagles.
Beagles bark. /Everyone on the goddamned earth knows this/
What do they do when they can’t stop the barking? Surgically remove the vocal cords, of course!
jakey
September 24, 2010
it wouldnt have been ‘removal’
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Agarikon
August 25, 2010
The point of surgically reducing a dogs vocal chords is to allow the dog to bark more.
Many dogs bark extremely loud and it can damage your hearing, the standard solution has been to keep the dog from barking, or try to train it not to, or scolding it when it does…people with a dog know that this is nearly impossible, you can easily train a dog not to bathroom in the house, and once they get it, most will never do it again…not so with barking.. dogs like to bark and I would argue they need to bark…it’s there way of communicating….scolding them for something they should be doing seems backward..If there’s a way to keep my dog barking, only quieter, it seems like an option worth exploring.
jflaca
September 21, 2010
Ever hear of “barking spiders”?
Rae C
September 22, 2010
Great info Allie!
Thankfully, some are seeing that ANY NON-medically needed surgery(vocal cords, tails, ears, declawing, etc)are nothing more than CRUELTY! Some states are making this illegal and more importantly, many veterinarians are no longer doing these procedures. Anyone that thinks its okay to do these awful things has no business having ANY furbabies in their lives!
Wendy
October 28, 2010
Chinchillas bark also.
Countersurfer
December 12, 2010
I totally agree with Allie and everyone about the jaw-dropping “Methods Used to Stop Barking” section, as well as the awesome info on dog behavior. We’re big fans of BAT, too!
Who on earth put this content together? As a dog-nut designer/illustrator, I would’ve had a really hard time executing this project as-is. :/
jcrens8392
December 22, 2010
About the “Methods Used to Stop Barking” section: These are most common methods that are used to stop dog barking…it’s not a value judgment as to whether or not those methods are humane. We’re not going to pretend those methods don’t exist just because we may not like them and the goal of the infographic was to provide facts about dog barking, hence the name. I think the designer did a fantastic job on it.
Max the Golden Retriever
February 23, 2011
As possibly the only actual dog commenting here, I feel the NUMBER ONE reason dogs bark was left off the list. We bark when a tennis ball or toy rolls under a piece of furniture. Our bark is a way to let the closest person know of the urgent nature of the situation and to gain their assistance.
As to the ‘humans’ who replied that you should ignore a dog who is barking for your attention… I say just think what would have happened to poor Timmy if Lassie’s bark had been ignored. Nuf barked! Woof! Woof! :>)
Keep On Wagging! wherever life takes you.