Why Does My Dog Bark So Much – And What Do Barks Mean?

In Why Does My Dog Bark So Much we dig down into the origins of barking and find out what dogs are telling us.

We know that dogs are descended from wolves and that wolves don’t bark. So why do dogs bark?

Is it a way of communicating with the people that they live with? Or is there some other reason

Let’s find out.

A number of different types of bark have been identified, and dogs reliably use specific types of bark in specific situations.

The ancestors of our dogs didn’t bark. Barking developed during the long period of association with humans after the first dogs became domesticated.

Why Do Dogs Bark?

So it seems reasonable to assume that barking in dogs, has developed as a means of communicating with their human friends.

But dogs also use barking to communicate with one another.

Let’s take a look at the contexts in which your dog is barking, and what dogs might be trying to tell us in these different situations.

Dogs have other ways to make their feelings known, such as body language and eye contact.

However, many people are better at interpreting their dog’s noises, than his more subtle body language signals

So for many dogs, barking is often the only way that they can make their presence felt.

Why do dogs bark too much?

Some dogs bark more than others. And in some dogs, barking can become a real nuisance.

This can be because the barking has been accidentally rewarded in the past.

Or it can simply be because the dog has a genetic predisposition to being particularly vocal.

Dog Bark Translator

Understanding why dogs bark is half the battle to stopping them. Let’s take a closer look at that.

It isn’t always easy to work out why your dog is barking. So you can consider the next section of this article your Dog Bark Translator!

We will be looking into the situations in which your dog barks and helping you to discover the reasons why.  Further down you’ll also find a video of different types of barks and what they mean.

Dog Barking At Night

When you bring home a new puppy or dog, you can expect that he might bark at night for the first few nights.

Your new puppy will be lonely, confused and won’t know what to expect. However, this kind of noise normally rapidly reduces when the new pup settles in.

But what do you do if your previously quiet dog starts barking at night?

Try to narrow down the possible reasons.

Early Waking

If your dog is barking early in the morning, rather than in the middle of the night, then it can be simply as a result of early waking.

Because he’s bored or ready for breakfast, so he will bark for attention.

There is some great advice on dealing with this issue here.

Barking At Night

Dogs barking at night, truly in the middle of the night or shortly after they have been settled to bed, usually have one of two motivations.

They may be barking to alert you to something that is causing them concern.

Wild animals sniffing around in the back yard, or neighbors returning late from work are common causes of this.

Setting up a webcam will help you to work out whether there is a definable cause of the barking, so that you can work past it.

It could also be as a result of a temporary urinary infection causing them to need the toilet, or having become older the dog is unable to hold their bladder.

Do rule out veterinary issues with a quick check-up.

Neighbor’s Dog Barking

It can be incredibly frustrating to have a neighbor with a very barky dog. As it happens, my next door neighbor has a particularly vocal dog.

I simply need to say “It’s only me” to him for him to stop if I’m in the garden. But not everyone is this lucky.

If you are on good terms with your neighbour, then go over in person and ask whether there is something you can do to help resolve the issue.

For example, getting to know the dog so that he doesn’t feel threatened when you are in your back yard.

Or asking them to try the Click for Quiet technique.

Try to remain very calm and friendly throughout the discussion, rather than complaining about the past irritation see if you can work with them to a resolution that keeps you both happy and their dog from disturbing the peace.

In many cases your neighbor will be just as fed-up the noise as you are. And may be glad of some help in resolving it.

Why Does My Dog Bark At Me?

If your dog is barking at you, then they want to communicate something to you.

Many owners unwittingly encourage barking from the day their puppy comes home. The puppy barked, you responded in the way they wanted, and therefore accidentally reinforced the behavior.

If barking works, then the puppy will bark more.

Barking For Attention

Some dogs bark at you when they want your attention. Here are some common things that your dog might want from you:

• To be let into the backyard
• To be let back into the house
• To let you know the a visitor has arrived
• To get you to play
• To ask for something you are holding
• To ask to be fed

You can work out what your dog wants based upon the context, and sometimes even the type of bark that your dog is giving.

For example, when a dog is alerting you to something that they are worried about they will give out rapid, show barks. Often in response to visual stimuli, such as people walking past the house.

Most dogs when they want to be let through a door will bark just a couple of times and wait for you to respond.

When you have established the reason for your dog’s barking, you need to decide whether you are happy for it to continue. Most owners don’t mind a few barks when their dog asks to go outside to the toilet or to come back in.

But barking for attention in general can quickly become tiresome.

You will need to adapt how you respond to your dog when they bark depending upon how you feel.

This article on stopping your dog barking will help you.

Barking When Left Alone

Labradors are intelligent animals, who love their families and want to spend their time together.

When a Lab is lonely he might well bark, probably in loud bursts over a long period of time.

If you are upstairs and your Lab is barking like this downstairs, wait for a pause in the noise before you reward him by returning to the room.

Training techniques such as Click For Quiet can be very helpful in tackling issues of barking when you are at home.

But some dogs bark when they are alone, because the owner has left the house and they are being left for too long a period of time. This results in them being lonely, bored or both.

Chew toys such as Kongs can help dogs who bark when left. The toy will distract and entertained for a period of time.

You may need to look at how you are managing your time if this is a recurring issue.

This article will give help and support to owners whose neighbors are complaining of their dog’s noise when they are out.

Separation Anxiety

When being left alone results in extreme barking, chewing, destructive behavior, distress and messing in the house, then it is referred to as separation anxiety.

You can find out how to tackle this distressing problem here.

Predatory Barking

Barking at cats, birds or other wild animals is known as predatory barking.

This is a form of frustration, where the dog would like to chase a prey animal but is either restraining themselves or being physically restrained from doing so.

Helping your dog to find the experience of not chasing more rewarding than the chase will help to reduce his frustration and therefore the noise he makes.

Barking As A Greeting

If your Lab barks when you get home, then this is probably just a greeting.

This will involve a couple of loud yaps and be accompanied by a furiously wagging tail and open mouth.

Dog Barks At Other Dogs

Dogs will almost all bark at other dogs from time to time. This will be for a variety of different reasons.

Excitement

Labradors are generally very sociable dogs. They want to meet, greet and play with everyone that they see.

Overly social Labs will often bark with excitement upon seeing another dog. Especially if they are restrained on a leash and cannot run straight up to greet them.

We take a look at dealing with this over excitement in regards to other dogs in this article on over-friendly Labradors.

Play Barking

Many Labs, especially young ones, will play-bark. These are short yaps given out to try an incite another dog into their games.

A play-bark will often be accompanied by a play-bow, where they bend their front legs, with back legs straight and tail wagging.

Fearful Barking

If your Lab has previously been attacked by another dog, or is naturally very nervous, then they might bark through fear when they see another dog.

I highly recommend seeing a qualified behaviorist who uses positive reinforcement training methods if you feel this is the case with your Lab.

The behaviorist will be able to asses your dog’s individual needs and work with you to slowly build up his confidence.

Annoyance or Irritation

Adult dogs will on occasion bark at other dogs, especially playful puppies, if they are annoying them. These will normally be short, lower pitched barks.

Territorial Barking

Some dogs will bark at other dogs only when they pass by the house. This self rewarding behavior occurs as the dog mistakenly believes that they are successfully discouraging an unwanted dog (or human) from coming into their house. When of course in reality the perceived intruder was simply walking past.

Visual barriers may significantly help with territorial barking at home. You can find out more about how to work through these issues in this article.

My Dog Barks At Nothing

It’s all well and good translating a dog’s bark when there is a clear reason. But what do you do when your dog barks at nothing?

There are a couple of possibilities here.

One is that there is something going on which you are not aware of.

Make a list of the situations or times when your dog appears to bark at ‘nothing’ and try to find a common cause or causes.

The other possibility is that he simply enjoys the sound of his own voice.

Some dogs find barking self rewarding. They like to hear their own bark, it makes them happy, so they bark some more.

General work with Click For Quiet and rewarding the dog when they are silent will help here.

Why does my dog bark so much?

If you still don’t know why your dog is barking, then take a look at this video. It gives examples of situations where the dog is barking, and gives an analysis of why it might be.

When does your dog bark?  Don’t forget to tell us in the comment’s box below.

References and further reading

Sophia Yin & Brenda McCowan “Barking in domestic dogs: context specificity and individual identification” Animal Behaviour 2004

Sophia Yin. “A new perspective on barking in dogs” Journal of Comparative Psychology 2002

G Sales et al. “Noise in dog kennelling: Is barking a welfare problem for dogs?” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 1997

Peter Pongracz et al. “Barking in family dogs: an ethological approach” The Veterinary Journal 2008