We talk to our dogs all day long, and we long for them to speak to us. For dogs, their native language is body language. Our problem is we as humans listen with our ears and not our eyes so much of what our dogs say is
missed then. But dogs do use vocal communication as well. Dogs bark, growl, howl, whine, and whimper. While your dog’s voice must be taken in context of his body language to fully understand what he is telling you, we can examine
each vocalization to learn more.
Dogs bark for many reasons. This includes alert -to tell you of the presence of something, alarm - to warn you of something potentially harmful, boredom, demand, fear, suspicion, distress, and in play. A distressed dog bark (think separation anxiety) is high-pitched, usually increasingly so, and repetitive. A bored dog bark is a repetitive monotone. An alert bark is a short staccato sound. An alarm bark adds a note of intensity to the alert bark. A demand bark is
sharp, persistent and directed at the human who could provide what the dog is demanding, at least according to the dog. A suspicious dog bark is low and slow. Fear barking is low but faster.
Not sure what your dog’s bark means? Examine the circumstances. What’s your dog doing? His body language will tell you more than any vocal clue will. Practice trying to figure out what the next barking dog is trying to tell you. Not sure what the body language is telling you? Look for more blogs to come on understanding your dog.But
missed then. But dogs do use vocal communication as well. Dogs bark, growl, howl, whine, and whimper. While your dog’s voice must be taken in context of his body language to fully understand what he is telling you, we can examine
each vocalization to learn more.
Dogs bark for many reasons. This includes alert -to tell you of the presence of something, alarm - to warn you of something potentially harmful, boredom, demand, fear, suspicion, distress, and in play. A distressed dog bark (think separation anxiety) is high-pitched, usually increasingly so, and repetitive. A bored dog bark is a repetitive monotone. An alert bark is a short staccato sound. An alarm bark adds a note of intensity to the alert bark. A demand bark is
sharp, persistent and directed at the human who could provide what the dog is demanding, at least according to the dog. A suspicious dog bark is low and slow. Fear barking is low but faster.
Not sure what your dog’s bark means? Examine the circumstances. What’s your dog doing? His body language will tell you more than any vocal clue will. Practice trying to figure out what the next barking dog is trying to tell you. Not sure what the body language is telling you? Look for more blogs to come on understanding your dog.But
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