BEHAVIOURAL ASPECTS OF BARKING

Humans (particularly in industrialised societies) have modified their living environment to be unnaturally noisy. Not only have we surrounded ourselves with noisy devices, we have also modified our pet dogs so that they make more noise.

Hart and Hart have argued that the barking of dogs is a genetically acquired behaviour that serves to warn pack associates (including people) about intruders.¹ The inference of this opinion is that barking in dogs is a natural characteristic.

Blackshaw, however, pointed out that high levels of barking developed only in the domestic context.² She felt that domestic dogs have not been intentionally selected by mankind to be such bark-prone animals² and argues that barking in the domestic dog is a type of persistent juvenile behaviour. This fits with Coppinger and Feinsteinís view that adult domestic dogs never grow out of their puppy behaviour.³

Even though the vocalisation of todayís pet dogs may be expressed differently from their wild ancestors, barking is a normal and reasonable behaviour in pet dogs.^{1 4} Neither dog owners nor their neighbours are ever likely to mind a dog that barks occasionally when genuinely alarmed. They are, on the contrary, most likely to be grateful to be alerted.

What is considered unreasonable and universally unacceptable is the problem of excessive barking. In the absence of competent general management, domestic dogs have a tendency to become prodigious barkers. We have already seen that irritating, intrusive and unnecessary noise created by excessive barking causes a lot of community stress.

Whether this behaviour is described as persistent, obsessive, compulsive, ritualistic or stereotypic, it is notoriously hard to remedy. In fact, as Hart and Hart pointed out, it may be best to forget about trying to eliminate the barking habit and look instead for ways to alter the situation that leads to the barking.¹ Even that is a good bit easier said than done!

There is something very Catch-22 about barking: barking is not a behaviour problem until it is Ö and then itís too late!

Three ways to prevent excessive barking

This Catch-22 with barking hits right to the heart of the issue. The best course of action with excessive barking is to prevent the problem becoming a problem before it does. There are three ways for dog owners to achieve this:

ï isolation

Keep all pet dogs under conditions of soundproof accommodation on a permanent basis, where nobody will care how quickly or to what degree they become habitual barkers. OR

ï physical prevention

Debark the dogs or hook them up permanently to unpleasant bark suppression devices. OR

ï competent ownership

Choose the breed wisely in the first place and then socialise, obedience train and manage the dogs properly.

We know from experience that none these three options is a complete solution. The first because it is impractical, the second because it fails to address the underlying behavioural fault, and the last because a lot of dog owners donít know how to or wonít manage their pets competently. The answer probably lies in the judicious use of all three in concert.

Any anti-barking program that depends on owner competence first requires that owners understand the causes of excessive barking. A number of key factors can be identified:

ï a learned behaviour

ï attention-seeking behaviour

ï spoiled dog/dominant dog syndrome

ï misdiagnosed behaviour

ï bad advice

ï arousal displacement behaviour

ï genes

ï lack of training

ï owner unable to recognise abnormal barking behaviour

 

For further information, click to see:

ï More about key factors that relate to excessive barking

It would be wrong to give the impression that the factors mentioned above work independently. Such is not the case. The influences work together to result in a final cocktail of barking behaviour. Competent ownership is critical in preventing problem behaviours developing and persisting:

ï All prospective dog owners should choose wisely when selecting the type of dog that is compatible with their own capability and resources.

ï To have dogs that operate in a comfortable and well adjusted way, all owners need to be prepared and able to handle their dogsí socialisation, subsequent training and long-term management competently.

ï To successfully prevent early stages of undesirable behaviour from progressing towards intractable habits, owners need to be prepared and able to take early remedial action.

Effective bark management is about getting these things right, right from the start and right for life. Some dog owners fail to understand the need and some others simply fail to make the effort.

1. Hart BL, Hart LA. 1985. Canine and Feline Behavioral Therapy. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger.

2. Blackshaw JK. 1991. 'Tis a dog's delight to bark and bite. Australian Biologist 4: 184-187.

3. Coppinger R, Feinstein M. 1991. Hark! Hark! The dogs do bark.... and bark and bark. Smithsonian 21: 119-129.

4. Campbell WE. 1992. Vocal behaviour. In: Behaviour Problems in Dogs. American Veterinary Publications: 271-275.