CANINE
Dog Speak - The Language of Barking
Diane Garrod examines canine communication and presents some tips on how to
t a recent public event I attended, the question asked most by companion dog owners was, "How do I get my dog to stop barking?" As professionals, of course, the first thing we want to do is ask more questions. "When does the dog bark?", "What time of day?", "What are they barking at?", "What are they getting out of it?", "What do you do when they bark?", "What do you want them to do instead?" and so on. We can all think of people who talk too much yet no one asks, "How can I get my friend to stop talking?" The question would not even enter our minds and nor would any of the other questions stated above. We may find our talkative friends entertaining, informative and filled with life and if we don't like it, then we can simply walk away, “unfriend” them or decide simply to tolerate them. Dogs, on the other hand, do not speak our language. Sometimes it can be hard to understand what they are saying, which may make their behavior become annoying. Imagine, however, how frustrating it must be to the dog not to be heard, or worse, ignored.
Barking Facts
Fact: Barking communication has a very clear progression and purpose. It starts abruptly between two and four weeks of age, with most puppies showing a response as if they are startled by their first bark. Initially, barking occurs in a play-soliciting context and is not associated with serious aggression until after eight weeks of age, when puppies will respond to their dam's growl. Aggressive barks by puppies generally do not occur before 12 weeks. By the fourth month, the aggressive bark is more marked in defense of food and toward strange dogs, probably more as an announcement of presence rather than a warning. This announcement of presence continues and can become stronger and more persistent, especially in areas where many strange dogs and people pass by. Defense of food is also natural, referred to as resource guarding by humans. These two communication pieces are quite ingrained and natural early in life and needed for survival. Since dogs are domesticated they need to figure out how to exist in a human world that does not always welcome barking. Coppinger, Lord & Feinstein state that barking is a universally recognized hallmark of the domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris. From the casual human listener’s standpoint, barking seems read-
ily distinguishable from other vocalizations. But the terms “bark” and “barking” are often used in the scientific literature without a precise definition of a bark’s structure. The function of this vocalization is variously analyzed as an alarm call (Cohen & Fox, 1976; Tembrock, 1976; Lehner, 1978; Schassburger, 1987, 1993; Harrington & Asa, 2003); a territory-marking signal (Lehner, 1978; Cohen & Fox, 1976); a rally call (Schassburger, 1987; Cohen & Fox, 1976); or an indicator of motivational state (Morton, 1977; Bleicher, 1963; Tembrock, 1976). Coppinger & Feinstein (1991) argue that dog barking is a developmental artifact with no intrinsic function;Yin & McCowan (2004), and Yin (2002) & Feddersen-Petersen (2000) speculate that barks may have referential content. There is a lot of speculation and ongoing study on the communication of dogs. Barking is a foreign language for which we have no interpreter, like trying to understand a code only known by its originator. The tone of continuous, incessant barking can be irritating for the people those dogs live with. It can be established then that excessive barking is a communication problem.
Excessive barking is one of the most commonly reported behavior problems amongst dog owners
© Can Stock Photo/membio
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manage and prevent over-barking
Fact: Excessive barking is one of the top five reported behavior problems, comprising between 6 - 35 percent of all complaints to canine behavior consultants. Over-barking can cause over-excitement, which can cause high level stress and other behavior issues (Campbell, 1973; 1986). Some breeds are known for being barkers, i.e. dachshunds - but client complaints also come from owners of beagles, collies, dachshunds, Dalmatians, miniature schnauzers, Shetland sheepdogs, silky terriers and Yorkshire terriers (Campbell, 1974).
13 Reasons Barking Is Reinforced
1) Early experience. 2) Owner gives attention to barking dog, reinforcing it. 3) Dog is fearful. 4) Dog is distressed, i.e. separation anxiety. 5) Current environment can trigger excessive barking. 6) Dogs overly-excited with physical or mental stress. 7) Lack of mental stimulation or boredom. 8) Infection, hormonal or metabolic disease. 9) Too little or too much environmental stimuli. 10) Attention seeking.
BARKS from the Guild/January 2016
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