Case Studies - Barking

A Dog Bark is a response to a stimulus ie They are barking to tell you something!  Dogs have great intuition, follow their instincts and can sense danger, way before human beings.  Which means if they sense something is not right they’re going to let us know. Learning to recognize the different type of bark your dog gives in certain situations will help you to work out what your dog is telling you.  The following example descriptions and sound bytes should help you:

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High pitched bark:  Your dog is overexcited and needs more physical exercise or mental stimulation.

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High pitched ‘Yap’:  My Jack Russell Freddy does this when he has seen a rabbit and wants to chase after it!  It’s another case of over excitement and alert!

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Deep assertive bark:  Usually an alert to tell you someone is entering the dogs territory.  Guarding breeds tend to do this when they are protecting someone/something.

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Bark with a grumble:  Dogs who are insecure or fearful tend to bark and growl, it’s not as high pitched as an overexcited bark.

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Excessive barking:  Dog’s continuously bark when they are distressed, sometimes because their needs as an animal are not being fulfilled.  Maybe they need more exercise and they are bored, or they need to go to the toilet, they’re hungry etc

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Distressed bark:  Some dogs who suffer from anxiety particularly when they are left or put in their cage will bark continuously until they learn to feel relaxed.  This distressed barking is often accompanied by lots of panting and what I call ‘rabbit in headlight’ eyes!  Older dogs can also become distressed as their sight and hearing deteriorates and they sometimes become disorientated and can’t find you, so their way of telling you is to bark!

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The audio example below is from a young dog who had severe separation anxiety and his owner couldn’t leave the house without him!