Barking has and will always be a perennial problem with dogs. Owning a dog that barks even without any cause is often a cause of stress and it can usually earn the ire of the neighbors.
By nature, dogs bark for a variety of reasons. Aside from body language, dogs express their innermost thoughts and feelings with different vocalizations. Dogs bark to alert the pack of an intruder or stranger or dogs bark as a mode of communication with other dogs.
Studies have shown that neutered dogs bark less compared to the intact ones because neutered dogs have become less territorial. A dog’s breed will also have an influence on the barking tendencies of dogs. Most hunting and herding dogs tend to engage in more barking because they were originally bred to hunt and alert their masters with a bark or two when the prey has been cornered. Beagles and Terriers are also two dog breeds that love to bark.
In some dogs, barking has become not so much as a mode of communication but a negative behavior. The only key that can unlock the “Pandora’s Box” of reasons why a dog suffers from incessant barking is to delve deep into what is causing the behavior. Some of the most common cause of non-stop barking in dogs is feelings of loneliness and anxiety, a means to get its owner’s attention, or as a means to communicate that it’s bored and there is nothing exciting happening in its daily life. Understanding the root of the problem will greatly help in plotting out ways to solve a dog’s barking problem.
Obedience training is very important in order to instill a sense of what is allowed and what’s not. Dogs should learn to bark on command and to realize the appropriate times when barking is desirable.
