The Barking of Dogs:
Noise and Neighbors
by Christie Keith

What do incarcerated burglars name as the number one deterrent to robbing a particular home? A barking dog. What is one of the most annoying and infuriating noises known to human ears? A barking dog.

We all want one of those dogs which, like Rin Tin Tin or Lassie, possesses that sixth sense by which the smartest canines can tell friend from foe. However, many dogs are so hyper-reactive to intruders that they bark at people driving down the road, the neighbor’s sleeping cat, and that suspicious looking soccer ball in the driveway. This kind of barking, which often happens when the dog’s owners are out, can drive anyone nearby insane.

Why Do Dogs Bark?

On a species level, dogs bark because we want them to. Wolves, from whom domestic dogs are descended, do not bark. The reason domestic dogs bark is twofold, and is related to both selective breeding and a process known as neoteny.

Neoteny is the retention of juvenile characteristics into adulthood. Humans selected for these characteristics as they developed the dog out of the wolf, and further developed breeds out of early wolf-dogs. We selected for the retention of infantile traits such as large heads, flat faces, large eyes, submissiveness, and yes, vocalizing. We further selected for vocalizing when we began to use dogs as watchdogs, when their barking served as a primitive burglar alarm.

The reasons individual dogs bark are more varied. Dogs bark to attract attention, to communicate a message, or out of excitement. The first two are very responsive to training and lifestyle changes; the last one, less so.

The Call of the Lonely

Dogs are social animals. Wolves literally are never alone in all their lives, and when we bring dogs into our families we are in essence replacing their natural pack structure with our own. It would be very surprising indeed if the dog who is left alone all day long did not bark. Dogs need company, they need activity, they need attention. One of the best remedies for a barking dog is to give them the lifestyle they need. Take the dog with you more. Stay home more. Or you could get a second dog.

Best Friends or Partners in Crime?

A second dog under the right circumstances can solve a barking problem. It can also make it much, much worse. Which way it goes depends on what the humans in the situation do. Do you train your dogs? Do you teach them to look to your guidance? Do they actually know what “no” and “enough” mean? Or do you just take them as they are and complain when their behavior is not what you would like?

Dogs need to be taught to pay attention to their owners, and the best way to get that result is to take a simple dog training class. More than teaching them to sit, to stay, and to come, dog training teaches you and your dog to communicate with one another, and gives the dog confidence in you and your authority. Without training, only the most docile of pets or the most undemanding of owners can have a comfortable and peaceful co-existence. Two untrained dogs can be far more than twice as destructive and noisy as one.

If a dog is bored and under-exercised, a second dog might give him something to do and something to wear him out. The two of them can keep each other company when you are not home, and this can bring occasional frustration barking under control. However, without training, the dogs will just teach each other new and better ways to bark.

Let Me In!

Dogs who bark to convey a message are generally saying two things: let me out/in, or get out. The first is the habit of the dog whose owner lets him in when he barks. Dogs who are rewarded for barking will continue to bark. It got them in the house once, it might work again. It got them mommy coming out to see them.... the fact that mommy was yelling doesn’t necessarily register with the dog. Their boredom and loneliness was still alleviated, at least for a moment.

If your dog barks when confined or left alone, there are two approaches to take: try and make the lifestyle more suitable for the dog, and stop rewarding misbehavior. The book Dog Problems by Carol Lea Benjamin has some excellent training tips on controlling this type of problem barking.

Watchdog Barking

We’re all very grateful for watchdog barking when it protects us or our homes, but those dogs who bark at every leaf that blows by can shatter the peace of a neighborhood in no time. Dogs who bark primarily at intruders (which they see as anyone passing by the house) can be confined to an area where they can’t see the whole street. Perhaps a solid fence could be installed, or the dog kept in the house.

These dogs can also be rendered more discriminating in who and what they bark at. This can be accomplished by developing their intelligence and reasoning ability through training. While not successful for every hyper-reactive dog, some become true paragons of discernment and extremely effective watchdogs. I have a dog who only barks if there is a real cause. If Colleen, is barking, there’s a reason, and I know to take it seriously.

Happy Dog Barking

Excitement and play barking are very, very difficult to control or eradicate. The dog often doesn’t even know he is vocalizing, which makes it very hard to get his attention long enough to train him to stop. The solution to this kind of barking can be very complicated, and often requires the use of a dog trainer. Some of the methods used to retrain a dog who barks when happy involve making the dog UNhappy, and when that becomes too difficult or perhaps even inhumane, the option of debarking becomes one to consider.

Debarking, when done well, renders the dog unable to make a loud bark. It doesn’t make him silent, but rather gives him a low, raspy bark which cannot be heard from more than a few feet away. When done poorly, results can be either ineffective, or temporary, or both. The major drawbacks of debarking are most people feel it is inhumane and don’t hesitate to let you know it, and your dog will no longer be able to vocalize. If you lose your dog, or he is trapped and you need to know where, or if he is in distress out of your sight, you have lost your ability to locate him by his bark. It’s up to the individual owner to weigh the benefits and risks of that decision. Except for the case of "excitement" barkers, debarking is sort of like cutting the wire to the engine warning light and figuring you fixed your car.

When It’s Not Your Dog

If neighborhood dogs are barking, and it is causing you distress, you can contact the sheriff or police. Like all neighbor relations, the decision to get government and law enforcement involved is a tough one. If you have a relationship with your neighbors, it might be worth chatting with them a bit to see how they feel about the problem. If they are open to suggestions, you might give them the book Dog Problems by Carol Lea Benjamin, which contains suggestions on controlling barking. If you have a dog, you might suggest taking a training class together, or getting the dogs together for a play date in the middle of the day; tired dogs sleep, and sleeping dogs aren’t barking.

In the end, noise issues are noise issues, whether it’s a blaring radio or a barking dog. Cooperative neighbors will find a solution, and bad neighbors don’t care in the first place.

Copyright 2002 by Christie Keith. Used with permission. All rights reserved.