Why do dogs like to bark? In fact, dogs are communicating with you.
Barking=Communication
Dogs’ communication methods include body language and vocal communication. Body language such as leaning down, tilting the head, turning the belly, shaking the butt, wagging the tail, pawing the ground, and even making eyes, etc., while the vocalizations are mainly growling and barking. . Of course, some people will say that dogs also exchange information through their anal glands, but that is mostly used for communication between dogs and is almost useless for communication between dogs and humans.
For domestic pet dogs, growling rarely occurs and is mostly barking. Barking is the best communication tool for dogs. It not only transmits long distances, but also can penetrate obstacles. For example, you can hear a dog barking in the living room from your bedroom, and then you will judge by the frequency and pitch of its barking whether a stranger is knocking on the door or a family member has returned. You don't need to see the dog, but you have completed a communication.
Barking is a natural instinct that dogs are born with, and it is perfectly normal for dogs. Just like humans who can talk, people who can't talk are abnormal, and dogs who can't bark are also abnormal (note: don't like to bark ≠ can't bark).
But we humans are always accustomed to choosing external things based on our own preferences, from a paper clip to a personal partner. As long as we have the opportunity to choose, we will always choose what we like. When faced with something you don't like, you always think it's the other person's problem. For example, when we go to buy a computer, we will say "This computer is too heavy for me to use" but rarely say "I am too weak to buy this computer".
When faced with the problem of dog barking, most people will also think that it is the dog's problem. They will say "dogs always like to bark, which is very annoying", but few people say "I I don’t understand dogs yet, so it always barks.”
So, if you want to solve the problem of dog barking, you must understand why dogs bark!
Dog Why do dogs bark?
The function of dog barking is twofold: warning and reminder
Warnings and prompts sometimes occur at the same time. For example, when a stranger is outside the door, a dog barking can not only warn the person outside the door that "there is a vicious dog inside, please do not come in", but also remind the owner "Hey, that person outside is you." Do you know each other?"; Sometimes it happens alone. For example, when two strange dogs meet for the first time, some dogs will yell at each other. This may be to warn the other party: "Don't mess around, I'm super fierce!" , or it may be an invitation to "brother, come over and play", but the specific purpose of barking needs to be judged by the owner based on the dog's body movements and the intensity of the barking at the time.
When barking is used alone as a reminder, the pitch of the bark is usually low and gentle, and it barks or hums softly to satisfy its own inner needs or to remind its owner.
● Reasons for barking:
The main causes of dog barking include excitement, fear, anxiety, pain, disease, boredom, physiological needs, etc., but specific to every dog, every barking They bark, but the reasons for their barking are different and strange. But in general, all barking can be summarized in one sentence: "Barking is a dog's normal response to internal needs and external stimuli."
Yes, no matter day or night, barking is good for dogs It is a normal thing for them. They bark to express their needs, release stress, soothe their emotions, and also give corresponding prompts to their owners.
For example, they will bark when they are hungry, they will bark when they want convenience, they will bark when they are happy, they will bark when they are bored, they will bark when they want to be hugged by their owners, and they will bark when their owners go out.
But many times these barking behaviors, which appear normal to them, are not welcomed by humans. Therefore, there are all kinds of strange anti-barking methods, such as the "barking device", "beating", "vocal cord cutting" mentioned above, etc. This is really too cruel and unfair for dogs, but Humans have never been fair to their own kind, so how can they be fair to dogs?
How to solve the barking problem
The overall approach to solving the barking problem falls into two categories: meeting the need and reducing stimulation.
● Meet the dog’s inner needs:
The intrinsic needs of dogs are divided into physiological needs and mental needs. Physiological needs such as hunger, thirst, cold, convenience, etc. We only need to discover the need and satisfy it, which generally does not cause too much trouble. But mental needs often cause us more trouble. For example, every time you want to take it out for a walk, it will get excited and start barking when it sees you holding the leash, which is very annoying. If you want to correct this behavior, then whenever this happens, you can't open the door immediately and let it out. Instead, you should wait for it to calm down and calm down before slowly opening the door. If it sees you opening the door and starts barking again. , then you stop opening the door again, wait for it to become quiet, and then open the door again. If you repeat this behavior many times, it will slowly understand that only by waiting quietly can you quickly go out to let out air.
● Reduce external stimuli:
Some dogs may react to certain external stimuli, such as the sound of fireworks exploding, the sound of thunder and lightning. We only treat barking caused by these external stimuli. Just avoid or reduce external stimulation. Of course, if your dog is "allergic" to the sound of fireworks exploding, but you want to take him to watch the fireworks, you can also desensitize him. For example, if a dog barks when it hears the doorbell, we can open the door for our family in advance to avoid stimulation, but we can also conduct desensitization training to solve the problem once and for all.
Issues that need attention
Dogs All barks are for a reason, and he will always be thinking about how to please you rather than how to annoy you! In the process of correcting the dog's barking problem, we must set appropriate expectations for the dog. We must not rush for results, let alone think that one day, it will be impossible to train the dog not to bark at all. , and it will also reduce a lot of the fun of raising a dog.
● Differences between puppies and adults:
Whether it is training new behaviors or correcting old mistakes, the training of adult dogs is much more difficult than that of puppies, because puppies have not yet formed fixed behavioral habits. Just establish a new behavioral habit for it that you think is correct and maintain it. To correct the "wrong behavior" of an adult dog, you need to make it "forget" the "wrong behavior" (it is just a behavior you don't like, but it is not wrong in its opinion).Only by "establishing" new "correct behaviors" and consolidating and maintaining them can the "correct behaviors" be effective for a long time.
There is no specific order between "forgetting" and "establishing". We often establish new behaviors for dogs while slowly forgetting old behaviors. This is also what confuses some dogs. . Therefore, when we correct the "wrong behavior" of adult dogs, we must be patient enough and avoid using punishment!
● Avoid punishment:
Avoid yelling and hitting the dog. For some dogs who want to attract the attention of their owners, your yelling will be considered a response, or even Sometimes your spanking and scolding will be treated as a reward. For some dogs who bark out of fear or anxiety, punishment will only create more fear and anxiety and may lead to new unwanted behaviors.
● Use anti-barking collars with caution:
If you talk to pet shop owners about the problem of pet barking, most of them will recommend you to use anti-barking collars, but this is really inhumane. If you really love it , then please refuse to use the anti-barking collar.
Most anti-barking collars rely on electric shock to interrupt the dog's barking. When the dog barks loudly, press the remote control in your hand to give the dog an electric shock. In essence, anti-barking collars stop barking. It is the same as beating it with force to stop it from barking. It is achieved by punishing the dog. It’s just that anti-barking collars are easier, faster, and more effective to use. Some businesses advertise that they are not harmful to dogs. I just want to say, "Fuck it, can you try it with a battery?"
More importantly, anti-barking collars cannot fundamentally solve the barking problem. , it will only make the dog live in fear, making the dog dare not bark because of fear of being shocked, but will not generate internal driving force, which is difficult to maintain for a long time. As long as the electric shock behavior disappears, this binding force will It will disappear and the behavioral problems will return.
Barking arresters will only make dogs that bark out of fear even more frightened, and dogs that bark out of anxiety even more anxious. Not only will they not be able to solve the underlying problem, they will also cause more harm and even create new ones. behavioral problems!
Related articles
Random articles
- Does dog distemper cause fever?
- Can a Czech Wolfdog have two owners?
- French Dou's hind legs were suddenly paralyzed and died a few days later
- Bichon Frize vomits yellow water with foam
- How can you tell how big a native dog will grow? You can’t see it at birth, but at the day after tomorrow!
- Late stage pyometra in dogs must be treated in time!
- What problems should you pay attention to when raising a dog? Most dog owners are making the same mistakes!
- How to know if your dog has a cold? The owner needs to distinguish between real and fake colds!
- The prerequisite for the ten-day observation method is not to do nothing and wait for ten days!
- What can dogs with diabetes eat? Diet choices are very particular.