Good Types of Dog Barking

Last night I was serenaded throughout the night by my neighbor’s noisy pack of dogs. There happened to be a full moon last night, and the coyote’s of the area were howling and barking nearby, driving the dogs crazy. My own dogs barked when the coyotes first started in, but stayed quiet the rest of the night after I quieted them with a command. Unfortunately for me, my neighbors must be the world’s deepest sleepers, because I have never heard them quiet their dogs at night.

As I thought about the all night barking, it was obvious that even though dogs may start their barking for a good reason sometimes, when it is out of control it is a problem just like any other form of barking.I felt like the owners were at least as much at fault as their dogs-if not more-for not correcting the problem.

Even though our dogs may have a good reason to start barking, as their owner it is my job to keep it under control. My dogs bark for some very good reasons that I wouldn’t want to stop.

For example, here are some natural and acceptable reasons that will cause your dog will bark. These types of “good barking” examples are just forms of normal communication and are not caused by any behavioral issues that your dog may have.

• One very good reason for your dog to bark is to warn you that something (perhaps a stranger or another dog) is coming your way. This type of warning is something you want to have from your dog, and so you will not want to discourage it. Having said that, your dog should be willing to stop his barking as soon as you tell him to stop. One example would be quieting your dog when he barks at someone who has parked in front of your house that you know is not dangerous-he should quiet down as soon as you say so. Of course if the visitor is someone you really don’t want visiting (your mother-in-law or something) you may decide to let your dog’s barking continue a while-(just kidding). Protection barking is “good barking”-just make sure you can always control and stop the barking quickly with a command. Although these reasons for dog barking are OK, other reasons indicate dog barking problems needing to be controlled.

• Dogs will often bark for the good reason that they are happy and excited . My dogs always do some barking at me and at each other when we play. Your dog is just saying how much fun he is having, and how he wants more. If one of the dogs starts barking too much from all the excitement I will then tell him to quiet down.  Some playful barking is jut fine, but when one of them gets too into the barking, that has to be stopped. Because your dog may develop a barking habit from too much excitement if you don’t limit it while playing, you need to pay attention to that.
• Your dog may start barking when you first come home. This is a very common since your dog is excited to see you again, and this is acceptable as long as the barking is very brief. My dogs always greet me at the gate when I come home, and I don’t mind a couple barks because that is all there are. It would be a problem if the dogs got over-excited and didn’t stop their barking at the gate. If the dogs don’t stop barking very shortly after your arrival, the barking has become a problem, and needs correction.

• When my Lab wants some playtime, she will let me know via a bark or two, as she brings me a ball to throw.  If they continue barking at you to play, they are actually bullying you in a way. My dog had me pretty well trained through her bullying, so I know what this is like first hand. this is not a good thing, because as the Alpha dog, you must be the one to decide when playtime starts, not the dog. Otherwise you are letting the dog be the boss of you, and that isn’t good for your ability to train him. Don’t let your dog bully you into playing-remember, you must be the leader, the Alpha dog.

So, you can see, all the above forms of barking are socially acceptable (when controlled)-whether because the barking stops very quickly when there is no reason for it, or because the dog is protecting you. However, most of the other reasons dogs bark create a disturbance and should be corrected.

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