Russell’s dog Betty is staying with us for a visit. She’s a very good dog and a pleasure to host. Her stay also is reacquainting us with canine behavior–like barking.
Betty is not a barker. She communicates primarily through lots of tail-wagging and plaintive, sad-eyed “please feed me because I’m famished” looks, and barks only when she hears an unexpected noise, like a doorbell ring from the TV. But because Betty is here, we’re interacting more with other dogs, and some of them are big-time barkers.
This morning, for example, I took Betty down to answer the call of nature, and we encountered two dogs who immediately started yapping like crazy. Their human pal tried to hush them, but it was a futile effort. The two dogs raised a ruckus, while Betty stayed calm and silent. It was as if she was a bit embarrassed by the whole barking display by her fellow dogs and hoped to encourage them to control themselves by setting an impressive example of quiet restraint. Alas, they didn’t follow her lead.
Why do some dogs bark so much? Veterinary behaviorists note that there are lots of potential reasons, like surprise, territorialism, a desire to make their presence known, or learned behavior because the savvy pooch has realized that her human buddy pays more attention to her when she starts howling. Among older dogs, barking issues might be a sign of hearing loss or even dementia. And some breeds tend to yap more than others. In my experience, barking is often most pronounced in smaller dogs–perhaps because the bark is intended to compensate for their small stature.
I’m glad Betty is not a barker.
Webner House 