When a stray dog barks in the middle of the night, Noomi, my dog, wherever she is, feels compelled to respond. Her barks echo through the house in the quiet of the night.
When I brought Noomi home, she was 45 days old. She quickly adapted to her name(s)—since she has many nicknames—and learned to respond to all the commands. She sits, gives me her paw, rolls on her belly, and does many tricks she’s learned over time. However, sometimes, I wonder if she understands my language more than I do.
For the most part, I don’t understand why my dog barks. Most of the time, I don’t seem to understand the logic behind her vocalising. However, no animal speaks (or makes a sound) for the sake of making noise. Our ‘ability to communicate’ makes us think humans are ‘superior’ because it allows us to understand one another. We can express our needs, wants, feelings, opinions, etc.
Dog’s barks are their language. Some dog breeds seem to bark more than others. Noomi, for the most part, is a quiet puppy. She often communicates more with her body language than her barking. However, that doesn’t mean her barking has no meaning. Their sounds are a way to communicate with us and other dogs. Dogs vocalise to alert us of what they may perceive as danger, to express their feelings and to communicate with other dogs (which my dog likes to do in the middle of the night).
If you noticed, dog vocalising varies. It is not just one sound. While dogs’ barks may not equate to our large variety of words, different expressions have different sounds. Just like humans, dogs, too, have a complex range of emotions. The pitch of a dog’s bark varies. The number of barks and the interval between them may vary depending on the meaning. Whenever Noomi is hungry or wants something, she has a high-pitched bark, almost like a demanding child. “[T]he lower the bark, the more serious the dog,” according to the American Kennel Club.
The more barks a dog makes in a sequence, the more stimulated he is. An extended string of barks, such as the prolonged sound of alarm barking, shows the dog is significantly more worked up. We must also consider the spacing between barks; the faster the barks come in sequence, the more aggressive the dog is likely to be. “[W]hen a dog is on the attack, his vocalisations will have the shortest pause between barks of any other barking sound,” writes Stephanie Gibeault of the American Kennel Club.
Noomi, a guard dog, shows similar characteristics. If a stranger tries to get through our backyard, Noomi becomes alert. Her barks are low in addition to the alarming growls. Noomi’s growls are serious business. They resolve with inconsistent barking, usually scaring away people and intruders. She tends to vocalise that way, even when someone disrupts her sleep. The first growl is often a warning before she lets her aggression lose. Compared to her angry or serious growls and barks, her friendly, welcoming barks are full of cheer. They are not shrill, as to say, but are not as low as the former. Additionally, the joyous barks are often paired with happy-go-lucky dog tail wags.
Singular barks are usually a response to annoyance or surprise. Sometimes, Noomi uses single or long-spaced bark to get attention. However, these barks are high-pitched compared to those meant to alert us. These barks are very different from the sounds made when they’re in distress. Just like humans, dogs, too, can feel pain, anxiety, fear, loneliness, boredom, etc. Under stressful situations, dogs bark with a higher pitch voice, often paired with whining.
“Anxious barking often seems to be an act of self-soothing for many dogs,” writes Jenna Stregowski, a veterinary technician. Dogs suffering from separation anxiety often whine when left alone. A lonely dog could also bark to entertain itself. They tend to vocalise the pent-up energy; however, it only means that your pet may need some activity. Some dogs respond to situations by creating fear with high-pitched voices.
Noomi is an aggressive confronter when it comes to other dogs, but she is medium-sized, often provoking much bigger dogs into fights. I have noticed that if Noomi gets scared, she remains quiet, focused on ways to escape the threat; however, if she gets hurt in any way, she will let out a single, loud shriek, almost like a woman’s scream.
Lastly, dogs bark when they hear other dogs bark. When one dog barks, it sets off a chain reaction of howling and barking from all the dogs in the neighbourhood; it is just a natural response, the way dogs communicate.
Over time, we have been able to curb Noomi’s excessive barking with basic dog training and positive reinforcements. She still voices out when she meets a friend or hears the neighbourhood dog. It’s almost like a dog orchestra harmonising with one another. However, the word ‘quiet’ or ‘no barking’ makes sense to her and follows the command.
With Noomi, I know she does her best to understand what we mean when speaking to her. Wouldn’t it be great if we could do the same for them? Be it a pet or a stray, a barking dog often has something to say. We need patience and willingness to understand.
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