My acronym is something I formulated to teach my students a bit more about why dogs bark. Not all barking is negative. In fact, when a dog barks they are trying to tell you something. Here are four main reasons why your dog may be barking. So listen up and let me help you decipher what your dog is trying to say.
B stands for Boredom barking. Boredom barking is the #1 reason dogs bark. Yes, I said #1. To me that's so sad. Now hear this... All of us have heard the dog barking incessantly, waking us up early in the morning or serenading us to sleep at night in our neighborhoods. It can be irritating. But if you think about it, it's sad. Plainly sad. The #1 reason most dogs bark is out of boredom and guess what...they bark to give themselves a job to do. Dogs are meant to have a job. Do you know your breed? Herding, hunting, draft work.... Most dogs want, NEED, to be active, it's in their DNA. The dogs who are boredom barking are the ones most often tied to their dog house or placed in a small kennel for hours and hours, if not days and months...even years on end. This is their life. They seldom get a reprieve from their chain or wire enclosure. These precious pups aren't allowed to go anywhere, their view is exactly the same day in and day out. Oh, they might see a leaf fly by or even a skunk or raccoon walk by. But that's it... No walks, no travel, no playing tug...nada...nothing I have to wonder why the person who ties their dog got them in the first place. Dogs are called companion animals for a reason, right? Dogs enjoy sharing our lives WITH us. So next time you hear a dog barking and barking maybe you could do a little investigation and take pity on this poor pooch instead of getting irritated.
A stands for Alert barking. This is a very good reason for a dog to bark. Did you know that the #1 deterrent for a thief bent on breaking into your house is a barking dog? I love my dogs to alert me by barking and I reward alert barking when at home. I live in the country and you can bet I want to know when something is amiss. When my dogs bark, you can be sure there is something afoot. Someone is in my driveway, on my property, a pony is out of the field (that's happened), a fox, a skunk, a dog or a kitty has been on or by my front porch. Alert barking is a very good thing! So when my dogs bark, I 'thank them", ask them to go to their place while I investigate. They are spot on every time. Good dogs!
R is for Request barking. Think of Lassie going to get help for Timmy. "Is Timmy stuck in a well?" A little bit of trivia for all the Lassie fans, Timmy was never stuck in a well. But, he was often in some sort of trouble. We humans can be a bit slow but I encourage you to take your time and think things through and investigate. Dogs do bark to request...something. My sweet Jack Russell Libby told me when the water bowl was empty. I remember the first time she sat squarely right in front of me and barked. I didn't think much about it and just got up to let her out. Dogs do bark when they need to be let out too. I opened the door and Libby just sat there and looked at me like, "silly human I don't want to go outside." I stood there perplexed. She barked again and I said, "Libby if you don't want to go outside what do you want?" I didn't give it too much thought, gave her some attention and went back to work. A few minutes later, I went to the kitchen to check on dinner and my little lady followed me with a skip in her step (finally the human's got it). Hmmm, I thought what's up here... She skipped over to her water bowl and looked at it and then at me. I looked at the bowl and good grief - it was empty. Libby was thirsty. Humans learn a bit slowly but from then on when Libby sat down and gave me one sharp bark, I knew there was a good chance the water bowl needed filled.
F is for Fearful or Frightened Barking. This is the type of barking you often see at a obedience class where lots of dogs are crammed in a small space. There is always that one or two dogs who are barking in a fast tempo and a bit high pitched. People mistake this type of barking as aggression. When most often this type of barking is just a reaction to being overly stimulated, overwhelmed, fearful or frightened...these dogs are often insecure and telling the other dogs to stay away. Trainers call this type of barking re-activity. Certainly, sometimes a dog is barking because they are aggressive. When a dog is being aggressive they are showing their teeth, lips pulled back, ears pinned and they mean business. Most barking from dogs in high stimuli environments is fearful barking. These dogs need help and with time, positive reinforcement training and socialization they will come to realize that no one, human or canine, means them any harm.
So there you go - B.A.R.F. I think this is a fun acronym and one most people won't forget. So the next time you hear a dog bark...investigate...think it through...our dogs are often barking for a reason, it's up to the human to figure out why.
Happy trails everyone!
