Why does my dog bark?

Dogs bark by responding to daily stimuli such as people or vehicles moving past their house. They all think that the objects they are barking at have gone away as a direct result of their territorial display of aggression.

But sometimes, dogs bark simply because you’re not home, which is referred to as separation anxiety.  Plainly put, for the sufferer, this is the feeling sometimes experienced when not in the presence of the support base offered by a significant other, i.e. in the case of the dog, its owner.  A common symptom of its separation anxiety is barking and howling.

A dog bark can go on for hours at a time, which can obviously be infuriating for neighbours. To the barking dog, the strategy seems to work as it eventually brings the owner back, however long it takes.

Why does a dog bark? Sometimes, summon their owner home

A relationship has been allowed to form in which the dog believes it is the ‘teller’ and the owner is the ‘doer’ in the relationship. It believes it is the higher ranked of the two parties, with the power to decide who has the right to leave the pack territory.  Essentially, it is summoning the owner back to ‘the pack’.

The response is driven by insecurity and will only be resolved by the owner proving to the dog that he is worth being followed as the leader and can always be trusted to return, no matter how long it takes.

What can I do to cure this habit?

When you shout at your dog, he thinks that you are barking along with him, which just makes matters worse.  If a neighbour resorts to shouting or throwing objects at the dog, he merely confirms to the dog that the person is a threat to be repelled.

Your dog needs to have a safe place when you are not around to supervise him.  It should be a retreat, a safe place which says to him, “If I cannot get out you cannot get in”.

A good strategy is to record sounds to which he normally responds with barking at feed and treat time, and then reward him with treats until he learns to stop viewing those sounds as threats.

I have found that the homeopathic remedies work quite well in assisting the suffer cope and learn while going through this change.  Speak to your pharmacist or vet about the type and dose.

Contact John Faul on 076 943 5014, or email john@caninefeline.co.za.   John contributes to numerous magazines and newspapers and has appeared on radio programmes including Cape Talk, 702 and SAFM over the past nine years.

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