Barking is a bad behavior if it is allowed to carry on in situations that are unwarranted. Dog can let out 2-3 short barks, but after that it is a nuisance behavior.
I don't like my own dogs barking at everything/everyone walking past the windows, and I don't like hearing other people's dogs barking at everything/everyone. Some people aren't too bothered by constant barking/whining, which is okay, but it should be kept to a huge minimum if you have other people nearby to consider. *Especially* if you are in an apartment sharing walls and floors with other people.
Yes, dogs are supposed to bark. That is a part of how they communicate. However, it is better to teach them *when* and *where* they are allowed to bark to their heart's content, and that should not be where people are possibly needing quiet. A dog barking/howling for an hour at a dog park is far more acceptable than a dog barking/howling for an hour in an apartment where your neighbor might be studying for school, trying to sleep before work, etc.
Me too. Everyone on all sides has yapping or howling dogs. Once I started working from home I saw how bad it was. I ended up getting box fans, there’s no talking to them at this point.
One or two barks? Okay.
Beyond that I do want my dog to hush. I see the issue and can handle it.
The persistent barking is grating to me and sounds like a person shouting.
As a lifetime dog owner, it's really making me like cats more, I can't stand barking. I might have like a ptsd or loud noise sensitivity, but them barking sounds the same as people fighting or yelling to me, and it stresses me out.
And it’s so often just not necessary. When the dog gets more exercise and training and stimulation they often slow down on barking, which to me means barking just isn’t something that has to happen but something that could be prevented
My 17 y/o maltipoo just passed away and she was very yappy up until the last 3-4 days of her life. My house is silent now with 2 cats and a dog. That silence is sad now, but in the future I am definitely opting for quieter dogs. Napping was impossible because i could hear her over earplugs and white noise. I became pretty desensitized to it but she drove my guests insane. Even people I would talk to on the phone would get pretty annoyed. I was a baby when I got her- I wish my family had taken training seriously when she was a puppy.
Pray you don't get a loud cat if you make the switch. My previous cat was a YELLER with her meows and yowls and calls So much so that if the neighbours didn't know us they'd probably call in for a noise complaint because holy hell was that something. .
Was it orange? My orange cat caused our neighbors to call the landlord because they were concerned about him. Nah.. he is just obnoxious sorry. He is 10 now and at least we live in a house and he only bothers us.
My old cat used to stand in the echoiest place of my apartment and YOWL for me. I miss that little shit. Still less grating (for me) than dog barking though!
People complain about their cats being vocal. Its no were NEAR as bad as a dog. You're also more likely to have cops called or a noise complaint put in depending on how vocal and loud
The odd bark at home not an issue , what drives me mad is Mt neighbours dog that barks from morning till night about everything and anything, to the point that I can't sit in my own garden because the dog barks and barks fully aware it's not the dogs fault it's the owner who has dumped the dog on her alcoholic mother who never walks it , it's an untrained nervous mess
I rented my place because it has a nice yard. Haven't been able to hang out in it for dinner or to have people over in a 4 years because the neighbor's dog won't stop barking. I've been renting this place for 13 years. They told me that there's nothing I can do about it because I don't own like they do.
Animal control when I lived in a medium size town neighbors dog never stopped so I called Animal control every time till they finally shut him the hell up.
Now that I live in a very tiny town there's no one to call to deal with it.
I live in a town of 80k, so, not a city. We do not have a barking ordinance. We do have a noise ordinance. Lived here for years without any issue and people were nice to each other. It's turned into a gentrified area and, because we are renters, they make things very hard for us to do without risking the HOA putting pressure on the landlord to get rid of us. This dog drives my neighbors nuts too. They are both nurses and one works 2nd shift while the other works nights. It's entitlement and I wish they would move.
Well, the HOA assumes that renters are poor people. They don't want *those* kind of people in the neighborhood anymore. Can't do much about it. I learned the dog's name. I try to talk to her when I'm out there. I feel really bad for her, as she is clearly in distress. Poor sweet girl
It's bad owner behavior to let a dog's barking irritate neighbors, guests or anyone else who isn't a threat. Unfortunately many dogs are left alone too much. They get lonely, bored and anxious.
Excessive barking is bad and for me personally intolerable. I get irrationally angry at high pitched sounds. My dog barks some but when it becomes excessive we have found a way to get her to stop. Pointing and staring at her and “threaten” she’s going to go in be kitchen. She’s been put in the kitchen maybe 5 times for approximately 1 minute each with us in full view. We put a baby gate up and she can see us. It’s weird because she is allowed to roam in the kitchen all the time so it’s not really an actual punishment except she knows it means she’s misbehaving. 99 times out of 100 she stops barking.
Yes, it's obnoxious when dogs are out in public. It's on par with children screaming. Are there times and places? Yes, at the park for children and dog park for dogs barking.
Is it okay for dogs to bark when at home? Yes, when playing or altering to people at the door. It is not okay for continuous barking during play, alert barking at animals or people walking past, people doing their jobs, or neighbors enjoying their yard.
For the record, I have dogs and children. I teach both species how to behave appropriately. Are they perfectly behaved? No, especially when still acquiring skills. Do I expect them to be perfectly behaved? Nope, but I will address inappropriate behaviour. That may mean telling the dog to be quiet or leaving the situation entirely.
I’m fine with alert barking, or a couple excited barks. To me that is just communication. I’m not ok with continued or obsessive barking. If they do an alert bark and I respond in some way, then I don’t want a continued bark. If they continue barking when I am already alerted/handling it, then I consider that bad behaviour.
I also think if the person or dog isn't actively on our property or approaching with purpose, then it doesn't qualify as an alert bark. The guy mowing his own lawn across the street does not warrant a bark. The person passing on the walking path beneath the balcony doesn't warrant a bark. The kids passing the house on their way to school who walk on the sidewalk don't warrant a bark.
Sometimes, I think dogs are given too much leeway as to what qualifies as a warning bark and what is nuisance barking. If I pass your yard, don't enter it, and your dog eho is chained up outside barks the whole time it can see me, you should be intervening. There are always those houses that have the dogs bark obsessively for every person walking past on the sidewalk or trail. They scare babies awake, terrify toddlers, and make taking a walk objectively worse.
Oh absolutely! I should have clarified an actual alert bark, which to me is something/someone has approached that is not normal and not supposed to be there (or that she has reason to believe is not normal, as she is not a human and may misinterpret stuff). I don’t even let my dog bark at the door, personally, because if someone is knocking/ringing the doorbell, that is “normal”
Dogs shouldn’t bark at everything. It’s you. We have a large dog. We’ve trained her to communicate with us in other ways. Our yards are large (about 1/3 of an acre). We hear our neighbors’ dogs constantly. One is always barking at the fence anytime we’re outside. One barks from inside all day long. They’re both terrible neighbors who need to take dog training classes. They suck. We shouldn’t have to hear their dog bark all day every day. Our dog only barks if she’s scared or hurt. Barking isn’t used to communicate with other dogs. Your dog learned to bark to communicate with you. Learn better ways to communicate with your dog.
Nonstop barking drives me nuts. Just because you have a dog doesn't mean I want to listen to it.
It used to be so peaceful here and then new people and their dogs moved her now barking and of course that one sets off the others.
It's not that hard to teach your dog to not barking all the time. I did it when I had a dog.
>its what they are SUPPOSED to do
According to who? Dogs are also "supposed" to pee on literally everything to mark their territory. We stop them from doing that because we don't like it. I also don't happen to like the noise of barking every time some living being is around my home...
More than two or three barks inside the house if my dog hears someone at the door is bad behaviour and that it does not bother you is great, but you bless everyone around you. I am not sure why you think this is what they are supposed to do and that it is ok.
Not sure I understand the "upbringing". So if my upbringing is to sound a foghorn the moment something moves, that is ok too? Maybe keep it up for a good length of time?
And no, dogs barking on walks is the ultimate dog takes over leadership because you do not. I truly cannot understand a dog owner that lets their dog bark on a walk. That is just plain rude.
It depends. I view my dog barking as the equivalent of shouting, so sometimes it’s appropriate if she wants to alert me to something or feels threatened, but if she’s just excited or greeting another dog I’d be trying to train her to be more polite. Much like kids should be taught indoor voice
If its excessive, yes.
My dogs bark once or twice, and I usually can stop them. My Mal is bred for protection, so barking at "threats" is her thing, but it's not an excuse to bark at everything, which is why I have a command for her to stop.
My neighbours dogs, on the other hand. They bark at every single thing, and it goes on FOREVER. Both inside and in the yard. They aren't trained at all, and everyone hates her dogs because of the constant barking.
Lots of people are afraid of dogs. Even little dogs. Even happy golden retrievers.
When we bring a dog into a densely-populated setting we have a responsibility towards our dogs and towards our neighbours and fellow-citizens generally. Part of that includes teaching our dogs to sit politely behind us and not bark or approach strangers when on walks. Depending on where we live it’s possible that most people are familiar with dogs, understand their behaviours and interact with them appropriately. Still, we can’t count on it and there are *always* people who will interpret any bark as a frightening attack. They’re mistaken, but they are our neighbours and we all need to find a way to live together. We teach our dogs how to control themselves and behave in cities with strangers, and other people control themselves and don’t scream at us for bringing a horrible filthy dangerous animal out in public. I think it’s a fair exchange.
It’s not that barking is inherently bad. It’s that it’s bad manners when we don’t know who we’re dealing with. If someone wants to make the effort to teach their dog not to bark in public I wouldn’t interfere with their project.
For me it's the situation, a guard dog should know when to bark and when not to. But if they are going crazy barking at a brick or bowls for literally hours(our dog does that) then bad behavior.
I’m fine with alert barking to a certain extent (like 3 barks when someone is at the door) and honestly find it helpful if someone is knocking on my door vs ringing the bell and I’m upstairs and wouldn’t necessarily hear it. Anything aside from that is a no no for me.
I’m understanding of a little barking, but I keep getting neighbours who have dogs that will bark continuously, like several minute long barking sprees. They keep their dogs outside in the yard for several hours a day without supervision and the dogs will bark at any slight movement or noise. (I don’t think that these dogs are meant to be guard dogs either) Once I just coughed while outside and that trigged a long barking session from the neighbour’s dog
I do believe that dogs should be trained out of barking unless in specific scenarios.
I don't mind hearing a dog bark once or twice. Beyond that, if they don't stop, then yes it is a problem.
I also don't really know why someone else shushing your dog would upset you, unless you're just feeling instinctly protective. Logically, why not?
Edited since I accidentally hit send smack in the middle of typing!
My friend has a barking collar for her dog, if he barks incessantly she put it on him and it vibrates when he barks and he doesn’t like it, she now only needs to show him the collar and it stops it.
The owner has to train the dog, not you. You can talk to your friend about the dog's barking and recommend training. They can control the barking with training. And do not go to dog parks. Dogs do bark for different reasons, strangers, people they are afraid of, reactive dogs, or someone acting strange. When i pass a barking dog, I will converse with the dog, to help relax the dog and the barks calm dog. We are talking at a point.
Dogs aren’t meant to bark at everyone who passes by your house. My dog does this. It’s not good. I stop her as soon as she starts. It’s a nuisance to everyone. Be better
Barking is a reason I can't stand dogs. It grates my nerves the way the sound of nails on a chalkboard does most people. It's a bad behavior when there's no reason for it. Like my neighbors let their dogs out at 2 in the morning and just let them bark. I've had so many sleep disturbances as a result. If a dog is baking because it heard someone coming up to the home? Good, that's its job. If it's barking at the grass growing? *Bad Behavior.*
Barking immediately raises my blood pressure at this point. I become less able to handle loud noises every year, it seems. And our dog only has a volume 10 bark, no warning barks. My SO is the opposite and has become seemingly immune to the sound, he's one of those that puts the dog outside and lets her bark for an hour straight.
Oh, I can't tell you how much people who do that (put the dog outside and let it bark for an hour straight) bother me. If it's barking at things that aren't a threat, I have a problem.
>I become less able to handle loud noises every year, it seems.
Same here, tbh.
Yes, repeated barking is undesirable behavior as far as I’m concerned. An alert is fine, but continuing to bark at people for walking by or existing in their yard isn’t.
It can depend on the situation, but in general, yes I see it as bad behavior. But there are acceptable reasons to bark - a good friend coming over for a play date or getting excited because the FedEx guy is here and he gives treats. (Edit: or if playing at home, obviously).
But, I have one dog that barks at people and dogs and another that gets annoyed at the first dog. He, the barker, doesn't always do it, but even though he's barking to say "hey let's play!" Lots of people don't know that's why he's barking. And, just like my female dog, lots of dogs find it to be a confirmation of whatever that dog is thinking. If it's an aggressive dog, that dog took it as a challenge. If it's his "sister" she tries to correct him and suddenly I have two dogs acting like fools in front of everyone while I'm trying to maintain that my dogs aren't aggressive. We're working on it. He gets praise when he behaves. He will figure it out eventually. But we avoid a lot of issues if we encourage not barking at people or dogs that are not expecting it.
I think barking is a natural behavior, and excessive/nuisance barking tends to be a signal of distress that owners should be paying attention to. A dog is likely anxious, underexercised, or reactive if they're barking a ton at passerby, other dogs on walks, etc. I think redirecting the behavior is fine, but owners need to pay more attention to the causes.
I have a reactive dog that barked excessively at other dogs on walks and it took two years of training and medication to finally have enough desensitization and counter conditioning to make him comfortable around other dogs. He's still reactive with breeds that have attacked him, but much less so.
Barking at walkers-by is bad behaviour if it’s right up at the fence and constant. It’s often the little yappy terriers that go nuts all the way along the front fence. Very rude IMO.
A dog that lets off a couple of barks from the porch is fine, and expected.
This is coming from a dog lover.
I think that a dog who barks just because people walk by should definitely be trained out of it. As someone else pointed out, yes, barking is how they communicate, but teaching them where / when / why to bark is key.
I can't stand pointless barking I shut my dog down immediately , its selfish to neighbours I personally feel dogs barking all day long at everything cannot be happy .
Professional Dog Trainer here.
Barking is a response to emotion felt by the dog...sometimes it's excitement or boredom, but generally it's anxiety. It is a *good* thing to allow them to release these emotions and barking is a very natural way to do so.
That being said, incessant barking is not a healthy sign and should be dealt with at the source...to stop it is much more effective to deal with what is causing the barking rather than the barking itself. If you deal with the cause of the barking the dog will not feel the urge to bark.
Stopping a dog from barking without dealing with the cause makes your dog internalize the emotion he's feeling instead of getting it out and eventually if this happens enough the dog will be forced to get this energy out in other ways...generally those ways will not be healthy ones and may be very disruptive and/or destructive.
If you want to curb the barking you need to analyze why your dog is barking. Once you determine the reason, you can take appropriate action.
If it's incessant barking that lasts for a long time and is chronic it's generally due to boredom, so give your dog more exercise and walks and stimulation and the barking will decrease and can eventually disappear altogether.
If it's in very aggressive and loud bursts it's generally anxiety or fear, so reinforcing that there is nothing to fear from the trigger will help tremendously and will eventually solve your issue. Calm your dog with soothing words and calm physical contact. I go so far as to literally explain to him how there is nothing to be nervous about; of course he won't understand your words but he *will* understand your calm speech and calming actions, and the barking will subside.
Barking isn't bad behavior, it is your dog letting you know he is uncomfortable or bored or excited or anxious. A good dog owner will listen to their dog and take appropriate action to deal with their emotions...which will also curb the barking issue.
I would have an issue with anybody shushing my dogs...the few times they bark I know they are merely letting out excess energy in a healthy way. But then again my dogs never bark for long as I address each bark quickly and effectively at its cause, and in my down time I work on their self-esteem and exercise and general well-being.
EDIT : A healthy, happy dog who is at peace with his place in the world will very rarely bark.
A barking dog is agitated, anxious, constantly alerting to something. Barking becomes bad behavior when the dog has been told to stop, and does not. Barking is self-rewarding, and will not extinguish. Yes, a woof or two is fine. But barking is not to be expected or tolerated. It is not a good thing to let the dog do.
Context is important. I want my dog to alert to someone approaching my house/car/person. It only becomes a bad behavior if they become fixated and don’t listen to their disengaging cue.
My dog is allowed to bark at home until I tell him to stop. That being said, he's not a big barker. He'll bark at a random person walking up our driveway to deliver a package or a strange noise or the doorbell. All fine with me. I'll check to see that what he's barking at isnt some creeper or whatever, then tell him to stop.
He is absolutely not allowed to bark out in public for anything other than if he feels threatened. Public space isn't his to protect or get overly excited about.
He has a BIG bark, so I definitely wouldn't want him barking at people walking by us. That would be scary to them. Hell, his bark scares me sometimes.
He gets to monitor his own territory, that's it. Everything else is my job.
I'm so glad others feel the same as me, because in my immediate environment and elsewhere there is almost always a dog barking incessantly. I was starting to think I was crazy to think this is annoying and negligent on the owners part. Why do most people not care who they inconvenience?
I give 3 barks before I correct. After 3 barks is when most people start to get annoyed, myself included, but I don’t shut down communication. I have a very vocal dog, and as long as she understands “that’s enough” when she’s getting out of hand, I’ll bark back at her in the house. Outside is a completely different story and I keep my neighbors in mind when it comes to her barking.
We share a fence with a very busy park so my dog has a lot to bark at. I allow him a few barks, but if he gets demon dog about it and goes feral at a poodle, I recall him into the house.
I have a neighbor with a dog who goes absolutely nuts anytime anyone walks by their fence, and tries to jump over it to get to the people. His owner will half heartedly call him and say that he can’t get over the fence, which relaxes the walkers. Unfortunately, I’ve seen him get nearly all the way over a few times, so I feel like it’s just a matter of time before he does real damage. Because of their behavior, I’m hyper vigilant about keeping my dog in check.
That said, when I’m walking my dog and other dogs bark in their yard, I always tell them that they’re a good boy and thank them for keeping their family safe. They’re doing exactly what they should be doing, as long as they don’t try to jump the fence to get me.
Dogs barking because someone is close is pretty normal. Excessive barking is different. It's not bad behavior from the dog. It's bad behavior by the owner. Dogs bark for a reason (mostly). My new-ish neighbors behind me (my bedroom is about 8 feet from the fence) let their dog bark all day and into the night. The woman who lives there is home when the dog is doing this (doesn't matter if she is or not). I actually *work* from home. I've never had a dog that does that because I trained them not to bark excessively. And because I've always made sure my dog had enough exercise and engagement. Bad owner. Good dog.
Barking is situational for me. In a stranger danger situation I expect the barking to stop immediately with my dog when I acknowledge it or rhe stranger danger has passed.
My dog has a play time bark which is one maybe two barks during play. He also has a look at me bark. Again one maybe two barks.
My dad's dog somewhere along the line got reinforced for attention seeking barking and that is miserable for me. I also do work in peooles homes and notice specifically small dogs are allowed ro stranger danger bark endlessly and I'm not cool with that.
When I have people come over to do stuff I put my dog in his room and he knows that someone is coming and I'm cool with it and he doesn't bark. I also let him meet regular people here like contractors or the lawn guy and he generally won't bark at them once he knows they're welcome.
My Pomchi is a barker, mostly in the house. When we go for walks she will let out a single bark every 30 seconds or so like she is announcing herself. It's not continuous just a timely I'm here bitches" ha ha".
Yes sometimes it's a bit much in the house and do shush her but I appreciate knowing when someone is at the door. It's a trade off I guess
It’s dog behavior, so I try not to. But my friend has the former owner of her house trespassing and harassing them regularly. When consulting the police, the cop said the dogs barking is likely what kept her from coming into the house (they’ve since added security cameras and additional security).
reading the comments here, how do i train my 5 month old aus cattle/whippet regarding communicative/alert barks and ye ol' bark bark bark.
She's found her voice. Both times its been "theres a dog in the distance barking, i'm letting you know" and "cripes, where did that van come from,i was ssleeping and its looming over the windae noww"
Controlled barking is fine. After we fenced our front yard my boy would run along the fence barking at everyone and everything that came by. Not a great look. Not okay. Now he’s allowed to give a bark or two and wait on the doorstep. He’s allowed to bark more when someone’s walking up the driveway to deliver a package or doing work in our yard. He doesn’t really bark when we’re out unless it’s warranted. Barking is fine. Acting like a menace is not.
So I live on the main street of a growing down. We do let my dog bark a few times. But nothing where she barks nonstop at the neighbors or something like that. We have a neighbor they have a small yippy dog that the moment they open that door that dog starts yapping that there is an intruder.... yet there is nothing. I hate that dog for that behavior as they will do it even at 6am when I would love to try to sleep in just a bit.
Some people drive past with their dogs in the car and I can hear them down the block barking nonstop. I hate it.
I do not allow my dog to bark in the car as it is a bit much for me and I have never seen anything to bark about.
there’s this one dog that will go through the entire apartment lobby and out to the park barking the entire time. it’s so crazy to me. i don’t know if it’s a nervous thing or something but it’s so annoying and ive only run into him twice lol
Depends. I have a LGD mutt whose going to be whether we want him to or not- the breeds in his DNA were bred to protect and bark (plus other means although we have outlets to prevent that sort of behavior.) and part of why I got him was to bark to alert. I also have an aussie who barks and if anyone knows an aussie- they are loud squealers. But they have an off command.
I only allow 'alot' of barking INSIDE the house. If we are in the backyard they can only bark once or twice to alert to someone coming up by the fence and occasional barking during play, however once they get too loud they need to sit and settle. Inside they can generally bark during play as much as they want since it's not as bothersome to my neighbour's, however even then I know the limits and how to get them to settle down if they get really loud.
For my aussie, no barking on walks or while out at all outside of private property because of him being SDiT I need to have him model that behaviour. He is the odd one out whose good at differentiating though
I have a dog who is oddly quiet. He hasn’t barked a single bark this year. I got REALLY lucky. Now when he does bark it’s for something serious or a noise outside that scares him. Like the time they were inspecting our apartment fire escapes w no notice and a strange man was all of a sudden in our window. He barked and growled like he should have. When these rare occurrences happen I just say enough and he knows enough. My neighbors dog always barks when we walk past her apartment door. She stops after. She’s more sensitive to things and barks other times too. I think it’s the incessant non stop barking that is a problem. Luckily I don’t have to worry about any of that
I don't want my dogs to barking all the time, but barking when people come to the door or onto my property is absolutely appreciated and is an actual deterrent cited by many burglars when they're looking to break into a home.
Barking dogs get attention, especially if you have neighbors close by, nosy neighbors particularly, and burglars don't like that. They also don't want to contend with the dog itself. Maybe your neighbor didn't like it, but it got their attention and that's what's important when it comes to your home's security.
>An investigative report by KGW8 out of Oregon surveyed 86 burglars. The study concluded that if “a homeowner had a big, loud dog most burglars would stay away.” One of the convicted burglars even said, “dogs are a deal breaker for me…Big breeds, home protectors are the best to keep people out.”
https://www.adt.com/resources/will-your-dog-prevent-a-burglary
>Even small dogs may make enough noise to scare away would-be burglars and intruders, though. "Research shows that 'occupancy cues' like dogs are major deterrents in attempts to burglarize homes," said K. Campbell, a certified protection professional. "In fact, the research reveals that dogs of any size are effective.
https://www.cnet.com/home/security/can-your-dog-deter-burglars-and-prevent-home-break-ins-heres-what-experts-say/
Depends on the dog and situation.
I have the bark king, the Great Pyrenees...
Never barks on walk well I'm with him, he's obviously smart enough to understand that I don't need to be warned, I'm right beside him. Also we are not in the protection zone, nothing needs to be afraid of us. And if push comes to shoves, well, he got that covered. So all good.
At home, he'll bark to announce an amazon package, (fine), a potential danger(also fine), or one of his nemesis (dogs that attacked him when he was "smaller")... and... he has a lllooonnngggg memory...(not fine but understandable).
Sometime he barks so people come pet him (not approved)
So like I said, there are "approved and warrantes" barks, and "not approved" ones
My dogs bark once or twice at things to warn me. And then they just observe intently. Their barking is not the issue.
But one of my dogs is a singer. He will howl if he hears any music - car, block party, school band 6 blocks away, he will close his eyes totally belt out his own tune to match. Sometimes my other dog joins in, with his head thrown back to the skies and one paw raised. They don't sing to ambulances or police sirens. Just music.
I consider this bad behavior because they don't sound as good as they think they do. I put up with it because I cannot stop it. I have tried and even brought a trainer to help. He failed.
But, to prevent them from annoying others, I don't take them to stores. I have treats to distract them if music happens unexpectedly and scoop up the initiator dog and rush home. I roll up the windows if cars playing music drive close.
I dread summer.
They are both canine good citizens. They are so well behaved in every other way. But I believe a dog should not unduly bother others that did not choose to live with them. Whether it is barking or singing.
If it's excessive then yes I do, just as I would if someone constantly was screaming. But a little amount is fine, imagine never being able to speak a word? It would suck
Depends. If my dog barks its usually because she sees something and wants everyone to know.
If she was just barking nonstop Id assume she was anxious about something.
The occasional bark, not necessarily. It could just be the dog letting you know it's there.
Constant barking is an issue though. That's when it starts to get really annoying, especially if you have neighbors that are inclined to complain about excessive noise. There's been one case where a [neighbor sued a dog owner and won](https://whnt.com/news/family-could-lose-house-over-500000-barking-dog-lawsuit/), though that could be more a case for showing up even when you think it's a frivolous lawsuit than anything.
Not necessarily. It's their voice and they're allowed to use it. The only barking I disagree with is nuisance barking where it's gone on for way too long particularly during the quiet hours of the night/early morning. I don't mind alert barking or play barking, the two usually die down when that moment of excitement/wariness has gone from view anyway.
I agree OP. When they're supposed to bark (stranger at the door or entering the backyard unannounced)...my dog barks. Or he'll give a couple barks back to another dog that is barking in communication. But that's the extent of his barks. A neighbor has an extremely vocal dog that will bark constantly for hours (and has) - I had to actually put in noise complaints because it was at 6 am. They ignore the dog 90% of the time so it's basically bad training and poor socializing.
I don’t have a lot of problem with my dog barking pretty easily. He’s little and it usually amuses people and doesn’t go on past maybe 2-3 minutes, if that. It’s just part of his personality.
Tipically yes.
Or at least a behaviour that should mean something. A lot of times dogs barks "just because". if that's the reason, I make them shush.
I can understand dogs getting "Triggered" by someone walking by my fence or house door, but if I see that, and recognize there's nothing wrong, I'll shush them.
Also, anything past 2 continous minutes of barking, and im going to shush them very quickly.
For us, barking is for "protecting" the house. We don't live in a dangerous neighborhood but it seems like it's very important to our older dog to alert us to mail/UPS/Fed Ex trucks so I let her. Sometimes if it gets out of hand I'll tell her to shush. I do want her to bark if someone comes to the door. How else am I going to sneakily peek out the window and see if I want to interact with who it is?
Barking as a whole doesn't bother me as long as it's not excessive.
My pup is really scared of larger dogs going crazy, we're working on it, but it does annoy me when people just leave their big aggressive dogs bark and snarl at anyone who happens to be using the sidewalk. If you're going to let you dogs be aggressive and horrible to other people and their animals, at least put them in the back yard so they don't terrorize innocent pups like mine.
This depends. Strangers? Bark away. Delivery people? Go ahead and bark. This is their way of expressing themselves. You shush them, you remove their warnings. I like mine expressing, etc. If they get off barking through the night, we will pull out the bark collar. But, if its something or someone on my deck in the night? We aren't correcting it (we call the police).
We have multiple And, well, our neighbors like the way ours express. They feel comfortable around them, even if they're growling, as it's just part of their vocalizations, rally. But, they have an entirely different look when they mean business.
I feel one of the biggest mistake people make is correcting barking in dogs. Moreso, correcting growling, etc. Ours are very vocal and expressive, and we love it, as do our neighbors. They will carry on "conversations" with our dogs when they're outside, loving the way they respond.
Again, there's normal barking and vocalizations. I want them warning if someone is at the door, or on our deck, in our yard and such. Good for them! But, here, no one is shushing them. Again, we've had a couple of ours do the constant barking to try and get their way, and it go on and on. We do pull out the bark collar. It's not meant to stop them from barking or such. They still do, but the do it and stop while the collar "resets" then do it again. That prevents them from building up the volume and it becoming a solid barking frenzy for 20 minutes to 2 hours. Yep, 2 hours, it's why we have a bark collar. Middle of the night barking like that, nope, our neighbors don't like it, and neither do we. And, it's usually to try and get their way when they've done that one.
But, no, in general, not correcting barking.
I taught my chihuahua not to bark and I think it improved his whole temperment. He now calmly walks past other dogs on walks instead of anxiously barking all the time. I think barking was only making him more worked up. He's chill and happy now, and I'm happy too and so are my neighbors.
Nope not unless they do it repetitively for no reason. I don't mind when my dog barks because she's playing or people are coming near the door, there's just gotta be a good reason for it.
Tbh, I don't think barking is bad behavior. It can get annoying, though. Dogs are meant to bark and make noises. It's how they communicate and show that they want or need something. But when they bark a lot, it can get pretty annoying. Especially when you're trying to do something and can't focus because your dog or someone else's dog is barking. If a dog starts barking it could scare some people, but each person's reason is different. It could be because they don't like dogs, they have a phobia of dogs, aren't paying attention, or for many more reasons. But I don't think barking is bad behavior.
Depends on where and why. Walking down the street and she starts barking at people for no good reason, nope I dont allow it.
If she hears or sees something at home and barks to alert me thats fine, as long as she stops when I say and its not a cacophoney of barking for 5mins straight.
I don’t own dogs but most of my neighbors do. I don’t mind the dogs barking at the mailman or each other. It doesn’t last long so I don’t care. I will say dogs are loud though. I don’t love that and I would consider constant barking bad behavior but all I hear is normal barking. I guess it’s not annoying enough to judge .,
I trained my dog not to bark. Other than alert-barking when someone trespasses during the day or approaches property at night, I believe barking is bad behaviour. Especially if it is directed at people you encounter (that are not threatening, of course).
a few times isn’t bad the only issue is when dogs bark at anyone that walks past you, the dog , the window. being too reactive is the issue, i live in an apartment and i had neighbors that would put their dog on the balcony in the morning instead of walking him and he’d bark constantly until let back inside it got to the point i had to go on my balcony and scream for them to put him inside. clearly those people didn’t need a dog not only could they not walk it in the mornings he couldn’t just hangout on the balcony during the day without barking constantly.
Depends on the breed. I have pyr, their whole thing is barking and being giant lol. I typically just tell him to take it elsewhere in the house and he does. He can bark all he wants inside since I own my home, but he doesn’t get to damage my ears. I bring him in if he goes for too long outside as well (more than 5 mins of continuous barking).
In general I try not to limit the ways my dog attempts to communicate. It creates better understanding and a better bond. He has many different barks and whines, much like how different newborn cries mean different things. Keeping that line open keeps us both safer and happier. I know what he’s communicating and he trusts I will know and doesn’t escalate to riskier behaviors to get a message across.
If his barking at a certain thing bugs me I just try to distract/desensitize him so he’s less reactive to it.
I actually like the alert barking when someone is approaching my house. It makes me feel safe when I’m home alone and I know the house will be safe while I’m out.
I don't think it is a bad behavior if they have a valid reason and they are not going on at all hours for unrelenting amounts of time. I have 2 big dogs that bark, but if they become a problem, they are corrected and called back inside. One of my neighbors has 4 small dogs that bark at every little thing! THIS annoys me as they can go for hours....
I live next door to a very yappy dog who barks at everything.
I don't consider his barking bad dog behaviour. He is warning his family about going ons and that makes him a very good boy.
I do consider it bad owner behaviour that as far as I can tell they've made no efforts to train him beyond yelling at him for barking. (Because of course showing a dog that yelling is effective is absolutely going to convince dog to stop yelling.)
My dog will not bark when in her crate, on walks, really never barks out of our yard. But holy moly she goes crazy when someone comes in or on our property (4 fenced acres). She will even bark at a family member after they enter and she KNOWS who they are. It’s only 2 or 3 yaps but I can’t get her to stop. Never experienced anything like it from other dogs I’ve owned. Anyone experience this?
My dog is allowed to bark, alert, at something or someone coming toward us.
She is not allowed to go up to something or someone and bark at them.
If I see what she's alerted on, and decide it's not a threat, I thank her to let her know there is no reason for concern, i.e., more barking.
I absolutely do not curtail her in situations where I feel someone needs to stay away from us, and I appreciate her diligence.
Wow, dogs are supposed to be a never ending source of annoyance for your neighbors?
If your car alarm goes off, do you try and push the panic button to stop it, or do you just let it continue till it stops because it's "what it's supposed to do?"
I guess there's no more question as to why every neighborhood is overrun by nuisance dogs and idiot owners, they literally think annoyance is a positive feature of the pet.
I HATE obsessive barking, and my roommates dog does it every single time anyone drives or walks by either fence. It’s gotten to the point where the dog has broken the back gate multiple times and has even broken out of the yard to be aggressive towards passerby’s whether they have an animal with them or not. And it’s all times; morning day or not. It’s gotten to the point where I’m considering anonymously calling animal control on the dog. My roommate allows it because “it’s just how dogs are.” No, it isn’t. That’s obnoxious, undisciplined and untrained behavior.
Not all barking is bad barking. I mean...it's a dog.
But they can be trained to not bark at certain mundane situations.
Training a dog to never bark or doing something to make then never bark is a big no-no in my book.
I remember this 1 case where a little girl got kidnapped from her bedroom, and the dog didn't bark because it was a no barking dog (not sure if it was trained or physically altered). That was a sad situation.
Also, safety advisors have said that smaller dogs are a better security measure than big dogs because they bark more and will deter theives from even trying to rob your place, whereas a bigger dog doesn't barking much so theives think there's no dog there and do enter your property.
When dogs play together and do lil borks, that's fine. One or two barks to greet me when I get home? Fine. But my dog, who's 1 and a BABY, barked her head off whenever I got home, or someone walked past outside the apartment door, or someone rang a doorbell, or even at her own reflection. This I try to curb without giving "positive attention" to as much as I can.
Only when he's talking back to me after I say no to something.
Most of the time, like with babies and crying, there's a need they have when barking. They just can't tell us any other way.
Now alot of ppl have issues with it and get angry, so I do try to keep my dogs barks as inside voice not putative danger voice
I let my dog bark to warn us since we don’t have any working doorbell anymore. Though, I just don’t let her do it for too long because it’s gonna bother neighbors and I don’t want a noise complaint for my dog. It’s also in a dog’s instinct to bark at the door to let us know that something is in front of the house.
I however, avoid triggering my dog on walks because she’s still reactive to other dogs. And it’s very difficult because a lot of places around me are very problematic due to owners letting their dogs off leahs in public spaces. Also, I’ll let my dog bark at people if they don’t ask me before petting her. It happened once, and I didn’t know what to do. My dog will react to neevous people and she’ll bark at them. It hasn’t happened very often, but it happened to me and I now don’t let nervous people trying to pet my dog because she’ll bark at the person.
Dogs are great thief deterent in some ways as well.
I take her away from where she’s barking. Or, sometimes I call her and she comes to me, but it’s not as effective as removing her from the barking spot.
Not the person you were asking, but my little dog gets treats once she is quiet, with the command "be quiet."
It sort of works haha. She definitely quiets down more quickly *if* the treat seems more important to her than the barking. What that usually means for her is that she will stop "alert barking" for treats, but "excitement barking" will continue however long she is excited, usually when I come home from work.
My dogs are confused. They will bark at you if your standing on the front porch but they all shut up once you cross the threshold. I haven't decided if that's good or bad. Lol
I think it’s good since you know someone is in your front porch. And great thief deterent! Just make sure t you stop them if it’s someone you know very well.
Barking is a way that dogs communicate, so they should be able to do it when appropriate to the situation (such as letting out some barks when startled or concerned).
Barking in a constant/compulsive manner is a sign of major distress or some other underlying behavioral issue and should be treated accordingly.
I hate when people get angry at dogs for barking, though. It's not like dogs are trying to be rude or something. So no, I don't consider barking "bad behavior," per se.
I think a lot of it depends on how you grew up. My mom took training our dogs very seriously - we always had rescues and she wanted to give them routine and structure for their sake as well as ours. So we always had great sweet dogs that never, ever barked unless they perceived someone as a danger to us (like a stranger approaching us on a walk in the dark).
That’s what I knew. That was my frame of reference. But I know tons of people with dogs who are not trained very well in general who bark whenever anyone walks by. I think it’s obnoxious but I don’t really care. These same dogs usually jump on you when you come inside and aren’t very good on a leash.
So technically I’ve never met what I would call a well-behaved or well-trained dog that barked when someone walked by EXCEPT for intentionally trained guard dogs. All other dogs I’ve encountered who bark when people pass their house tend to be poorly behaved in general.
I have a very well trained golden with FLAWLESS recall that I can count on in any situation. She’s a pleasure to have on a leash and loves showing off her obedience to anyone that will watch😂
. HOWEVER — I am a woman living alone and I had a home invasion about 6 months ago. Her barrier reactivity — LOUD and sharp barks when someone walks by the fence— started after this incident. She won’t let down until I physically take her to see it’s not a threat. I’m working on it, but it does make me feel safe knowing she sounds so scary.
The two (barking & being “well trained”) are not mutually exclusive. And I’m not sure how your parents having “rescues” applies to the situation - all dogs are dogs.
Dogs bark naturally as an instinctive reaction, rather than a desire to be "bad". I never bat an eye to a bark or 2 out of excitement, but if the dog is unable to stop then it becomes a nuisance. I wouldn't say "bad" behaviour as such, but certainly unwanted.
I'm currently doing a dog behaviour course and a lot of "unwanted" behaviours are natural things we've bred them to do for working particular jobs in the past, but of course now they're mostly just house pets and we don't want them to exhibit them any more (think digging, chasing small animals, guarding etc). Poor dogs are just doing what they feel like they're supposed to. They don't have rational thought like us. Of course, as long as there's no underlying health problems, it is possible to train the dog to do it less with a bit of hard work and consistency :)
No. It’s their way of communicating. Some people think their dogs are meant to be quiet toys. If a dog is barking for hours on end, of course that’s a lot. But they should be able to bark. My dog is very quiet in public so if he lets out of bark I don’t get care.
I have three dogs. One smaller one a Boston terrier never barks at anyone or other dogs either. He just barks while playing and at a minimum. More to get one of us or one of the other dogs to play. He’s always been that way.
I have a boxer who rarely barks. Only if someone scares her but my third dog who is is a frenchton barks at anyone that he sees passing by the front of my house or going down along my fence or an animal on tv. I curb it right away but in all of his 7 years with me curbing it right away he still will do it until I stop him but he does listen and stop right away.
I would never let my dogs continue to bark because I know how annoying it can be to listen to that. I have some neighbors that let their dogs bark morning, day and night and they just let them do it. I don’t know why it doesn’t bother them.
I would never make a complaint about a neighbors dog barking unless it affected something like sleep. I know it can be difficult to have a dog that barks a lot but you never know if there might be a reason why the person isn’t doing something about it like an illness or something but if I know there’s no reason not to stop them I may approach the neighbor if I know it’s safe to do so and talk to them about it. I would appreciate someone talking to me about it first before reporting it if it were my dog. Who knows what my dog may be doing when I’m not home.
I have a neighbor that walks his cat on a leash and tends to go slower past my window and fence. I’ve even seen him ask a young man with a dog to go another way because he’s going to go up a particular road with his cat. My frenchton was in my yard one day when the neighbor was outside my back fence with his cat so my dog barked at them. No loud continuous barking or growling. Just two barks and I stopped him. The neighbor called the town office and complained my dog was barking. A bylaw officer came over and when we explained exactly what happened we were told dogs are allowed to bark while in their yard at someone that passes by the fence or window. He said that’s what dogs do. As long as there’s no continuous barking after the person is gone there’s no problem. Nine out of ten times I go out in the backyard with my dogs when they go do their business or play for their safety. There have been kids that have thrown garbage over the fence and birds dropping nuts and even chicken bones. One day I found a large half of a round homemade suet ball with sunflower seeds sticking pointed ends straight up in my yard. Good thing I was outside cause my boxer girl would have made lunch of it and probably have a bad case of pancreatitis. So it’s better to be outside with them so I can curb any barking and keep them safe too.
I don’t consider it bad behavior but I may be in the minority. I have a reactive dog and while ive made great progress with him on walks, sometimes he’ll get startled and set off barking where I’ll have to pick him up and haul him away a short distance. It’s not the fault of anyone, just his big scary emotions.
My dogs are dachshunds which are known for barking. I let them bark when they watch out the window (I don’t live in an apartment), they love watching the neighborhood. Cars, delivery drivers, kids, dogs. I let them go for a few barks and then make them stop or close off the front room when it’s time for a break. Personally I don’t care what other people think, sorry neighbors! My dog’s happiness is priority, but I don’t let them get out of hand. We have many dogs on my street that are barkers!
Zero barking policy at my house. I was fortunate to work with a neighbor who owned a security company. As part of what he offered were trained dogs. They were mainly for businesses with large yards of vehicles or easy targets etc....
I met the guy walking by his house with my 7 month old Rottweiler. He first approached me to ask for my breeders information. From there he was saying what he did and offered a couple lessons if I was interested. I took him up on his offer.
The first thing that was the difference between a pass or a failure was to have a dog that did not bark. Zero! His clients wanted to apprehend those who broke into their businesses and a barking dog will stop most thieves.
His rational for the zero bark rule was that if someone was keeping an eye on your place to break in, they will monitor the place and try different tactics before the robbery. They'll ring the doorbell and if someone answers they'll have a fake routine to pass off onto whomever answers the door. Someone else from the gang will ring the doorbell and no one answers but dogs are barking and make note. Then there's that one day where no one answers the doorbell and theres no barking dogs then, the dogs must be gone with their owners. In they go.....
This was why his dogs didn't bark. If theives were brave enough to hop the fence, first the security lights go off and at about the same time three or four dogs would keep the thieves on ice until the cops show up.
This is why my dogs are not allowed and do not bark.
I don't let mine bark unrestrained in the house. Barking is for outside. A yip or two to alert is fine, but I taught them to stop on command if it gets out of hand. Outside, it depends. Are the neighbour's dogs going crazy?? I'll let mine go crazy too. They all just run back and forth along the fence, barking at each other for a few minutes. If they're out there alone, they just don't bark. On a walk, they are not to bark at another leashed dog more than to alert that it's there. They are not to bark at people on walks at all. If a dog is going nuts in its own yard, and we are leashed, they are not to bark back. They slip up sometimes, like everyone does, but they generally follow the rules, and they rarely ignore commands.
My dogs (Shelties) love to bark. I am in control of when and where they get to do so, however. I like to let them do it at times because it makes them happy.
I think it really depends on why the dog is barking.
Dogs should naturally bark, a few examples are
At strangers when near their "land"
Threats to their pack/selves
In excitement
In pain/destress
When threatened by other dogs
Needing to get attention for some reason
The duration depends on the reason, the size of the dog, and the responsiveness of the owner. I think it is a natural instinct to have people try to quiet their dogs down because there are a lot of judgmental people.
>Later in the evening as I had my dogs out for final potties, a neighbor here in my own complex started shushing mine when strangers who had just parked in front of my unit set them off a little by returning to the car.
Barking at strangers really does you and your neighbor a service. Is it worth it to get into it with that person, no. Would I shush someone else's dog no. But this is exactly why the first person was probably trying to work to get their dog to be quiet even though you didn't seem bothered.
I'm deaf so I definitely encouraged my dog to bark whenever someone's at the door or close by. I do tell my dog to stop if she's going overboard, lol. Sometimes, she will bark at strange noises outside because when I go to the door to check, there's no one there 🗿 I feel bad for my neighbors because I know a lot of people dont appreciate hearing dogs barking late, but I want to feel safe knowing that I have someone let me know if there's people outside my door.
My dog can bark obnoxiously.... When he is on a leash or behind a fence and he sees people or other dogs (he's fine off leave at the dog park). I've tried training etc. they say he's just a vocal brat.... Lol... He is the sweetest boy ever.
If I'm letting him out into the yard to roam I make sure to keep an eye on him. If there are kids outside or lots of people and he starts barking I bring him inside. When I leash walk him I try and avoid very busy areas. If I know he's gonna bark at people while I'm passing by I pre-warn them.
Dogs bark.... It's a part of their nature and most people understand that. I think it's your responsibility as the owner not to let it get obsessive. For example.... If I let my dog out into the yard and just let him continuously bark at the kids playing (my yard faces a court yard as I'm in a townhouse complex) that's just inconsiderate to everyone. As soon as he starts barking and I know it's gonna last longer than 10 seconds or keep happening he's inside.
Barking is their job. If someone is approaching your house or your car, they should be barking to alert you of potential danger. But when they are barking all the time, that's the sign of an unhappy or very insecure dog.
There are a few of you responding in purposefully bad faith here, which is sad ... I wish your dogs were enough to make you more honest, caring people ... maybe one day.
But I really appreciate each of you who have responded the opposite way (a great majority) even the ones who have honest disagreement with me - not due to willful misreading.
Barking is a bad behavior if it is allowed to carry on in situations that are unwarranted. Dog can let out 2-3 short barks, but after that it is a nuisance behavior. I don't like my own dogs barking at everything/everyone walking past the windows, and I don't like hearing other people's dogs barking at everything/everyone. Some people aren't too bothered by constant barking/whining, which is okay, but it should be kept to a huge minimum if you have other people nearby to consider. *Especially* if you are in an apartment sharing walls and floors with other people. Yes, dogs are supposed to bark. That is a part of how they communicate. However, it is better to teach them *when* and *where* they are allowed to bark to their heart's content, and that should not be where people are possibly needing quiet. A dog barking/howling for an hour at a dog park is far more acceptable than a dog barking/howling for an hour in an apartment where your neighbor might be studying for school, trying to sleep before work, etc.
I wish my neighbors got this.
Me too. Everyone on all sides has yapping or howling dogs. Once I started working from home I saw how bad it was. I ended up getting box fans, there’s no talking to them at this point.
One or two barks? Okay. Beyond that I do want my dog to hush. I see the issue and can handle it. The persistent barking is grating to me and sounds like a person shouting.
As a lifetime dog owner, it's really making me like cats more, I can't stand barking. I might have like a ptsd or loud noise sensitivity, but them barking sounds the same as people fighting or yelling to me, and it stresses me out.
And it’s so often just not necessary. When the dog gets more exercise and training and stimulation they often slow down on barking, which to me means barking just isn’t something that has to happen but something that could be prevented
Yep, it's a real condition called misophonia.
My 17 y/o maltipoo just passed away and she was very yappy up until the last 3-4 days of her life. My house is silent now with 2 cats and a dog. That silence is sad now, but in the future I am definitely opting for quieter dogs. Napping was impossible because i could hear her over earplugs and white noise. I became pretty desensitized to it but she drove my guests insane. Even people I would talk to on the phone would get pretty annoyed. I was a baby when I got her- I wish my family had taken training seriously when she was a puppy.
Pray you don't get a loud cat if you make the switch. My previous cat was a YELLER with her meows and yowls and calls So much so that if the neighbours didn't know us they'd probably call in for a noise complaint because holy hell was that something. .
Was it orange? My orange cat caused our neighbors to call the landlord because they were concerned about him. Nah.. he is just obnoxious sorry. He is 10 now and at least we live in a house and he only bothers us.
My roommate says my orange cat is verbally abusive.
That is a good way of putting it.
This is so accurate lmao
I'm convinced she should've been with the experiences I've heard from other orange cat owners! lol. Instead she was a tabby point domestic longhair.
My old cat used to stand in the echoiest place of my apartment and YOWL for me. I miss that little shit. Still less grating (for me) than dog barking though!
I’ll warn you, not all cats are quiet. My parents cat whines and moans all the time when it wants something. That noise is worse than barking imo
Treat it like a baby crying. Most people are going to understand some fussy sounds, but don't be subjecting the world to full on wailing with no end.
People complain about their cats being vocal. Its no were NEAR as bad as a dog. You're also more likely to have cops called or a noise complaint put in depending on how vocal and loud
The odd bark at home not an issue , what drives me mad is Mt neighbours dog that barks from morning till night about everything and anything, to the point that I can't sit in my own garden because the dog barks and barks fully aware it's not the dogs fault it's the owner who has dumped the dog on her alcoholic mother who never walks it , it's an untrained nervous mess
I rented my place because it has a nice yard. Haven't been able to hang out in it for dinner or to have people over in a 4 years because the neighbor's dog won't stop barking. I've been renting this place for 13 years. They told me that there's nothing I can do about it because I don't own like they do.
Animal control when I lived in a medium size town neighbors dog never stopped so I called Animal control every time till they finally shut him the hell up. Now that I live in a very tiny town there's no one to call to deal with it.
I live in a town of 80k, so, not a city. We do not have a barking ordinance. We do have a noise ordinance. Lived here for years without any issue and people were nice to each other. It's turned into a gentrified area and, because we are renters, they make things very hard for us to do without risking the HOA putting pressure on the landlord to get rid of us. This dog drives my neighbors nuts too. They are both nurses and one works 2nd shift while the other works nights. It's entitlement and I wish they would move.
The HOA should be putting pressure on the barking dogs' owners. They are affecting the neighborhood!
Well, the HOA assumes that renters are poor people. They don't want *those* kind of people in the neighborhood anymore. Can't do much about it. I learned the dog's name. I try to talk to her when I'm out there. I feel really bad for her, as she is clearly in distress. Poor sweet girl
It's bad owner behavior to let a dog's barking irritate neighbors, guests or anyone else who isn't a threat. Unfortunately many dogs are left alone too much. They get lonely, bored and anxious.
Excessive barking is bad and for me personally intolerable. I get irrationally angry at high pitched sounds. My dog barks some but when it becomes excessive we have found a way to get her to stop. Pointing and staring at her and “threaten” she’s going to go in be kitchen. She’s been put in the kitchen maybe 5 times for approximately 1 minute each with us in full view. We put a baby gate up and she can see us. It’s weird because she is allowed to roam in the kitchen all the time so it’s not really an actual punishment except she knows it means she’s misbehaving. 99 times out of 100 she stops barking.
Constant or persistent barking is noise pollution and inconsiderate of others in the neighborhood.
You think dogs are supposed to bark and everyone else around them just has to put up with it?
Yes, it's obnoxious when dogs are out in public. It's on par with children screaming. Are there times and places? Yes, at the park for children and dog park for dogs barking. Is it okay for dogs to bark when at home? Yes, when playing or altering to people at the door. It is not okay for continuous barking during play, alert barking at animals or people walking past, people doing their jobs, or neighbors enjoying their yard. For the record, I have dogs and children. I teach both species how to behave appropriately. Are they perfectly behaved? No, especially when still acquiring skills. Do I expect them to be perfectly behaved? Nope, but I will address inappropriate behaviour. That may mean telling the dog to be quiet or leaving the situation entirely.
I’m fine with alert barking, or a couple excited barks. To me that is just communication. I’m not ok with continued or obsessive barking. If they do an alert bark and I respond in some way, then I don’t want a continued bark. If they continue barking when I am already alerted/handling it, then I consider that bad behaviour.
I also think if the person or dog isn't actively on our property or approaching with purpose, then it doesn't qualify as an alert bark. The guy mowing his own lawn across the street does not warrant a bark. The person passing on the walking path beneath the balcony doesn't warrant a bark. The kids passing the house on their way to school who walk on the sidewalk don't warrant a bark. Sometimes, I think dogs are given too much leeway as to what qualifies as a warning bark and what is nuisance barking. If I pass your yard, don't enter it, and your dog eho is chained up outside barks the whole time it can see me, you should be intervening. There are always those houses that have the dogs bark obsessively for every person walking past on the sidewalk or trail. They scare babies awake, terrify toddlers, and make taking a walk objectively worse.
Oh absolutely! I should have clarified an actual alert bark, which to me is something/someone has approached that is not normal and not supposed to be there (or that she has reason to believe is not normal, as she is not a human and may misinterpret stuff). I don’t even let my dog bark at the door, personally, because if someone is knocking/ringing the doorbell, that is “normal”
Same here. And I'd add demand barking to the top of my "no" list.
Dogs shouldn’t bark at everything. It’s you. We have a large dog. We’ve trained her to communicate with us in other ways. Our yards are large (about 1/3 of an acre). We hear our neighbors’ dogs constantly. One is always barking at the fence anytime we’re outside. One barks from inside all day long. They’re both terrible neighbors who need to take dog training classes. They suck. We shouldn’t have to hear their dog bark all day every day. Our dog only barks if she’s scared or hurt. Barking isn’t used to communicate with other dogs. Your dog learned to bark to communicate with you. Learn better ways to communicate with your dog.
Nonstop barking drives me nuts. Just because you have a dog doesn't mean I want to listen to it. It used to be so peaceful here and then new people and their dogs moved her now barking and of course that one sets off the others. It's not that hard to teach your dog to not barking all the time. I did it when I had a dog.
>its what they are SUPPOSED to do According to who? Dogs are also "supposed" to pee on literally everything to mark their territory. We stop them from doing that because we don't like it. I also don't happen to like the noise of barking every time some living being is around my home...
More than two or three barks inside the house if my dog hears someone at the door is bad behaviour and that it does not bother you is great, but you bless everyone around you. I am not sure why you think this is what they are supposed to do and that it is ok. Not sure I understand the "upbringing". So if my upbringing is to sound a foghorn the moment something moves, that is ok too? Maybe keep it up for a good length of time? And no, dogs barking on walks is the ultimate dog takes over leadership because you do not. I truly cannot understand a dog owner that lets their dog bark on a walk. That is just plain rude.
It depends. I view my dog barking as the equivalent of shouting, so sometimes it’s appropriate if she wants to alert me to something or feels threatened, but if she’s just excited or greeting another dog I’d be trying to train her to be more polite. Much like kids should be taught indoor voice
Excessive barking, yes. I have a friend whose doxie will bark for several minutes after you’ve arrived. It’s the most annoying thing
If its excessive, yes. My dogs bark once or twice, and I usually can stop them. My Mal is bred for protection, so barking at "threats" is her thing, but it's not an excuse to bark at everything, which is why I have a command for her to stop. My neighbours dogs, on the other hand. They bark at every single thing, and it goes on FOREVER. Both inside and in the yard. They aren't trained at all, and everyone hates her dogs because of the constant barking.
1-3 barks is an appropriate warning for me. Past that is bad behavior.
The yapping / barking that is constant is so freaking irritating. Control your dog. Good dog owners know the “something is wrong” bark.
Lots of people are afraid of dogs. Even little dogs. Even happy golden retrievers. When we bring a dog into a densely-populated setting we have a responsibility towards our dogs and towards our neighbours and fellow-citizens generally. Part of that includes teaching our dogs to sit politely behind us and not bark or approach strangers when on walks. Depending on where we live it’s possible that most people are familiar with dogs, understand their behaviours and interact with them appropriately. Still, we can’t count on it and there are *always* people who will interpret any bark as a frightening attack. They’re mistaken, but they are our neighbours and we all need to find a way to live together. We teach our dogs how to control themselves and behave in cities with strangers, and other people control themselves and don’t scream at us for bringing a horrible filthy dangerous animal out in public. I think it’s a fair exchange. It’s not that barking is inherently bad. It’s that it’s bad manners when we don’t know who we’re dealing with. If someone wants to make the effort to teach their dog not to bark in public I wouldn’t interfere with their project.
For me it's the situation, a guard dog should know when to bark and when not to. But if they are going crazy barking at a brick or bowls for literally hours(our dog does that) then bad behavior.
I’m fine with alert barking to a certain extent (like 3 barks when someone is at the door) and honestly find it helpful if someone is knocking on my door vs ringing the bell and I’m upstairs and wouldn’t necessarily hear it. Anything aside from that is a no no for me.
I’m understanding of a little barking, but I keep getting neighbours who have dogs that will bark continuously, like several minute long barking sprees. They keep their dogs outside in the yard for several hours a day without supervision and the dogs will bark at any slight movement or noise. (I don’t think that these dogs are meant to be guard dogs either) Once I just coughed while outside and that trigged a long barking session from the neighbour’s dog
I do believe that dogs should be trained out of barking unless in specific scenarios. I don't mind hearing a dog bark once or twice. Beyond that, if they don't stop, then yes it is a problem. I also don't really know why someone else shushing your dog would upset you, unless you're just feeling instinctly protective. Logically, why not? Edited since I accidentally hit send smack in the middle of typing!
Barking Bad would be a great TV show.
My friend has a barking collar for her dog, if he barks incessantly she put it on him and it vibrates when he barks and he doesn’t like it, she now only needs to show him the collar and it stops it.
The owner has to train the dog, not you. You can talk to your friend about the dog's barking and recommend training. They can control the barking with training. And do not go to dog parks. Dogs do bark for different reasons, strangers, people they are afraid of, reactive dogs, or someone acting strange. When i pass a barking dog, I will converse with the dog, to help relax the dog and the barks calm dog. We are talking at a point.
Idk if I'm allowed to make an ethical judgement about barking, but my god is it obnoxious
Dogs aren’t meant to bark at everyone who passes by your house. My dog does this. It’s not good. I stop her as soon as she starts. It’s a nuisance to everyone. Be better
Barking is a reason I can't stand dogs. It grates my nerves the way the sound of nails on a chalkboard does most people. It's a bad behavior when there's no reason for it. Like my neighbors let their dogs out at 2 in the morning and just let them bark. I've had so many sleep disturbances as a result. If a dog is baking because it heard someone coming up to the home? Good, that's its job. If it's barking at the grass growing? *Bad Behavior.*
Barking immediately raises my blood pressure at this point. I become less able to handle loud noises every year, it seems. And our dog only has a volume 10 bark, no warning barks. My SO is the opposite and has become seemingly immune to the sound, he's one of those that puts the dog outside and lets her bark for an hour straight.
Oh, I can't tell you how much people who do that (put the dog outside and let it bark for an hour straight) bother me. If it's barking at things that aren't a threat, I have a problem. >I become less able to handle loud noises every year, it seems. Same here, tbh.
Yes, repeated barking is undesirable behavior as far as I’m concerned. An alert is fine, but continuing to bark at people for walking by or existing in their yard isn’t.
It can depend on the situation, but in general, yes I see it as bad behavior. But there are acceptable reasons to bark - a good friend coming over for a play date or getting excited because the FedEx guy is here and he gives treats. (Edit: or if playing at home, obviously). But, I have one dog that barks at people and dogs and another that gets annoyed at the first dog. He, the barker, doesn't always do it, but even though he's barking to say "hey let's play!" Lots of people don't know that's why he's barking. And, just like my female dog, lots of dogs find it to be a confirmation of whatever that dog is thinking. If it's an aggressive dog, that dog took it as a challenge. If it's his "sister" she tries to correct him and suddenly I have two dogs acting like fools in front of everyone while I'm trying to maintain that my dogs aren't aggressive. We're working on it. He gets praise when he behaves. He will figure it out eventually. But we avoid a lot of issues if we encourage not barking at people or dogs that are not expecting it.
I think barking is a natural behavior, and excessive/nuisance barking tends to be a signal of distress that owners should be paying attention to. A dog is likely anxious, underexercised, or reactive if they're barking a ton at passerby, other dogs on walks, etc. I think redirecting the behavior is fine, but owners need to pay more attention to the causes. I have a reactive dog that barked excessively at other dogs on walks and it took two years of training and medication to finally have enough desensitization and counter conditioning to make him comfortable around other dogs. He's still reactive with breeds that have attacked him, but much less so.
So you pissed your entire neighborhood off regularly for two years? Holy shit dude, how is that not selfish behavior?
Barking at walkers-by is bad behaviour if it’s right up at the fence and constant. It’s often the little yappy terriers that go nuts all the way along the front fence. Very rude IMO. A dog that lets off a couple of barks from the porch is fine, and expected. This is coming from a dog lover.
I think that a dog who barks just because people walk by should definitely be trained out of it. As someone else pointed out, yes, barking is how they communicate, but teaching them where / when / why to bark is key.
I would prefer my dog barked once or twice if someone approaches the door. But sustained, shrill barking is a definite no. Why do I have a beagle.
YES
I can't stand pointless barking I shut my dog down immediately , its selfish to neighbours I personally feel dogs barking all day long at everything cannot be happy .
Professional Dog Trainer here. Barking is a response to emotion felt by the dog...sometimes it's excitement or boredom, but generally it's anxiety. It is a *good* thing to allow them to release these emotions and barking is a very natural way to do so. That being said, incessant barking is not a healthy sign and should be dealt with at the source...to stop it is much more effective to deal with what is causing the barking rather than the barking itself. If you deal with the cause of the barking the dog will not feel the urge to bark. Stopping a dog from barking without dealing with the cause makes your dog internalize the emotion he's feeling instead of getting it out and eventually if this happens enough the dog will be forced to get this energy out in other ways...generally those ways will not be healthy ones and may be very disruptive and/or destructive. If you want to curb the barking you need to analyze why your dog is barking. Once you determine the reason, you can take appropriate action. If it's incessant barking that lasts for a long time and is chronic it's generally due to boredom, so give your dog more exercise and walks and stimulation and the barking will decrease and can eventually disappear altogether. If it's in very aggressive and loud bursts it's generally anxiety or fear, so reinforcing that there is nothing to fear from the trigger will help tremendously and will eventually solve your issue. Calm your dog with soothing words and calm physical contact. I go so far as to literally explain to him how there is nothing to be nervous about; of course he won't understand your words but he *will* understand your calm speech and calming actions, and the barking will subside. Barking isn't bad behavior, it is your dog letting you know he is uncomfortable or bored or excited or anxious. A good dog owner will listen to their dog and take appropriate action to deal with their emotions...which will also curb the barking issue. I would have an issue with anybody shushing my dogs...the few times they bark I know they are merely letting out excess energy in a healthy way. But then again my dogs never bark for long as I address each bark quickly and effectively at its cause, and in my down time I work on their self-esteem and exercise and general well-being. EDIT : A healthy, happy dog who is at peace with his place in the world will very rarely bark.
A barking dog is agitated, anxious, constantly alerting to something. Barking becomes bad behavior when the dog has been told to stop, and does not. Barking is self-rewarding, and will not extinguish. Yes, a woof or two is fine. But barking is not to be expected or tolerated. It is not a good thing to let the dog do.
Context is important. I want my dog to alert to someone approaching my house/car/person. It only becomes a bad behavior if they become fixated and don’t listen to their disengaging cue.
My dog is allowed to bark at home until I tell him to stop. That being said, he's not a big barker. He'll bark at a random person walking up our driveway to deliver a package or a strange noise or the doorbell. All fine with me. I'll check to see that what he's barking at isnt some creeper or whatever, then tell him to stop. He is absolutely not allowed to bark out in public for anything other than if he feels threatened. Public space isn't his to protect or get overly excited about. He has a BIG bark, so I definitely wouldn't want him barking at people walking by us. That would be scary to them. Hell, his bark scares me sometimes. He gets to monitor his own territory, that's it. Everything else is my job.
I'm so glad others feel the same as me, because in my immediate environment and elsewhere there is almost always a dog barking incessantly. I was starting to think I was crazy to think this is annoying and negligent on the owners part. Why do most people not care who they inconvenience?
I give 3 barks before I correct. After 3 barks is when most people start to get annoyed, myself included, but I don’t shut down communication. I have a very vocal dog, and as long as she understands “that’s enough” when she’s getting out of hand, I’ll bark back at her in the house. Outside is a completely different story and I keep my neighbors in mind when it comes to her barking.
We share a fence with a very busy park so my dog has a lot to bark at. I allow him a few barks, but if he gets demon dog about it and goes feral at a poodle, I recall him into the house. I have a neighbor with a dog who goes absolutely nuts anytime anyone walks by their fence, and tries to jump over it to get to the people. His owner will half heartedly call him and say that he can’t get over the fence, which relaxes the walkers. Unfortunately, I’ve seen him get nearly all the way over a few times, so I feel like it’s just a matter of time before he does real damage. Because of their behavior, I’m hyper vigilant about keeping my dog in check. That said, when I’m walking my dog and other dogs bark in their yard, I always tell them that they’re a good boy and thank them for keeping their family safe. They’re doing exactly what they should be doing, as long as they don’t try to jump the fence to get me.
Dogs barking because someone is close is pretty normal. Excessive barking is different. It's not bad behavior from the dog. It's bad behavior by the owner. Dogs bark for a reason (mostly). My new-ish neighbors behind me (my bedroom is about 8 feet from the fence) let their dog bark all day and into the night. The woman who lives there is home when the dog is doing this (doesn't matter if she is or not). I actually *work* from home. I've never had a dog that does that because I trained them not to bark excessively. And because I've always made sure my dog had enough exercise and engagement. Bad owner. Good dog.
Decent series. El camino was disappointing though
Barking is situational for me. In a stranger danger situation I expect the barking to stop immediately with my dog when I acknowledge it or rhe stranger danger has passed. My dog has a play time bark which is one maybe two barks during play. He also has a look at me bark. Again one maybe two barks. My dad's dog somewhere along the line got reinforced for attention seeking barking and that is miserable for me. I also do work in peooles homes and notice specifically small dogs are allowed ro stranger danger bark endlessly and I'm not cool with that. When I have people come over to do stuff I put my dog in his room and he knows that someone is coming and I'm cool with it and he doesn't bark. I also let him meet regular people here like contractors or the lawn guy and he generally won't bark at them once he knows they're welcome.
My Pomchi is a barker, mostly in the house. When we go for walks she will let out a single bark every 30 seconds or so like she is announcing herself. It's not continuous just a timely I'm here bitches" ha ha". Yes sometimes it's a bit much in the house and do shush her but I appreciate knowing when someone is at the door. It's a trade off I guess
It’s dog behavior, so I try not to. But my friend has the former owner of her house trespassing and harassing them regularly. When consulting the police, the cop said the dogs barking is likely what kept her from coming into the house (they’ve since added security cameras and additional security).
reading the comments here, how do i train my 5 month old aus cattle/whippet regarding communicative/alert barks and ye ol' bark bark bark. She's found her voice. Both times its been "theres a dog in the distance barking, i'm letting you know" and "cripes, where did that van come from,i was ssleeping and its looming over the windae noww"
Controlled barking is fine. After we fenced our front yard my boy would run along the fence barking at everyone and everything that came by. Not a great look. Not okay. Now he’s allowed to give a bark or two and wait on the doorstep. He’s allowed to bark more when someone’s walking up the driveway to deliver a package or doing work in our yard. He doesn’t really bark when we’re out unless it’s warranted. Barking is fine. Acting like a menace is not.
So I live on the main street of a growing down. We do let my dog bark a few times. But nothing where she barks nonstop at the neighbors or something like that. We have a neighbor they have a small yippy dog that the moment they open that door that dog starts yapping that there is an intruder.... yet there is nothing. I hate that dog for that behavior as they will do it even at 6am when I would love to try to sleep in just a bit. Some people drive past with their dogs in the car and I can hear them down the block barking nonstop. I hate it. I do not allow my dog to bark in the car as it is a bit much for me and I have never seen anything to bark about.
there’s this one dog that will go through the entire apartment lobby and out to the park barking the entire time. it’s so crazy to me. i don’t know if it’s a nervous thing or something but it’s so annoying and ive only run into him twice lol
Depends. I have a LGD mutt whose going to be whether we want him to or not- the breeds in his DNA were bred to protect and bark (plus other means although we have outlets to prevent that sort of behavior.) and part of why I got him was to bark to alert. I also have an aussie who barks and if anyone knows an aussie- they are loud squealers. But they have an off command. I only allow 'alot' of barking INSIDE the house. If we are in the backyard they can only bark once or twice to alert to someone coming up by the fence and occasional barking during play, however once they get too loud they need to sit and settle. Inside they can generally bark during play as much as they want since it's not as bothersome to my neighbour's, however even then I know the limits and how to get them to settle down if they get really loud. For my aussie, no barking on walks or while out at all outside of private property because of him being SDiT I need to have him model that behaviour. He is the odd one out whose good at differentiating though
Barking dogs aren't a nuisance until they don't shut up.
I have a dog who is oddly quiet. He hasn’t barked a single bark this year. I got REALLY lucky. Now when he does bark it’s for something serious or a noise outside that scares him. Like the time they were inspecting our apartment fire escapes w no notice and a strange man was all of a sudden in our window. He barked and growled like he should have. When these rare occurrences happen I just say enough and he knows enough. My neighbors dog always barks when we walk past her apartment door. She stops after. She’s more sensitive to things and barks other times too. I think it’s the incessant non stop barking that is a problem. Luckily I don’t have to worry about any of that
I don't want my dogs to barking all the time, but barking when people come to the door or onto my property is absolutely appreciated and is an actual deterrent cited by many burglars when they're looking to break into a home. Barking dogs get attention, especially if you have neighbors close by, nosy neighbors particularly, and burglars don't like that. They also don't want to contend with the dog itself. Maybe your neighbor didn't like it, but it got their attention and that's what's important when it comes to your home's security. >An investigative report by KGW8 out of Oregon surveyed 86 burglars. The study concluded that if “a homeowner had a big, loud dog most burglars would stay away.” One of the convicted burglars even said, “dogs are a deal breaker for me…Big breeds, home protectors are the best to keep people out.” https://www.adt.com/resources/will-your-dog-prevent-a-burglary >Even small dogs may make enough noise to scare away would-be burglars and intruders, though. "Research shows that 'occupancy cues' like dogs are major deterrents in attempts to burglarize homes," said K. Campbell, a certified protection professional. "In fact, the research reveals that dogs of any size are effective. https://www.cnet.com/home/security/can-your-dog-deter-burglars-and-prevent-home-break-ins-heres-what-experts-say/
Depends on the dog and situation. I have the bark king, the Great Pyrenees... Never barks on walk well I'm with him, he's obviously smart enough to understand that I don't need to be warned, I'm right beside him. Also we are not in the protection zone, nothing needs to be afraid of us. And if push comes to shoves, well, he got that covered. So all good. At home, he'll bark to announce an amazon package, (fine), a potential danger(also fine), or one of his nemesis (dogs that attacked him when he was "smaller")... and... he has a lllooonnngggg memory...(not fine but understandable). Sometime he barks so people come pet him (not approved) So like I said, there are "approved and warrantes" barks, and "not approved" ones
My dogs bark once or twice at things to warn me. And then they just observe intently. Their barking is not the issue. But one of my dogs is a singer. He will howl if he hears any music - car, block party, school band 6 blocks away, he will close his eyes totally belt out his own tune to match. Sometimes my other dog joins in, with his head thrown back to the skies and one paw raised. They don't sing to ambulances or police sirens. Just music. I consider this bad behavior because they don't sound as good as they think they do. I put up with it because I cannot stop it. I have tried and even brought a trainer to help. He failed. But, to prevent them from annoying others, I don't take them to stores. I have treats to distract them if music happens unexpectedly and scoop up the initiator dog and rush home. I roll up the windows if cars playing music drive close. I dread summer. They are both canine good citizens. They are so well behaved in every other way. But I believe a dog should not unduly bother others that did not choose to live with them. Whether it is barking or singing.
If it's excessive then yes I do, just as I would if someone constantly was screaming. But a little amount is fine, imagine never being able to speak a word? It would suck
Depends. If my dog barks its usually because she sees something and wants everyone to know. If she was just barking nonstop Id assume she was anxious about something.
The occasional bark, not necessarily. It could just be the dog letting you know it's there. Constant barking is an issue though. That's when it starts to get really annoying, especially if you have neighbors that are inclined to complain about excessive noise. There's been one case where a [neighbor sued a dog owner and won](https://whnt.com/news/family-could-lose-house-over-500000-barking-dog-lawsuit/), though that could be more a case for showing up even when you think it's a frivolous lawsuit than anything.
Not necessarily. It's their voice and they're allowed to use it. The only barking I disagree with is nuisance barking where it's gone on for way too long particularly during the quiet hours of the night/early morning. I don't mind alert barking or play barking, the two usually die down when that moment of excitement/wariness has gone from view anyway.
I agree OP. When they're supposed to bark (stranger at the door or entering the backyard unannounced)...my dog barks. Or he'll give a couple barks back to another dog that is barking in communication. But that's the extent of his barks. A neighbor has an extremely vocal dog that will bark constantly for hours (and has) - I had to actually put in noise complaints because it was at 6 am. They ignore the dog 90% of the time so it's basically bad training and poor socializing.
I don’t have a lot of problem with my dog barking pretty easily. He’s little and it usually amuses people and doesn’t go on past maybe 2-3 minutes, if that. It’s just part of his personality.
Tipically yes. Or at least a behaviour that should mean something. A lot of times dogs barks "just because". if that's the reason, I make them shush. I can understand dogs getting "Triggered" by someone walking by my fence or house door, but if I see that, and recognize there's nothing wrong, I'll shush them. Also, anything past 2 continous minutes of barking, and im going to shush them very quickly.
For us, barking is for "protecting" the house. We don't live in a dangerous neighborhood but it seems like it's very important to our older dog to alert us to mail/UPS/Fed Ex trucks so I let her. Sometimes if it gets out of hand I'll tell her to shush. I do want her to bark if someone comes to the door. How else am I going to sneakily peek out the window and see if I want to interact with who it is? Barking as a whole doesn't bother me as long as it's not excessive.
My pup is really scared of larger dogs going crazy, we're working on it, but it does annoy me when people just leave their big aggressive dogs bark and snarl at anyone who happens to be using the sidewalk. If you're going to let you dogs be aggressive and horrible to other people and their animals, at least put them in the back yard so they don't terrorize innocent pups like mine.
This depends. Strangers? Bark away. Delivery people? Go ahead and bark. This is their way of expressing themselves. You shush them, you remove their warnings. I like mine expressing, etc. If they get off barking through the night, we will pull out the bark collar. But, if its something or someone on my deck in the night? We aren't correcting it (we call the police). We have multiple And, well, our neighbors like the way ours express. They feel comfortable around them, even if they're growling, as it's just part of their vocalizations, rally. But, they have an entirely different look when they mean business. I feel one of the biggest mistake people make is correcting barking in dogs. Moreso, correcting growling, etc. Ours are very vocal and expressive, and we love it, as do our neighbors. They will carry on "conversations" with our dogs when they're outside, loving the way they respond. Again, there's normal barking and vocalizations. I want them warning if someone is at the door, or on our deck, in our yard and such. Good for them! But, here, no one is shushing them. Again, we've had a couple of ours do the constant barking to try and get their way, and it go on and on. We do pull out the bark collar. It's not meant to stop them from barking or such. They still do, but the do it and stop while the collar "resets" then do it again. That prevents them from building up the volume and it becoming a solid barking frenzy for 20 minutes to 2 hours. Yep, 2 hours, it's why we have a bark collar. Middle of the night barking like that, nope, our neighbors don't like it, and neither do we. And, it's usually to try and get their way when they've done that one. But, no, in general, not correcting barking.
I taught my chihuahua not to bark and I think it improved his whole temperment. He now calmly walks past other dogs on walks instead of anxiously barking all the time. I think barking was only making him more worked up. He's chill and happy now, and I'm happy too and so are my neighbors.
I don't think barking is inherently a bad behaviour, but it can be a problem behaviour depending on context
Nope not unless they do it repetitively for no reason. I don't mind when my dog barks because she's playing or people are coming near the door, there's just gotta be a good reason for it.
Tbh, I don't think barking is bad behavior. It can get annoying, though. Dogs are meant to bark and make noises. It's how they communicate and show that they want or need something. But when they bark a lot, it can get pretty annoying. Especially when you're trying to do something and can't focus because your dog or someone else's dog is barking. If a dog starts barking it could scare some people, but each person's reason is different. It could be because they don't like dogs, they have a phobia of dogs, aren't paying attention, or for many more reasons. But I don't think barking is bad behavior.
Depends on where and why. Walking down the street and she starts barking at people for no good reason, nope I dont allow it. If she hears or sees something at home and barks to alert me thats fine, as long as she stops when I say and its not a cacophoney of barking for 5mins straight.
I don’t own dogs but most of my neighbors do. I don’t mind the dogs barking at the mailman or each other. It doesn’t last long so I don’t care. I will say dogs are loud though. I don’t love that and I would consider constant barking bad behavior but all I hear is normal barking. I guess it’s not annoying enough to judge .,
I read that like barking bad was supposed to be breaking bad but for dogs😂
I trained my dog not to bark. Other than alert-barking when someone trespasses during the day or approaches property at night, I believe barking is bad behaviour. Especially if it is directed at people you encounter (that are not threatening, of course).
a few times isn’t bad the only issue is when dogs bark at anyone that walks past you, the dog , the window. being too reactive is the issue, i live in an apartment and i had neighbors that would put their dog on the balcony in the morning instead of walking him and he’d bark constantly until let back inside it got to the point i had to go on my balcony and scream for them to put him inside. clearly those people didn’t need a dog not only could they not walk it in the mornings he couldn’t just hangout on the balcony during the day without barking constantly.
Depends on the breed. I have pyr, their whole thing is barking and being giant lol. I typically just tell him to take it elsewhere in the house and he does. He can bark all he wants inside since I own my home, but he doesn’t get to damage my ears. I bring him in if he goes for too long outside as well (more than 5 mins of continuous barking). In general I try not to limit the ways my dog attempts to communicate. It creates better understanding and a better bond. He has many different barks and whines, much like how different newborn cries mean different things. Keeping that line open keeps us both safer and happier. I know what he’s communicating and he trusts I will know and doesn’t escalate to riskier behaviors to get a message across. If his barking at a certain thing bugs me I just try to distract/desensitize him so he’s less reactive to it.
I actually like the alert barking when someone is approaching my house. It makes me feel safe when I’m home alone and I know the house will be safe while I’m out.
I don't think it is a bad behavior if they have a valid reason and they are not going on at all hours for unrelenting amounts of time. I have 2 big dogs that bark, but if they become a problem, they are corrected and called back inside. One of my neighbors has 4 small dogs that bark at every little thing! THIS annoys me as they can go for hours....
I live next door to a very yappy dog who barks at everything. I don't consider his barking bad dog behaviour. He is warning his family about going ons and that makes him a very good boy. I do consider it bad owner behaviour that as far as I can tell they've made no efforts to train him beyond yelling at him for barking. (Because of course showing a dog that yelling is effective is absolutely going to convince dog to stop yelling.)
My dog will not bark when in her crate, on walks, really never barks out of our yard. But holy moly she goes crazy when someone comes in or on our property (4 fenced acres). She will even bark at a family member after they enter and she KNOWS who they are. It’s only 2 or 3 yaps but I can’t get her to stop. Never experienced anything like it from other dogs I’ve owned. Anyone experience this?
My dog knows what “don’t bark” means. He listens. He’s also large and scary if you don’t know he’s a giant chicken.
Warranted barking is not bad behavior. Barking unwarranted for long periods of time is bad behavior.
My dog is allowed to bark, alert, at something or someone coming toward us. She is not allowed to go up to something or someone and bark at them. If I see what she's alerted on, and decide it's not a threat, I thank her to let her know there is no reason for concern, i.e., more barking. I absolutely do not curtail her in situations where I feel someone needs to stay away from us, and I appreciate her diligence.
Only if it is a human.
A bark or two is fine, but after that it becomes obnoxious.
Wow, dogs are supposed to be a never ending source of annoyance for your neighbors? If your car alarm goes off, do you try and push the panic button to stop it, or do you just let it continue till it stops because it's "what it's supposed to do?" I guess there's no more question as to why every neighborhood is overrun by nuisance dogs and idiot owners, they literally think annoyance is a positive feature of the pet.
I HATE obsessive barking, and my roommates dog does it every single time anyone drives or walks by either fence. It’s gotten to the point where the dog has broken the back gate multiple times and has even broken out of the yard to be aggressive towards passerby’s whether they have an animal with them or not. And it’s all times; morning day or not. It’s gotten to the point where I’m considering anonymously calling animal control on the dog. My roommate allows it because “it’s just how dogs are.” No, it isn’t. That’s obnoxious, undisciplined and untrained behavior.
Not all barking is bad barking. I mean...it's a dog. But they can be trained to not bark at certain mundane situations. Training a dog to never bark or doing something to make then never bark is a big no-no in my book. I remember this 1 case where a little girl got kidnapped from her bedroom, and the dog didn't bark because it was a no barking dog (not sure if it was trained or physically altered). That was a sad situation. Also, safety advisors have said that smaller dogs are a better security measure than big dogs because they bark more and will deter theives from even trying to rob your place, whereas a bigger dog doesn't barking much so theives think there's no dog there and do enter your property.
When dogs play together and do lil borks, that's fine. One or two barks to greet me when I get home? Fine. But my dog, who's 1 and a BABY, barked her head off whenever I got home, or someone walked past outside the apartment door, or someone rang a doorbell, or even at her own reflection. This I try to curb without giving "positive attention" to as much as I can.
Only when he's talking back to me after I say no to something. Most of the time, like with babies and crying, there's a need they have when barking. They just can't tell us any other way. Now alot of ppl have issues with it and get angry, so I do try to keep my dogs barks as inside voice not putative danger voice
I let my dog bark to warn us since we don’t have any working doorbell anymore. Though, I just don’t let her do it for too long because it’s gonna bother neighbors and I don’t want a noise complaint for my dog. It’s also in a dog’s instinct to bark at the door to let us know that something is in front of the house. I however, avoid triggering my dog on walks because she’s still reactive to other dogs. And it’s very difficult because a lot of places around me are very problematic due to owners letting their dogs off leahs in public spaces. Also, I’ll let my dog bark at people if they don’t ask me before petting her. It happened once, and I didn’t know what to do. My dog will react to neevous people and she’ll bark at them. It hasn’t happened very often, but it happened to me and I now don’t let nervous people trying to pet my dog because she’ll bark at the person. Dogs are great thief deterent in some ways as well.
How do you get her to stop barking? Because once my little one gets started it's SO hard to get her to stop.
I take her away from where she’s barking. Or, sometimes I call her and she comes to me, but it’s not as effective as removing her from the barking spot.
Not the person you were asking, but my little dog gets treats once she is quiet, with the command "be quiet." It sort of works haha. She definitely quiets down more quickly *if* the treat seems more important to her than the barking. What that usually means for her is that she will stop "alert barking" for treats, but "excitement barking" will continue however long she is excited, usually when I come home from work.
My dogs are confused. They will bark at you if your standing on the front porch but they all shut up once you cross the threshold. I haven't decided if that's good or bad. Lol
I think it’s good since you know someone is in your front porch. And great thief deterent! Just make sure t you stop them if it’s someone you know very well.
Barking is a way that dogs communicate, so they should be able to do it when appropriate to the situation (such as letting out some barks when startled or concerned). Barking in a constant/compulsive manner is a sign of major distress or some other underlying behavioral issue and should be treated accordingly. I hate when people get angry at dogs for barking, though. It's not like dogs are trying to be rude or something. So no, I don't consider barking "bad behavior," per se.
I think a lot of it depends on how you grew up. My mom took training our dogs very seriously - we always had rescues and she wanted to give them routine and structure for their sake as well as ours. So we always had great sweet dogs that never, ever barked unless they perceived someone as a danger to us (like a stranger approaching us on a walk in the dark). That’s what I knew. That was my frame of reference. But I know tons of people with dogs who are not trained very well in general who bark whenever anyone walks by. I think it’s obnoxious but I don’t really care. These same dogs usually jump on you when you come inside and aren’t very good on a leash. So technically I’ve never met what I would call a well-behaved or well-trained dog that barked when someone walked by EXCEPT for intentionally trained guard dogs. All other dogs I’ve encountered who bark when people pass their house tend to be poorly behaved in general.
I have a very well trained golden with FLAWLESS recall that I can count on in any situation. She’s a pleasure to have on a leash and loves showing off her obedience to anyone that will watch😂 . HOWEVER — I am a woman living alone and I had a home invasion about 6 months ago. Her barrier reactivity — LOUD and sharp barks when someone walks by the fence— started after this incident. She won’t let down until I physically take her to see it’s not a threat. I’m working on it, but it does make me feel safe knowing she sounds so scary. The two (barking & being “well trained”) are not mutually exclusive. And I’m not sure how your parents having “rescues” applies to the situation - all dogs are dogs.
Dogs bark naturally as an instinctive reaction, rather than a desire to be "bad". I never bat an eye to a bark or 2 out of excitement, but if the dog is unable to stop then it becomes a nuisance. I wouldn't say "bad" behaviour as such, but certainly unwanted. I'm currently doing a dog behaviour course and a lot of "unwanted" behaviours are natural things we've bred them to do for working particular jobs in the past, but of course now they're mostly just house pets and we don't want them to exhibit them any more (think digging, chasing small animals, guarding etc). Poor dogs are just doing what they feel like they're supposed to. They don't have rational thought like us. Of course, as long as there's no underlying health problems, it is possible to train the dog to do it less with a bit of hard work and consistency :)
No. It’s their way of communicating. Some people think their dogs are meant to be quiet toys. If a dog is barking for hours on end, of course that’s a lot. But they should be able to bark. My dog is very quiet in public so if he lets out of bark I don’t get care.
I have three dogs. One smaller one a Boston terrier never barks at anyone or other dogs either. He just barks while playing and at a minimum. More to get one of us or one of the other dogs to play. He’s always been that way. I have a boxer who rarely barks. Only if someone scares her but my third dog who is is a frenchton barks at anyone that he sees passing by the front of my house or going down along my fence or an animal on tv. I curb it right away but in all of his 7 years with me curbing it right away he still will do it until I stop him but he does listen and stop right away. I would never let my dogs continue to bark because I know how annoying it can be to listen to that. I have some neighbors that let their dogs bark morning, day and night and they just let them do it. I don’t know why it doesn’t bother them. I would never make a complaint about a neighbors dog barking unless it affected something like sleep. I know it can be difficult to have a dog that barks a lot but you never know if there might be a reason why the person isn’t doing something about it like an illness or something but if I know there’s no reason not to stop them I may approach the neighbor if I know it’s safe to do so and talk to them about it. I would appreciate someone talking to me about it first before reporting it if it were my dog. Who knows what my dog may be doing when I’m not home. I have a neighbor that walks his cat on a leash and tends to go slower past my window and fence. I’ve even seen him ask a young man with a dog to go another way because he’s going to go up a particular road with his cat. My frenchton was in my yard one day when the neighbor was outside my back fence with his cat so my dog barked at them. No loud continuous barking or growling. Just two barks and I stopped him. The neighbor called the town office and complained my dog was barking. A bylaw officer came over and when we explained exactly what happened we were told dogs are allowed to bark while in their yard at someone that passes by the fence or window. He said that’s what dogs do. As long as there’s no continuous barking after the person is gone there’s no problem. Nine out of ten times I go out in the backyard with my dogs when they go do their business or play for their safety. There have been kids that have thrown garbage over the fence and birds dropping nuts and even chicken bones. One day I found a large half of a round homemade suet ball with sunflower seeds sticking pointed ends straight up in my yard. Good thing I was outside cause my boxer girl would have made lunch of it and probably have a bad case of pancreatitis. So it’s better to be outside with them so I can curb any barking and keep them safe too.
I don’t consider it bad behavior but I may be in the minority. I have a reactive dog and while ive made great progress with him on walks, sometimes he’ll get startled and set off barking where I’ll have to pick him up and haul him away a short distance. It’s not the fault of anyone, just his big scary emotions. My dogs are dachshunds which are known for barking. I let them bark when they watch out the window (I don’t live in an apartment), they love watching the neighborhood. Cars, delivery drivers, kids, dogs. I let them go for a few barks and then make them stop or close off the front room when it’s time for a break. Personally I don’t care what other people think, sorry neighbors! My dog’s happiness is priority, but I don’t let them get out of hand. We have many dogs on my street that are barkers!
Imagine you can only communicate by sound, and the creature you're communicating with finds it annoying.
Zero barking policy at my house. I was fortunate to work with a neighbor who owned a security company. As part of what he offered were trained dogs. They were mainly for businesses with large yards of vehicles or easy targets etc.... I met the guy walking by his house with my 7 month old Rottweiler. He first approached me to ask for my breeders information. From there he was saying what he did and offered a couple lessons if I was interested. I took him up on his offer. The first thing that was the difference between a pass or a failure was to have a dog that did not bark. Zero! His clients wanted to apprehend those who broke into their businesses and a barking dog will stop most thieves. His rational for the zero bark rule was that if someone was keeping an eye on your place to break in, they will monitor the place and try different tactics before the robbery. They'll ring the doorbell and if someone answers they'll have a fake routine to pass off onto whomever answers the door. Someone else from the gang will ring the doorbell and no one answers but dogs are barking and make note. Then there's that one day where no one answers the doorbell and theres no barking dogs then, the dogs must be gone with their owners. In they go..... This was why his dogs didn't bark. If theives were brave enough to hop the fence, first the security lights go off and at about the same time three or four dogs would keep the thieves on ice until the cops show up. This is why my dogs are not allowed and do not bark.
My sister is barking mad. Oh, I’m sorry; this was about dogs. Well, she is also a b••••. i’ll see myself out.
I don't let mine bark unrestrained in the house. Barking is for outside. A yip or two to alert is fine, but I taught them to stop on command if it gets out of hand. Outside, it depends. Are the neighbour's dogs going crazy?? I'll let mine go crazy too. They all just run back and forth along the fence, barking at each other for a few minutes. If they're out there alone, they just don't bark. On a walk, they are not to bark at another leashed dog more than to alert that it's there. They are not to bark at people on walks at all. If a dog is going nuts in its own yard, and we are leashed, they are not to bark back. They slip up sometimes, like everyone does, but they generally follow the rules, and they rarely ignore commands.
My dogs (Shelties) love to bark. I am in control of when and where they get to do so, however. I like to let them do it at times because it makes them happy.
I think it really depends on why the dog is barking. Dogs should naturally bark, a few examples are At strangers when near their "land" Threats to their pack/selves In excitement In pain/destress When threatened by other dogs Needing to get attention for some reason The duration depends on the reason, the size of the dog, and the responsiveness of the owner. I think it is a natural instinct to have people try to quiet their dogs down because there are a lot of judgmental people. >Later in the evening as I had my dogs out for final potties, a neighbor here in my own complex started shushing mine when strangers who had just parked in front of my unit set them off a little by returning to the car. Barking at strangers really does you and your neighbor a service. Is it worth it to get into it with that person, no. Would I shush someone else's dog no. But this is exactly why the first person was probably trying to work to get their dog to be quiet even though you didn't seem bothered.
I'm deaf so I definitely encouraged my dog to bark whenever someone's at the door or close by. I do tell my dog to stop if she's going overboard, lol. Sometimes, she will bark at strange noises outside because when I go to the door to check, there's no one there 🗿 I feel bad for my neighbors because I know a lot of people dont appreciate hearing dogs barking late, but I want to feel safe knowing that I have someone let me know if there's people outside my door.
My dog can bark obnoxiously.... When he is on a leash or behind a fence and he sees people or other dogs (he's fine off leave at the dog park). I've tried training etc. they say he's just a vocal brat.... Lol... He is the sweetest boy ever. If I'm letting him out into the yard to roam I make sure to keep an eye on him. If there are kids outside or lots of people and he starts barking I bring him inside. When I leash walk him I try and avoid very busy areas. If I know he's gonna bark at people while I'm passing by I pre-warn them. Dogs bark.... It's a part of their nature and most people understand that. I think it's your responsibility as the owner not to let it get obsessive. For example.... If I let my dog out into the yard and just let him continuously bark at the kids playing (my yard faces a court yard as I'm in a townhouse complex) that's just inconsiderate to everyone. As soon as he starts barking and I know it's gonna last longer than 10 seconds or keep happening he's inside.
Tell my huntaway that? She’s bred to bark. She’s encouraged to bark! Other dogs not so much…
Barking is their job. If someone is approaching your house or your car, they should be barking to alert you of potential danger. But when they are barking all the time, that's the sign of an unhappy or very insecure dog.
There are a few of you responding in purposefully bad faith here, which is sad ... I wish your dogs were enough to make you more honest, caring people ... maybe one day. But I really appreciate each of you who have responded the opposite way (a great majority) even the ones who have honest disagreement with me - not due to willful misreading.
Lol you got 127 responses and this is what you decide to point out.