Last night my neighbor’s dogs kept me awake with their constant barking. There was a full moon out, and so were the area’s coyotes-yipping and howling and disturbing all the dogs that live around her. My dogs also barked when they first heard the nearby coyotes, but after I commanded them to be quiet, they stopped. My neighbor’s never quiet their pack of dogs-I don’t know how anyone could sleep that deep and it makes me mad and jealous at the same time.

As I thought about the all night barking, it was obvious that even though dogs may start their barking for a good reason sometimes, when it is out of control it is a problem just like any other form of barking.I felt like the owners were at least as much at fault as their dogs-if not more-for not correcting the problem.

As a dog owner, it is up to you to be responsible enough to keep any type of barking, whether it starts for a good reason or not, under control. There are some very good reasons my dogs will bark, and I would not want to change that.

For example, here are some natural and acceptable reasons that will cause your dog will bark. You can see the difference between these “good barking” reasons and  the  “problem barking” reasons, and know whether your dog’s barking is a problem or not.

• The most obvious good reason your dog will bark is when he wants to warn you that something (maybe another dog or a stranger) is approaching. When your dog does this type of barking, it is to warn his master, and this is a good thing you won’t want to stop. Given that, you should still be able to quiet him with a command to stop. One example would be quieting your dog when he barks at someone who has parked in front of your house that you know is not dangerous-he should quiet down as soon as you say so. In case the visitor isn’t someone you want on the property, you have the option of letting your dog’s “good barking” continue to serve as a deterrent. As long as you are in control of the amount of barking you dog is doing when protecting his territory, this barking is “good barking”. If your dog is barking a lot for other reasons then you do have problem barking needing correction.

• Dogs will often bark for the good reason that they are happy and excited . When I play with my dogs, they bark at me and at each other-but all in fun. This is the doggy’s way of saying he is having a lot of fun, and wants even more. If one of the dogs starts barking too much from all the excitement I will then tell him to quiet down.  A little excited barking is one thing, but constant loud barking is quite another and should be stopped. Because your dog may develop a barking habit from too much excitement if you don’t limit it while playing, you need to pay attention to that.
• Many dogs will bark upon your arrival home. This is a very common since your dog is excited to see you again, and this is acceptable as long as the barking is very brief. My dogs always greet me at the gate when I come home, and I don’t mind a couple barks because that is all there are. The problem is when your dog gets over-excited and barks incessantly for an extended period. This barking is a problem if it is excessive, and should be controlled.

• When my Lab wants some playtime, she will let me know via a bark or two, as she brings me a ball to throw.  If they continue barking at you to play, they are actually bullying you in a way. My dog had me pretty well trained through her bullying, so I know what this is like first hand. Truthfully, this isn’t great, because it is up to you as top dog to determine when play time begins. If you let the dog think it is the boss instead of you, you will make all other training more difficult. If your dog is bullying you, don’t let it, because it is important that you are always viewed as the boss in the relationship-not the other way around.

I think you’d agree the above barking behaviors are not troublesome-unless they are out of control. But, except for these few, the majority of other reasons dogs bark too much should be corrected.

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