Q:                      Please help before I go insane !!!!

We have a 18 month old Chesapeake Bay whom my husband bought for hunting. The dog is generally good:" I say generally loosely" but he's a working dog, not a family pet,this I was told to understand, but he never shuts up !

He barks and barks and barks, I've tried everything I know how, and he does it more when my husband isn't around, it's like he's purposely trying to drive me crazy. I  just don't know what he wants or how to make him stop. Can you help?

Thank you Michaela
 

A:  Dogs use barking or a series of sounds as a means of communicating with each other as well as humans. Yes, it can be noisy and extremely irritating at times, but if you  know what they are telling you, now you begin to understand how to correct it. 

A dogs bark will vary according to motivation, dominance, fear, submission or simply just play and affection.
Different tones or pitches mean different things. If yours or any dog that you may come across displays  a deep,very low in tone coming straight from the chest rolling growl, this dog is telling you he's aggressive . Some other signs of aggressive communication are , snarling ( still a growl, but not as deep or low in tone) a quick repeated bark given in a low tone often accompanied by a snarl. Should you ever encounter this, it is very important that you stand still, make no quick or sudden movements. Do not look at the dog, but rather look away, showing him that you are no threat to him and are submitting to protect yourself. Most important, don't talk to the dog! People often make the mistake of speaking to the dog in either a clam soft tone, or  a high pitched " Hey buddy, it's ok"  Don't speak. Dogs are masters of voice inflections and can quickly detect your fear .  

A more fearful dog will give a long whine raising his pitch as he becomes more uncomfortable or stressed. He may include a single high pitched howling sound along with the whine, which could turn into a repeated high pitch bark, board lining into a whine then a howl. If your dog is outside alone in the yard  and signaling you with this sort of tone, he may be telling you  " I'm lonely" , " I don't like being out here alone" " There's to much space out here for me, all the sounds, and movements scare me"  If you dog displays this, try bringing him indoors for a while. Play with him, make him feel comfortable. Just because he's a working dog, doesn't mean that he cannot be part of your family pack. Dogs are den animals, they prefer small confined spaces to wide open ones.

  On the other hand, a confident dog will emit a one  "Woof" sound  ( as an alert ) then follow with a quick deep repeated bark  to warn you  strangers may be within the home boundaries. If this is the case, check the house perimeters, letting your dog know that you heard his warning and  praise him for doing his job . Listen carefully, and try not to  confuse the fear bark and the alerting confident one or your end result will enhance the bark that you do not want. A very submissive or inferior dogs will emit a quick high pitched scream. This is often heard by puppies when they are calling for help. Check this out instantly as your dog is in trouble and may be stuck on his leash, caught on a fence, etc.

Your playful dog  will give a short whine or  a light high pitch bark asking for contact to play or interact. All of the vocal sounds are incorporated with the dogs body language. Be careful as they through mixed signals,  and many conflict's occur between humans and dogs through miscommunication of each other.

Make sure you are spending enough quality time with your dog or this playful tone, can quickly turn into annoying discouragement . He's not trying to drive you crazy, it just sounds like he's trying to communicate with you. Before correcting your dog, first try to understand what it is that they are trying to tell you. In this fast paced world that we live in today, it becomes just easier for us to open our doors and yell " SHUT UP " rather than take the time to effectively communicate.

This article was published on January 4, 2009 Page 4 of the Sunday Sentinel