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Why does my dog bark so much for so little obvious reason?  
INFORMATIVE 

Tags: Dogs, barking, breeds, excessive barking, dog behavior, dog problems, dog training

Reasons that dogs bark and why some dogs bark too much, how you may be rewarding your dog for barking too much, helpful tips for dealing with problem barking

	To get attention...When a dog's barking brings attention (even if that attention is negative and angry!), the dog got what he wanted (attention), by barking and will bark more often and more loudly for attention next time(s). To the dog, someone coming to yell "SHUT UP" is attention, a reward and good reason to bark again. The ideal way to give your dog your attention, encourage good behavior that should be rewarded, teach your dog to WANT to please you, socialize your dog with other people and other dogs, and develop your ability to control your dog's behavior, is to take your dog to a basic obedience class regularly and also train your dog daily at home (even a few minutes a couple of times a day, of working on obedience training with your dog every day, will result in obvious progress!)
	Boredom relief, which is also related to attention-getting-Some dogs will bark or howl when they are bored, just to relieve the stress of boredom and also often because they've learned that making noise often brings attention (which also relieves the boredom and in his mind, the dog has received a double reward for being noisy!)
	Excitement/Stress-A dog, especially when confined and bored, will often bark excitedly at seeing another dog or other animal running loose. In a kennel situation, dogs often will "fence fight", running back and forth barking at each other. Frustration at confinement (unable to actually get to each other) and mutual stimulation (it takes two dogs at least to fence fight), may build among fence-fighting dogs to also include aggressive behaviors such as trying to bite each other through the fence.
	Separation anxiety-Dogs who lack self-confidence, especially extremely loyal breeds such as German Shepherds, will often bark, whine, howl, and exhibit other behaviors when the person who the dog is bonded with, goes somewhere and leaves the dog behind. Such dogs, if left loose in the house may also relieve themselves, chew, or destroy things as their anxiety becomes more intense. Crating the dog when you can't take him with you, socializing the dog and training him in basic obedience (especially in a class where the dog benefits from being around other dogs and people in addition to obedience training, and where you benefit from having the class instructor available to answer questions, etc) will help solve this common problem.
	When you crate your dog and leave the house, turn on the radio softly for him (soft music or talk radio will work best) so that he has something to help distract him from his anxiety. Leave him a safe chew toy such as a large "plaque attacker" or Nylabone toy. (Kongs ARE NOT safe, dogs can chew pieces off of them!) Although a bit messy because it tends to end up outside the crate, cedar is excellent to put into the crate if your dog is one that is likely to relieve himself when stressed. The cedar will absorb the urine and feces and make cleanup MUCH easier than putting newspapers in the crate or leaving the bottom of the crate bare. Separation anxiety is very common in older puppies and adolescent dogs, particularly of loyal dogs bred to work closely with people.
	Howling at sirens...Sirens stimulate a dog or a group of dogs to respond to what the dog perceives as communication from another dog. Thus, the dog will answer the siren's call by howling back. This is the same kind of communication that is heard among howling wolves and singing coyotes, as they answer the calls of others who are heard but usually unseen.
	Most dogs have different barks for different situations. Dogs bark when excited by something, dogs bark to announce that someone (human or animal) is trespassing onto the dog's territory, dogs bark when they feel threatened, dogs bark for attention, dogs bark to relieve stress and boredom, BUT dogs communicate when interacting with other dogs mostly by body and eye language! Higher pitched barks or yaps usually mean excitement whereas deep more aggressive sounding barks are usually a response to something a dog sees as a threat to himself or his territory.
	I used to be able to tell by the differences in the barks of my German Shepherds when I had a kennel, if: a dog got loose, a familiar vehicle was coming, a strange vehicle was coming, a stranger walking onto the property or other situation needing immediate human attention. My collies however, would bark at any little thing although even they had a different bark to announce strangers. Tune in to the different sounds your dog uses for different situations and you too will learn what's going on by listening to your dog.
	Barking is partly breed-related. Breeds of dogs most likely to be problem barkers include toy dogs, terriers, and other nervous, high energy breeds such as Shelties, collies, Irish Setters, and beagles, although there are always individual exceptions to any generality about any breed. And incidentally, while the Basenji is known as the only barkless breed of dog, barkless doesn't mean silence. Basenjis have many other vocalizations, yells, howls, even screams, to make up for being barkless!

Lister: Spiritwolf

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