• Question: Why do dogs insist on barking at the unknown? shouldn't they know better?

    Asked by avrilking to Cathal, Ciara, Emma, Michael, Sive on 13 Nov 2013.
    • Photo: Emma Cahill

      Emma Cahill answered on 13 Nov 2013:

      They like to keep us guessing, could be that they have better hearing and can detect something coming or passing well before we do!

    • Photo: Sive Finlay

      Sive Finlay answered on 13 Nov 2013:

      Emma’s right that dogs can hear and smell things that we can’t so maybe they do know what they’re barking at.
      It could also be an evolutionary thing from their wild ancestors. If you bark at a predator or something that’s threatening it’s a good way of taking away the element of surprise so you’re saying “I know you’re here and you’re not going to sneak up on me or any of my pack”. Meerkats do similar things of having specific calls to warn of a predator’s approach.
      It could also be a territorial thing; they might bark to say “I don’t know what you are but stay back because this is my patch!”
      It can be annoying though, my dog once barked at me because I was wearing a new head band!
      Sive

Comments

  • Photo: avrilking

    avrilking commented on :

    thanks for answering!! this helped me understand why my dog kept barking at people going up and down the road!

    • Photo: Emma

      Emma commented on :

      you’re welcome and sounds like at least she/hes a good guard dog! I actually met a dog specialist once who she spends all her time studying their behavior. Theres lots going on we dont notice, like when they tilt their head and such it apparently has more meaning than “Huh?”..