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Different types of Barking

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Barking is the way dogs express emotions. Dogs are significantly more vocal than their relative the wolf, which uses only four to nine types of vocalisation. Domestication of dogs has perhaps accentuated dogs' use of sound signals more than any other communication tool. In order to reduce the amount of barking we have to first understand why the dog is barking. There are different ways of dealing with the barking, depending on the cause of the barking. Accept that dogs bark as part of their natural communication with others - there is no point in trying to stop it completely. We only need to do something about it when it becomes unnatural and a problem. Remember barking means something and it is up to us to understand the different types of barking and act accordingly.

Different Types of Barking
	Activity Involved	How it sounds
Excitement Barking	This type of barking expresses emotions ranging from happiness to the excited expectations of something good about to happen. Because of his excitement level, the dog will probably exhibit a higher stress level than usual. This means that the dog will be moving as all his muscles are full of adrenalin, it is impossible for him to keep still. It will often include jumping up and down, spinning, running here and there and tail wagging	It is a high frequency sound, and it can sound a little hysterical. Barking is more or less constant, or is a series of barks with small breaks in a sequence. Whining can occur in between barking.
Warning Barking	The warning bark is a vocal expression you will not hear as often as other types of barking. You will hear some dogs use it in situations where they percieve others in the pack (dog or human) need some sort of warning. Flight from the threat is common. In pack animals, in some cases, one of the pack will stay back and take the "responsibility" to defend the rest.	One short, sharp "woof" meaning simply "get away, the enemy is coming"
Fear Barking	Almost all dogs are fearful of something. Fear levels range from slightly worried to a full panic. If a dog is not in a position to cope with fear, and he cannot run away for some reason, strong emotions will often come out through the mouth instead. The dog will be active as his muscles are full of adrenalin. The dog will be restless, running back and forth, looking out of windows, scratching at doors, trying to get out. Sometimes they will chew on objects or sometimes on themselves. In some cases they become completely apathetic.	This bark will be high pitched, and come in long series of barks. It is siomilar to excitement barking but you will very clearly hear the fear in the dogs voice. This long series of hysterical barking will sometimes end in a howl, a call for help, like when a puppy calls for his mother to come.
Guard Barking	This type of barking is probably the most misunderstood of all. As it is usually accompanied by growling sounds people percieve the dog to be aggressive, dominant, or wanting to take over. A barking dog guarding something has high stress levels at that moment in time. The dog will move forward, lunging towards the object he is defending himself against, trying to make it go away. He might try to scare something or someone away by showing teeth, growling, lunging forward, snapping, barking and eventually biting, buit the bite comes at the end, if nothing else helps.	If the dog is guard/defensive barking, there will usually be some growling in it. Something like: "Grrrr-bark,bark-grrr" The guard barking sound will generally be shorter and deeper than fear barking. But sometimes, when the dog is really afraid, it can sound more high pitched and similar to fear barking
Frustration Barking	This kind of barking is heartbreaking to listen to. You can hear the desperation and frustration in the dog. If you hear this and follow the souind towards the dog, you will often find a dog that is tied up, is alone outdoors, is not being allowed with people or is in a kennel. Loneliness is often the reason, hunger can be another. Long term tress is always at the bottom of it. It is a behaviour that is repeated over and over again in an endless fashion. Whether it is barking, chewing, digging, licking, chasing shadows or his tail. These actions cause certain hormones to be releaed making the dog feel better and able to endure a terrible or hopeless situation	The sound will be endless rows of static barking. The same tone over and over again, sometimes ending in a howl. Then the whole sequence is repeated
Learned Barking	This is where the owner has usually - consciously or unconsciously - somehow reinforced the behaviour. It is usually unintentional, but not always.	This type of barking is very easy to recognise when you know what to look for. The dog barks, takes a break, and looks around. He is actually seeking attention or whatever reinforcement he has recieved in the past for barking. If the attention or reinforcement is not forthcoming he will start barking again, seeking the reward.
source:Barking-The sound of Language - Turid Rugaas

Dogs bark. It's what they do. But they make a wide range of other sounds.

Whining
The first form of vocalization is the whine. Puppies whine to gain the attention of their mother and to encourage her to move closer to them. When you take a puppy home and he whines, he is essentially calling for his mum, who has sudenly gone. This time when mum doesn't come, it will be a shock to him and he should not experience this, he needs his mum and you need to step up to the plate and take mums place as long as he needs you. A puppy grows up fast and will become independant, but for the puppies mental health you must give him the security in the beginning. Adult dogs do this insistent, rather nagging, high pitched sound to get your attention. Whineing can also indicate that the dogs are hungry, thirsty, need to relieve themselves or are nervous, frightened or anxious - they are seeking help from someone else.

Whimpering
When whining changs to the more pitiful sound of whimpering, it can be the sign of more serious distress - dogs often whimper when they are in pain. Otherwise, it could simply be the dog's way of intensifying or heightening the plea of whining, particularly when it is accompanied by pawing or nudgeing.

Yelping
A sudden yelp is a cry of pain. If you accidentally step on a dogs paw or tail, he'll yelp to let you know that it hurts. A simple 'sorry' and a pat on the head will reassure the dog that you didn't mean any harm.

Growling
The growl is the dog's key warning sound - a message, an expression that comminicates the dog is experiencing some difficulty. Something scary, threatening, painful, or whatever it is at the moment. It can mean don't come close, this hurts, I can't take any more of this, don't take my food, I am hungry, and i have had enough, please stop. It is a clear message on how the dog is feeling and it is up to you to work out what the dog is finding conflicting and help him cope. It is also an important part of the way puppies play. Play fighting is how puppies test the waters, see how far they can go and how strong they are, and growling often goes along with it. When older dogs play with each other, they revert to this puppyish behaviour and may growl at each other without intending to communicate aggression. When your dog plays with you - he may also emit a wavering growl. It is not meant in aggression, it's just part of the mock battle you are playing.

When a growl is deep and sustained, it's a clear warning to back off. This is the sign of impending aggression The dog may feel threatened or under attack and is giving you or another dog the chance to retreat and avoid further trouble before it's too late.

Snarling
When the warning given by the growl goes unheeded, the vocalization escalates. The growl goes up a level in intensity and vibrates a little, becoming less sustained. The lips are up and the teeth are bared. Snarling indicates that aggressive action is imminent.

Howling
Many people interpret the long mournful tone of the howl as a sound of distress. While it's true that dogs will often howl if left alone too long - 'Here I am - where are you, my human pack'- howling doesn't necessarily indicate unhappiness. The howl is the biggest sound a dog can make and it carries over long distances. It is also used to gather the pack together again if they all become separated. In the wild, it is used to signal a dog's presence to others or to ward off predators. Another example is the lonely dog calling for someone to come - whether he has been left too long at home alone or out in his kennel or tied up. It can also be a male calling for a female in heat. Many people hear their male dogs howling and it usually means a female is in heat nearby. If he cannot go to her, he calls her to come to him.Some dogs are more prone to howling than other breeds. Dogs will also howl in response to the bark or howl of another dog. And of course, we all know that some dogs like to howl along to the piano, no matter how well you are playing. They also can howl at the ring of the telephone if they consider you have taken too long in answering it.

Groaning
Many dogs make a low, throaty, murmuring groan, moan or growl when they are being stroked. This indicates bliss and pleasure.

Barking
Barking is a really important part of dog communication. Depending on the context, it has a variety of meanings. Barking can be used to sound an alarm or warning; it can be a call for attention; or it may be simply indicating that the dog is excited. Dogs bark to signal their presence to other dogs that may not be able to see them - that bad dog on the other side of the fence, for example. They also bark in response to barking or to mark their territory. And, of course, they bark when they are bored and isolated. While excessive barking may indicate a problem, it is very important that dogs should be able to bark from time to time. It's wrong to expect a dog to spend his life in silence.

When they are very young, puppies do not bark. Timing varies, but in most cases a puppy will have started to bark by the age of two months. Some breeds also bark more than others. Maltese dogs are pretty vocal and so are Shelties. Dachshunds are also predisposed to bark, for good reason. They were originally bred to go down holes after badgers and to bark when they found them so that hunters could identify exactly where the badgers were (the breed name means 'badger dog' in German).

Below is a table of the typical vocal signals in domestic dogs and their behavioural contexts as collated by Professor Seong Chan Yeon at Gyeongsang National University, Korea

Vocal Sounds in Domestic Dogs
Name or type of Vocalisation	Behavioural contexts
BARK	Allert Warning Territorial Defence/Rivalry/Defence Individual Identity Social Facilitation Play Solicitation Greeting, Call for Attention
HOWL	Territorial Maintenance Locate Group Members Individual Recognition Coordinate sicial activities/ Hunting Attract Others Reactive (in respect to sirens etc)
GROWL	Offensive and Defensive threatening Play Defence Warning Threat
WHINE	Greeting Frustration Active Submission Attention Seeking
YELP	Pain/ Great Stress
SNORE	Nasal Sound, Related with Bark
GROAN	Acute Distress
GRUNT	Pleasure

The methods dogs use to communicate with their own species