Why Dogs Bark

Why Dogs Bark

Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing they all have in common is barking. Visit any grooming facility or doggy daycare in San Jose, and the first thing you will hear is a chorus of different barks in the air. However, dogs’ ancestors, wolves, howl rather than barking, so why do our domesticated pets pick barking to communicate?

Watch this video to learn some theories about why dogs bark. Researchers believe they have developed this skill as a means to communicate with humans and that dogs can in fact convey six different emotions with their barks. In a doggy daycare, you may hear dogs barking out of excitement when playtime is about to begin, for instance, or a dog in a pet hotel barking a greeting when his or her owners arrive for pick-up. Pay attention to your dog’s barking pattern, and you may discover that each bark has a meaning, much like a baby’s cries.