If you share your home and your daily life with a dog, you have probably already noticed that dogs tend to bark at some people, while others seem not to arouse the least bit of interest. If you have already experienced this situation when walking with your best friend, you probably ask yourself questions like: " Why does my dog bark at only one person?", " Why does my dog bark at strangers? or "how to stop my dog from barking at people?"
In this article on our site, we will help you find answers to these questions by explaining the possible meanings of your furry's barking and why a dog might bark at some questions and some don't.
Why do dogs bark?
To understand why your dog barks at some people and not at others, you first need to know why dogs bark. Although our furry ones mostly use their body language to express their moods, emotions and perceptions about their environment, barking plays a very important role in their relationship with the people, with other animals and with the environment that surrounds them.
In their day to day, dogs bark to communicate the different emotions and experiences they experience, which depends a lot on the environment in which they live. they meet and the stimuli they perceive. When we say stimuli we are not only referring to noises, images or smells, but also to the presence of other individuals in their territory (people, dogs, cats or other animals). Therefore, there are many possible meanings of the barking of dogs.
To be able to identify what each bark of our furry means, we must pay attention to their postures, facial expressions and their meanings. A stressed dog, in addition to barking, usually shows different signs of stress, such as hyperactivity or nervousness, excessive salivation, licking, difficulty concentrating, excessive panting, etc. An angry dog that prepares to defend itself, will communicate its state of mind with other attitudes and postures, such as growling, showing its teeth, scratching and sniffing the ground, having very dilated pupils, remaining motionless with a remarkably rigid body, among others.. If you perceive these signs in your furry, it is best to move away and respect his space until the animal calms down and resumes its usual behavior. Then, it will be essential to identify what is causing these negative emotions in your furry to establish an effective treatment.
For this reason, we always reaffirm the importance of knowing your dog's personality in order to easily identify any change in his behavior and know how to act to help him. In addition, if you notice that your dog is barking excessively or that your dog's character has changed, we recommend you take it to the veterinarian you trust to verify its he alth status Hay many diseases that can cause intense pain and interfere with your furry's senses, therefore, it is key to rule out any pathological cause associated with excessive barking and other problems of behaviour.
And why does my dog bark at certain people and not others?
Now you know that dogs can bark for different reasons and under different circumstances. However, we still haven't answered that initial question: “ Why doesn't your dog like some people? ” or “ Why does your dog only bark at certain people and not others?”.
Again, we have to tell you that there is no single explanation for this behavior of your furry. To know why your dog barks at some people, it will be necessary to observe the context in which these barks occur. In addition to observing the posture of your dog when barking, you will also need to pay attention to the attitude of the person to whom your furry dedicates his barks.
To help you with this task, we will summarize below the main reasons that can make your dog bark at some people and not at others.
Do dogs bark at people out of fear?
Fear is among the main causes of barking in dogs. In general, fearful behaviors towards people and other dogs are associated with poor socialization Therefore, if you ask yourself the question “how to stop my dog from barking at people”, the answer is: investing in his early socialization.
In dogs, fear is an emotion that appears right at the end of the socialization stage, which occurs during their childhood. If, during this period, we introduce our furry friends to different people, dogs, other animals and various stimuli, we manage to prevent fearful or insecure behaviors in their adulthood. Although the ideal is to start socializing a dog during its childhood, it is also possible to carry out a successful socialization process in adult dogs, always counting on patience, affection and the help of positive reinforcement.
Thus, a dog that has not been properly socialized during its childhood and has not had the opportunity to interact positively with other individuals may show fear of people, dogs and unknown stimuli. There are even dogs that act fearful and exaggerated even with people known to have experienced some traumatic experience with people (more on this later).
However, there are also other possible explanations for why a dog barks at people out of fear and you can find out about them by reading our article “what to do if my dog is afraid of people”. In it, you will also find some tips to help your dog and carry out a correct socialization process to teach him to relate positively with the individuals, stimuli and objects that make up his environment. Likewise, sensory deprivation syndrome may be the answer you are looking for if your dog is adopted and you are unaware of its past, since this disorder appears when dogs have been confined during their development or deprived of the aforementioned social stimuli.
Is it true that dogs can sniff out fear in people?
Probably, you have already heard that dogs can smell our fear and can even bark when identifying this emotion in some people. Although there is no 100% proven explanation for this ability of our furry ones, the truth is that they have much more developed senses than ours, especially if we talk about smell and hearing. And this would be one of the possible explanations for his ability to identify a fearful person
When we feel fear or other extreme emotion (stress, anxiety, overexcitement), our body releases some hormones into the bloodstream and fluids (urine, sweat, etc.), which alter our body odor. Although these substances may go unnoticed by other people, the powerful sense of smell of dogs is capable of easily identifying the alteration of the odor in the body of the person experiencing this emotion. In addition, when we feel fear, our body also adopts certain postures and facial expressions that are different from when we experience a state of relaxation or happiness. A person who is afraid of dogs often adopts a defensive or apprehensive posture when in the presence of this animal. Let us remember that fear is an emotion that can lead to organic and involuntary reactions.
Since dogs mainly use body language to communicate, they are also capable of perceiving alterations in our habitual postures and identifying some signs that indicate this state of tension. Identifying the defensive or apprehensive posture in some people, dogs may bark because they also feel stressed or fearful in this situation, or simply to scare away and frustrate any attack attemptthat could be born from this person in a defensive state.
Do dogs bark at certain people to get their attention?
Although we usually think that a dog barks at those who don't like it, the truth is that our furry ones can also bark to get people's attentionthat they want and invite them to play or receive their caresses. In fact, many dogs bark when they are very excited, whether it is sensing the presence of their favorite people, knowing that it is time to go for a walk or because their guardian picks up their favorite toy.
If your dog barks at some people to express happiness at seeing them and inviting them to play, you may observe other positive and friendly signs in your body language. For example, the classic happy tail, raised and waving enthusiastically, open and friendly facial expressions, or putting their ears back when petted or asking for petting.
Do dogs bark at some people to defend their territory?
Dogs are territorial animals that can be very protective of their home, their guardians and their objects. The presence of people, dogs or other unknown animals in your home can make your dog feel that his territory is invaded and his resources are threatened, so will have the natural need to conserve them and protect them from any threat. However, a possessive dog often resorts to aggressiveness and reacts negatively even to known people for fear of losing their toys, their food or their guardian.
protection of resources is a natural behavior in dogs and other animals. However, overprotection in relation to people and objects tends to greatly harm the social life of our furry friends and coexistence in our home. In addition, in an attempt to conserve their resources, dogs can have aggressive attitudes that are very dangerous for themselves and for everyone around them. Therefore, a possessive dog needs to receive adequate treatment to learn to control its negative reactions and to relate positively with people, animals and the stimuli that make up its environment. If you notice that your dog is very possessive of you or its objects, we recommend that you immediately seek a qualified professional, such as a educator or a canine ethologist In addition, if your furry is very nervous or more aggressive than usual, take him to the vet quickly to check his he alth and rule out any pathological cause.
On the other hand, if you have adopted or are thinking of adopting a new dog, remember the importance of properly introducing him to your furry dog If you incorporate a new puppy into your home abruptly, your dog may feel insecure and become more possessive in relation to its territory and its resources, acting aggressively in relation to the new furry one. Therefore, the introduction of a new dog in our house must be careful to avoid fights and disputes over territory.
On our site we give you some tips to promote coexistence between a new puppy and an adult dog. In addition, you will need to prepare your home for the arrival of the new furry: each dog must have its own environments and objects (feeder, drinker, bed, toys, etc.). Thus, you will be able to favor the interaction of your dogs and avoid subjecting them to fights and unnecessary contexts of high stress. And remember again the importance of properly socializing your dogs to teach them to interact in a positive way and be able to enjoy an optimal social life.
Do dogs bark at some people and not others because of rudeness?
Unconscious training is much more common than you might imagine. On a daily basis, many guardians reinforce unwanted behaviors in their dogs without even noticing it, for example, by offering them a treat or pampering them to momentarily stop some unwanted behaviors, such as barking, crying, etc. Precisely for this reason, this phenomenon is known as “unconscious training”.
If to get your dog to shut up you always offer him a snack, a caress or allow him to do things that are normally prohibited (for example, getting on the sofa or on the bed), your furry probablywill assimilate the act of barking with getting something that is of interest to him. Then, he may start barking excessively with the sole motivation of getting your attention and getting what he wants.
The same can happen with other people, such as relatives, friends, neighbors or visitors who frequent your home. If your dog barks only at one person or at a few people who often frequent your house, you can pay attention to how these people react to your dog's barking. If you notice that these people give a treat, a piece of food or a caress to make the dog stop barking, your dog has probably assimilated the act of barking at this/these person/s with getting something that interests and pleases them..
Do dogs bark at certain people because of traumatic experiences?
Unfortunately, many dogs have a history of physical or emotional abuse and have had traumatic experiences that make it difficult for them to relate to people or with other animals, and may even lead them to suffer from phobias. We should not confuse fear, which is a fundamental emotion for survival, with phobias, which are characterized as disproportionate and exaggerated emotions in the face of certain stimuli.
If your dog is afraid of certain people, he may bark at them, try to escape and even react aggressively to defend himself from a possible attack. However, if we are talking about a phobia, the dog will react in an exaggerated and uncontrollable way, demonstrating the state of panic that dominates his body. A diagnosis of phobia is complex to treat, requires time and a lot of experience. For this reason, it is essential to work with a specialist in canine behavior and education to help a dog that suffers from phobias to regain his self-confidence, slowly relearn to trust in people and being able to interact with them in a positive way. Unfortunately, a comprehensive cure is not always possible, but a good quality of life for the dog can be provided with a positive environment, controlled exposure to strangers, and use of alternative therapies, such as Bach flowers, aromatherapy, acupuncture, among others.
If you have just adopted a furry dog and you perceive that it is very fearful or behaves uncontrollably in the presence of other people, we recommend you go to a veterinarian specialized in canine ethology (ethologist veterinarian ). This professional will first be able to verify the he alth status of your dog and rule out any disease or imbalance in his body. Then, you can design a treatment based on specific guidelines according to your dog's needs and analyze the possibility of using drugs or alternative therapies to provide a better quality of life for your best friend.
