Posted on August 25, 2009 by: WayCoolDogs

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Running a rescue kennel of 23 dogs, we have learned to pay attention to the many types of barking sounds our dogs make.  Telling a dog to shut up when they are insistently barking at something is like telling your one-year old child to shut up because they are speaking baby language as you do not understand what they are saying. People are priceless…

Most people do not understand the verbal language of dogs with many not even caring to. But dogs have no other way to communicate with us.  Their conversation ranges from saying “Hello, neighborhood, did you see that stupid cat out front?” to others sending out warning sounds, “A dog’s out. Come quick! I’m afraid they’re going to get hurt.”

Here is a short list of the different sounds that dog recognize from one another, while we–as stupid humans–do not.

1. Continuous rapid barking, mid-range pitch: “Call everyone! There is a potential problem, but I don’t know what it is! But I think a stranger is approaching the property!”
2. Continuous barking but a bit slower and pitched lower: “They are coming closer (it usually is the guy irrigating in our neighboring field, but what they hey! We never know!) “They are very, very close….hurry Get ready to defend yourself!”
3. Barking in rapid strings of three or four with pauses in between, mid-range pitch: “Being in charge of inspection, I really feel you should hurry and check things out. I suspect that there may be a problem or an intruder near our territory.
4. Prolonged or incessant barking, with moderate to long intervals between each utterance: “Helloooo…is there anybody there? I’m lonely and need some real time company.” This is most often the response to confinement or being left alone for long periods of time.
5. “One or two sharp short barks, mid-range pitch: “Well….HELLO there! Haven’t seen you for awhile!” This is the most typical greeting sound.
6. Single sharp short bark, lower mid-range pitch: “Stop that!” This is often given by a mother dog when disciplining her puppies but may also indicate annoyance in any dog, such as when disturbed from sleep or if hair is pulled during grooming and so forth.
7. Single sharp short bark, higher midrange: “Heeeyyyy…what’s going on?” or “Huh?” This is a startled or surprised sound. If it is repeated two or three times its meaning changes to “Come look at this!” alerting the pack to a novel event. This same type of bark, but not quite as short and sharp, is used to mean “Come here!” Many dogs will use this kind of bark at the door to indicate that they want to go out.
8. Lowering the pitch to a relaxed mid-range: Means “Terrific!” or some other similar expletive, such as “Oh, great!” Miss Holly Higgins, for example, who enjoys her meals will give this single bark of joy when I get out of bed in the morning and its breakfast time. She also gives it when she is reminding me it is meal time.
9. Single yelp or very short high-pitched bark: “I am in PAIN!” This is in response to a sudden, unexpected pain.
10. Series of yelps: “I’m hurting!” “I’m terrified of pain on my body” This is in response to severe fear and pain.
11. Stutter-bark, midrange pitch: If a dog’s bark were spelled “ruff,” the stutter-bark would be spelled “ar-ruff.” It means “Let’s play!” and is used to initiate playing behavior.
12. Rising bark: This is a bit hard to describe, although once you’ve heard it, it is unmistakable. It is usually a series of barks, each of which starts in the middle range but rises sharply in pitch – almost a bark-yelp, though not quite that high. It is a play bark, used during rough-and- tumble games, that shows excitement and translates as “This is fun!”

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