Dogs Growl, Grunt, And Whine - Recognize A Real Potential Fight Coming When You Are In The Dog Park

This is the thing about dog parks. Dog are interacting all over the place and you need to be able to recognize when the sounds coming out of them are just normal dog communication sounds or they are getting angry and aggressive.

Of course when you go to a dog park you expect everyone there to have control of their dogs or at least know their dogs are not aggressive or going to hurt anyone or another dog.

There's nothing that bothers me more than someone going to the dog park and freaking out if any other dog comes near their dog. Don't go to the dog park then! There are more places you can go where dogs are not off leash then places they are.

I have a very vocal Doberman/Rottweiler. She grunts and jumps around and looks scary doing it. But I know that her noises are just her way of talking. I also recognize when she's getting upset but so do other dogs.

So just because a dog is making noise does not mean that they are aggressive or going to hurt you or your dog. Dogs communicate just like every other animal in this world.

Even showing teeth is not always a bad thing. This is their way of giving a warning that they are not wanting to continue on with the behavior it's not a sign that they want to fight.

Normally fights start out of nowhere with very little body language signs and that is what to watch for. It's the tensed up look where they are carefully walking around each other that I worry about. Tail high in the air and almost mechanical looking. It's not their normal demeanor and if you are an attentive owner you will see it before a fight can begin. There should be a sign before a fight ensues.

This is not to say that a fight could not ensue in another way but in my experience, I've never see them start from growling or making noise.It's always been a few seconds of body language and then instant fight.

If you think it's about to happen whether you are sure or not - give them a quick 'hey' or poke to get their attention. You should be the pack leader and they should be listening to you. So when you make this noise they will break out of their stance and continue on with their walk.

Tip: One thing we do so that our dogs don't feel they have to be protective of us is to make them walk behind us. There is no running in front of us unless it's for a ball or something that we are throwing.

This assures to them that we are pack leaders and will handle any situations and they can just enjoy the walk.

5 Ways To Stop Excessive Barking Of Your Dog.

I found a video on YouTube that was talking about some town banning excessive barking to the point of giving owners a $600 fine. Now to me this is ridiculous. I understand excessive barking is annoying but who's call is it to make that it has become excessive barking?

I have a neighbor who complains about any barking at all.  Now if she had this rule in place she would be phoning all the time for all the dogs in 5 blocks of our house. Do they take her word for it? That would be ridiculous! Since it probably was just normal everyday dog barking.

And why is it dogs getting blamed for noise. I hear kids outside all day playing. They don't just play - they scream! For hours!

Or how about those annoying car alarms that are set way too sensitive and go off and off and off and off......

Now I'm not one to be too upset by any noise going on. It's part of everyday living. The kids remind me of childhood, the dogs remind me of nature, and the car alarms remind me that I'm not that paranoid. But there are many people like my neighbour out there and they are literally waiting by the phone for noise to happen.

So how do you keep your dog quieter - stop excessive barking?

1. Make sure they get lots of exercise.

Not just running in the backyard but a daily walk. This prevents boredom barking...they get to see the outside world. They also have to concentrate and behave which takes a lot of energy.

2.  Get their quality time in.

You bought a dog not furniture right? All animals need love and companionship and will act out if they don't get it. Spend some time playing with your dog or brushing him.

3. Outside dogs can become protective dogs.

They are the dogs that think the yard is there's too protect and will bark at anything or anyone going by. Dogs should be brought into the home as well as outside.

I'll have to do another post on this because I have a lot to say about it. But dogs do not protect your house from the backyard and you do not protect them leaving them there.

4.  Do not let them continue with their barking.

A little barking is okay for purposes that are common to dogs. But warning barks and nonsense barks are two different things. If your dog is in a state of

Bark - Bark - Bark - Bark and on and on then you should be stopping it instead of allowing it.

5.  Use them for what they are bred for.

This gives them a sense of purpose in life and a way to exert energy that may otherwise come out in barking. If they are vermin catchers than mimic it with balls or moving toys. If they are water dogs then let them play in the nearest lake.

The point is to find out what makes them tick and use them for it. They'll appreciate it and you'll appreciate the quiet.

Some simple steps will make your dog bark less and hopefully save you any complaints from impatient grumpy asses.