- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
Barking is how our pups communicate their feelings with us and other canines. Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to understand what they’re trying to say.
According to Chitra Walmsley, ABCDT and trainer on Rover, there are eight different types of barking. These types include everything from excited barking when your dog is happy to see you to territorial barking when your pup is trying to protect their perceived place.
Below, learn more about the different types of dog barks and their meanings, plus what to do when the barking becomes too much.
8 Types of Dog Barks & Their Meanings
As with lots of dog behaviors, your dog’s body language is key to figuring out why they’re barking. Below, we explore the different kinds of barks and their meanings, as well as other clues to decipher what your dog is trying to communicate.
| Type of bark | What it means | Behavior and body language |
| Alert | Your dog is notifying you that something is happening in the environment. | Sharp, loud repetitive barking; stiff posture |
| Demand | Your dog is asking you to do something for them. | Rhythmic barking with pauses; alert and assertive |
| Boredom | Your dog hasn’t gotten enough stimulation for the day and wants to be entertained. | Monotonous and continuous barking; pacing, chewing, digging, not settling |
| Isolation | Your dog isn’t comfortable being alone and is lonely or distressed. | Barking mixed with whining and howling; pacing and destructive behaviors |
| Fearful or anxious | Your dog is barking at something that scares them to try to make it go away. | Low fearful tone accompanied by lunging or growling or high-pitched tone with anxious behaviors |
| Frustrated | Your dog is barking because they want to get to something but can’t. | Shrill barking; displacement behaviors like yawning or shaking off |
| Excited | Your dog is playful or excited and is expressing their joyfulness. | High-pitched; loose, happy body language |
| Territorial | Your dog is trying to protect their perceived space from intruders. | Loud and persistent barking; confident posturing |
1. Alert barking
Dogs alert bark when they’re startled or sense something new or unusual in their environment, like when someone rings the doorbell, a car door slams, or another animal is nearby. You might not always hear the cause of their alert barking—but your dog’s superior ears sure can.
This type of bark is typically sharp, loud, and repetitive and is often paired with stiff body language. Your dog might also try to come find you after they’ve let out a few barks since it’s their way of saying, “Hey, something’s up!”
2. Demand barking
Your dog may also bark to get your attention, especially if there’s a reinforced history of it effectively working to get what they want. For instance, they may bark at you to throw their favorite toy, share a bite of your dinner, or give them extra pets and belly rubs.
With demand barking, your dog will be alert and looking at you. They’ll often pause between insistent and rhythmic barks to see if you’re responding.
3. Boredom barking
Similarly, dogs will bark when they’re bored and lacking mental, physical, and social stimulation. A dog who’s been home alone all day or stuck in their backyard with nothing to do is more likely to bark than a dog who’s had all their needs met through exercise, enrichment, and training sessions at home.
Boredom barking often sounds monotonous and continuous. When bored, your dog may also engage in destructive behavior, such as chewing up furniture or digging in the yard, to make their own form of entertainment. They may also pace and have a hard time settling, barking persistently at everything.
4. Isolation barking
Puppies and dogs who aren’t used to being alone or separated from their littermates, mother, or their owners may also bark out of isolation distress or loneliness. When this happens suddenly, it’s usually a sign that you’ve moved too quickly with separation or crate training, or something has changed in your dog’s environment or behavior that makes it difficult for them to be alone.
Dogs who bark out of loneliness or separation distress will also likely pace, whine, and howl. They may also become destructive when alone.
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5. Fearful and anxious barking
Dogs often bark at the things that scare them or stress them out to try to make them disappear, such as a strange dog approaching or loud noises like thunderstorms. In fact, fear is a common root cause for reactive behavior, in which your dog might also bark in a low tone, growl, or lunge at the triggers that frighten them.
Additionally, dogs who weren’t socialized properly as a puppy may be less confident and more anxious around new people, dogs, or places. Along with higher-pitched barking, these dogs may whine, tuck their tail, shake their body, and air lick.
6. Frustration barking
Conversely, if your dog is excited about something and can’t reach it, they may bark out of frustration. This might happen when they see another dog or person, but are on a leash or behind a barrier and can’t get to them. Additionally, your dog may bark out of frustration during training sessions if you move too quickly and they’re struggling to understand what you’re asking them to do.
Frustrated barking is often high-pitched and piercing. It may also be accompanied by displacement behaviors, such as scratching, yawning, or shaking off.
7. Excitement barking
Some dogs are just chatty, especially when they’re excited. These dogs may bark when greeting another dog or person or when they’re anticipating things they love like meals, treats, and walks. They may also bark while playing because they’re amped and having fun.
Excited barks are often higher pitched and accompanied by loose, happy body language, like tail wags, wiggles, licking, and jumping.
8. Territorial barking
A dog can be territorial of your home, family, car, or any other space they associate as theirs or yours. When your dog barks to prevent intruders, it can be very self-rewarding. For instance, if your dog barks at the delivery person and they eventually walk away, your dog will start thinking their barking is what got them to leave their space.
Territorial barking is loud, confident, and persistent until the perceived threat leaves.
How a Professional Trainer Tackles Excessive Barking
If your dog is suddenly barking more than usual, it may indicate an underlying health problem or cognitive change, so your first plan of action is to consult your vet. Once your dog has been cleared of any potential health issues, you can start implementing behavior-modification training to help curb excessive barking. To do this, Walmsley recommends the following steps:
- First, identify your dog’s trigger (what’s causing them to bark)
- Then, immediately ask your dog for an alternative behavior (like a reliable “sit,” “down,” “touch,” or “place”)
- Next, reward them with high-value treats (once they’ve offered you the preferred behavior instead of barking)
Wesley also recommends consulting a professional dog trainer if the barking is driven by deep-rooted emotional states, such as severe separation anxiety, fear, or territorial aggression. “Professional help is also warranted if the barking persists despite consistent redirection, or if it begins to severely impact the household’s quality of life or the dog’s well-being,” she adds.
When developing a behavior modification plan, Wesley says she looks at the following:
- The antecedent(s): what’s causing the barking
- The dog’s behavior and body language: how the bark sounds and how the dog acts before and after barking
- The consequence: what happens after the dog barks (this is usually what reinforces the barking—for instance, the dog gets attention or the delivery person walks away)
By helping pet parents better identify and understand these three components, professional trainers can help streamline the training process. To find an expert near you, Rover makes it easy to filter for trainers who specialize in barky behaviors.
