The problem with our dog is barking

By Ahmet Abdulaziz ….

As I have mentioned previously here, we have a pitbull dog. We had taken it when just a few weeks old, some 7 years ago. Now we have got a fully grown up, rather a growing old pitbull in our house.

He is a very disciplined dog, who obeys the commands given with complete sincerity and honesty, except when he finds a stray cat. Cats simply make him lose his temper. So much time has passed yet his behaviour regarding the cats has not changed at all.

Although I have never been on good terms with our dog, during the last couple of years we have developed a love/hate sort of relationship and understanding.

But what is disturbing to me is his barking. According to my wife, he is a very quiet dog. I agree, he does not bark too much, but when he does bark, I simply find it unbearable. Though all in the family does not want it to be annoying,  I feel disturbed, hearing the sound of his barking.

It has been said that barking is a way of communication for dogs. They bark due to various reasons. Their barking is a form of communication with other dogs and also with humans, particularly with the owner of the dog.

I take him for an outing every evening. For the rest of the time, he remains inside our small garden. The garden is encircled by iron rods and a big iron gate so that he cannot get outside.  As I said earlier, he is a very disciplined dog, so he usually abides by the rules and does not try to run away.

However, there is one particular situation when he loses control of himself and starts barking at the highest pitch. That’s when some other dog passes on the small road in front of our house. There is a distance of about 5 meters between the iron gate and the road. People take their dogs out for a walk in the evening and pass by our house.

At that particular moment, our dog starts barking. He starts barking when the other dog is still not close and continues until he turns around the corner. It is this barking that really disturbs me. Since there are many people who take their dogs out in the evening, the constant barking really upsets me.

The barking of a dog is considered normal when some other dog or animal is nearby. In such a situation they try to communicate with the other dog, telling them not to enter their area. But there must be a system of communication between the dogs. The constant non-stop barking is simply not the way of communication between animals. Unfortunately, it’s not our dog who constantly bark in such situations, I find other dogs also doing the same. They bark from inside their houses or territory.

However what I have noticed is that it is only the one which is inside the garden, who barks. The other ones who are out for a walk do not bark in such a situation. This I believe is a one way communication, a way to express the feelings, and asking the other dog to go away. I agree with this too, but what I see is that almost all the dogs which go by our iron gate, every evening are the same. It is their daily routine. Their owners take them out for a walk daily at a particular time.

Our dog too must be recognising all of them. But then what makes him bark every day to the same dogs, with the same message. Why does our dog daily consider the same dogs a threat, and consider it necessary to bark at them? That is my question.