Why does my dog ​​bark at some people and not others?

Why do dogs bark?

To understand why your dog barks at some people and not others, you must first know why dogs bark, although our hairy people mostly use their body language to express their moods, emotions and perceptions about their surroundings , barking plays a very important role in its relationship with people, with other animals and with the surrounding environment.

In their day to day, dogs bark to communicate the different emotions and experiences that they live, which depends a lot on the environment they are in and the stimuli they perceive.By saying 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.

In order to identify what each bark of dogs means our hairy, we must pay attention to their postu flush, 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 getting together, excessive panting, etc.An angry dog ​​that prepares to defend itself , will communicate their mood with other attitudes and postures, such as grunting, teaching teeth, scratching and sniffing the ground, having very dilated pupils, remaining immobile with the body remarkably rigid, among others.If you perceive these signals in your hairy, It is best to move away and respect your space until the animal calms down and regains its usual behavior.Then, it will be essential to identify that is causing these negative emotions in your furry to establish an effective treatment.

Therefore, we always reaffirm the importance of knowing your dog's personality to easily identify any change in their behavior and know how to act to help him.Also, if you notice that your dog barks excessively or that your dog's character has changed, we recommend you take him to the veterinarian of your trust to verify his health .There are many diseases that They can cause severe pain and interfere with your hairy senses, so it is essential to rule out any pathological causes associated with excessive barking and other behavioral problems.

And why does my dog ​​bark at certain people and not others?

Now you know that dogs can bark for different reasons and in different circumstances.However, we still don't answer 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 will have to tell you that there is not a single explanation for this behavior of your furry.To know why your dog barks to some people, it will be necessary to observe the context in which these barks occur.In addition to observing your dog's position when barking, you will also need to look at the attitude of the person to whom your hairy devotes his barking.

To help you with this task, we will summarize below the main reasons that can make your dog bark at some people and not others.

Do dogs bark at people for fear?

Fear is among the main causes of barking in dogs.Generally, fearful behaviors towards people and other dogs are associated with poor socialization.Therefore, if you ask yourself the question " how to prevent my dog ​​from barking at people ", the answer is: investing in their early socialization.

In dogs, fear is an emotion that appears just at the end of the socialization stage, which occurs during his childhood.If during this period, we present our furry to different people, dogs, other animals and various stimuli, we get prevent fearful behaviors or unsafe in adulthood.Although the ideal is to start socializing During childhood, it is also possible to carry out a successful socialization process in adult dogs, always with 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 possibility to interact positively with other individuals can show fear in front of unknown people, dogs and stimuli.Even, there are dogs that act in a fearful and exaggerated way even with people known for having experienced some traumatic experience with people (we'll talk about it later).

However, there are also other possible explanations of why a dog barks at people for fear and you can meet them by reading our article "what to do if my dog ​​is afraid of people".Ellen, you will also find some tips to help your dog and carry out a correct socialization process to teach him to relate positively to individuals, stimuli and objects that make up its surroundings.Likewise, the syndrome of sensory deprivation may be the answer you are looking for if your dog is adopted and you do not know his past or, 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 smell people's fear?

Probably, you 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 capacity of our furry, the truth is that they they have a much more developed senses than ours, especially if we talk about smell and hearing, and that would be one of the possible explanations for their ability to identify a fearful person .

When we feel fear or other extreme emotions (stress, anxiety, overexcitation), our body releases some hormones into the bloodstream and body fluids (urine, sweat, etc.), which alter our body odor Although these substances may go unnoticed by other people, the powerful smell of dogs is able to easily identify the alteration of the smell in the body of the person experiencing this emotion.Also, when we feel my Edo, our body also adopts certain postures and facial expressions different from when we experience a state of relaxation or happiness.A person who is afraid of dogs usually adopts a defensive or apprehensive posture when in the presence of this animal.Remember that fear is an emotion that can lead to organic and involuntary reactions.

As dogs primarily use body language to communicate, they are also able to perceive alterations in our usual postures and identify some signs that indicate this state of tension.By identifying the defensive or apprehensive posture in some people, dogs may bark at feeling stressed or fearful in this situation, or simply to drive away and frustrate any attempted attack that could be born of 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 dislike them, the truth is that our hairy people can also bark to get the attention of the people they want and invite them to play or receive their caresses.In fact, there are many dogs that bark when they are very excited, either to perceive the presence of their favorite people, to know that it is time to walk or because their tutor takes their favorite toy.

If your dog barks at some people to express their happiness when they see them and invite them to play, you will be able to observe other positive signs and friendly in their body language, for example, the classic tail happy, raised and waving with enthusiasm, open and friendly facial expressions, or put your ears back when caressed or to ask for the caresses of this person.

Do dogs bark at some people to defend their territory?

Dogs are territorial animals that can be very protective in relation to their home, their guardians and their objects.The presence of people, dogs or other unknown animals in their home, it can make your dog feel that its territory is invaded and its resources are threatened , so it will have the natural need to conserve them and protect them from any threat.However, a possessive dog usually resorts to aggressiveness and react negatively even to people known for fear of losing their toys, food or guardian.

Protecting resources is about 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 and coexistence in our home.In addition, in the attempt to conserve their resources, dogs can have aggressive attitudes that are very dangerous for them themselves and for everyone around them.Therefore, a possessive dog needs to receive adequate treatment to learn to control their negative reactions and interact in a positive way with the people, animals and stimuli that make up their environment.If you notice that your dog is very possessive of you or its objects, we recommend you immediately find a qualified professional, such as an educator or a canine ethologist.It shows very nervous or more aggressive than usual, take it quickly to the veterinarian to control your health status 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 presenting it correctly to your hairy.If you incorporate a new puppy in your home abruptly, your dog may feel insecure and be more possessive in relation to its territory and its resources, acting aggressively in relation to the new hairy.Therefore, the introduction of a new dog in our house must be careful to avoid fights and disputes of territory.

In ExpertAnimal we give you some tips to favor 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, drinking fountain, bed, toys, etc.).Thus, you can favor the interaction of your dogs and avoid subjecting them to unnecessary fights and contexts of high stress.And remember again the importance of correctly socializing your dogs to teach them to interact in a positive way and to enjoy an optimal social life.

Do dogs bark at some people and others not because of bad education?

The unconscious training is much more common than you can imagine.Daily, many tutors reinforce unwanted behaviors in their dogs without even perceiving it, for example, by offering them a treat or pamper them to momentarily cease 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 stop you always offer him a snack , a caress or you allow him to do things that are normally forbidden (for example, getting on the sofa or bed), your hairy will probably assimilate the act of barking with getting something that is of interest.Then, you can start barking excessively with the only motivation to get your attention and get what you want.

The same thing can happen with other people , such as relatives, friends , neighbors or visitors who frequent your home.If your dog barks so to a person or to some people who usually frequent your house, you can pay attention to how these people react to the barking of your dog.If you notice that these people give a treat, a piece of food or a caress to make the dog leave barking, probably, your dog has assimilated the act of barking this person/s with getting something that interests and pleases.

Do dogs bark at certain people for traumatic experiences?

Unfortunately, many dogs have a history of physical or emotional abuse and have experienced traumatic experiences that hinder their relationship with people or other animals, and may even lead them to suffer phobias.We should not confuse fear, which is a fundamental emotion for survival, with phobias, which are characterized as disproportionate and exaggerated emotions against certain stimuli.

If your dog is afraid of certain people, it may bark at them, try to escape and even react in a way aggressive to defend against a possible attack.However, if we talk 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, it takes time and a lot of experience Therefore, it is essential to work with a dog behavior and education specialist to help a dog that suffers from phobias to regain their self-confidence, slowly relearn to trust people and be able to interact with them in a positive way.Integral cure is not always possible, but a good quality of life can be provided to the dog with a positive environment , exposure c ontrolated to unknown people and the use of alternative therapies, such as Bach flowers, aromatherapy, acupuncture, among others.

If you have recently adopted a hairy person and perceive that he is very fearful or behaves uncontrollably in the presence of other people, we recommend you go to a veterinarian specializing in canine ethology (veterinary ethologist).This professional can, first, verify the health status of your dog and rule out any disease or imbalance in your body., can design a treatment based on specific guidelines according to the needs of your dog and analyze the possibility of using drugs or alternative therapies to provide a better quality of life to your best friend.

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