Do you wish your could understand your dog’s barks? Oh, if only our Chihuahuas could talk! Have you ever thought that? There is a myth that King Solomon of the Bible could talk to animals. Although God granted King Solomon much wisdom, that wisdom didn’t actually include the ability to talk to the animals (though wouldn’t it be fun?) That myth comes from a misinterpretation of 1 Kings 4:33. In that verse it says that King Solomon would speak OF the animals, not TO them. (I’ll bet you are looking up that scripture right now, aren’t you?)
understanding each other
Have you ever talked to your Chihuahua and as he’s listening he turns his head from side to side? He is trying very hard to understand you too.
Lots of people talk to animals…. Not very many listen, though….
Do you think that your Chihuahua understands you better than you understand him? Or are you pretty sure you know what is is trying to say to you?
You may have spent a lot of time and effort in training your Chihuahua to understand what you want, as in “sit”, “down”, “come”, etc, but I bet you haven’t spent a lot of time learning to understand HIM by learning his language. Am I right?
Dogs communicate in many ways. Body language, scent, barks, whines, and growls. But “barks” are most likely the first thing you think of when you think about dog communication, their vocal communication. According to Dr. Stanley Coren’s book, “How To Speak Dog: Mastering The Art Of Dog-Human Communication”, it is far more complex than you might know.
understand your dog's barks
You may already know that barks in different situations sound different and have different meanings. However, what you may not know is that they are not a “one size fits all” vocal signal and that they actually serve a much greater purpose than just saying “look out” or “go away”, or as a greeting or a “hello”.
A dog’s barks are emotionally complex as well. They don’t just bark when they are excited, but they bark when they are scared, lonely, surprised, irritated, and more. That means that there are also different barks for different moods.
understand a dog's bark by the The Pitch
The key to understanding dogs’ barks is listening to the pitch, the number of barks, and how long the space is between barks. Dogs can vary the pitch of their bark, the number of barks in a row, and the space between barks in order to change the meaning.
The lower the bark, the more serious the dog. For instance, if your Chihuahua is enjoying playtime his bark will tend to have a higher pitch than one that is warning off intruders or disciplining a rude companion.
Think, now of the difference between your Chihuahua’s bark when a stranger is coming up to the front door to the one he makes when you walk in the front door. In the first situation he is alerting the house to a possible intruder, however, in the second situation he is saying “welcome home!”
A lonely Chihuahua will also make higher pitched barks to call out for companionship. Sometimes it can rise in tone to sound almost like a plaintive yelp.
understand the number of barks
The more barks in a row, the more aroused a dog is. He may give a single bark when he is surprised or annoyed as if to say, “Huh?” or “knock it off.” However, if your Chihuahua is far more worked up he will let out a long string of barks, indicating a sound of real alarm.
the space between barks
Consider also the space between barks. The quicker the succession, the more aggressive your Chihuahua is feeling. As an example, when he is on the attack, his barks will have the shortest pause between barks of any other barking sound. Whereas, the lonely, “don’t leave me alone” bark has long pauses between them.
test your barking knowledge
Think you know your Chihuahua’s barks and what they mean? Check your bark interpreting skills HERE.
No matter how you do on the test, you can always improve your understanding of dog language by paying more attention to what your Chihuahua’s barks are telling you.