Barking: The Sound of a Language

Barking is one of the many ways dogs communicate with each other and with humans. Think of barking as part of your dog's language. When a dog barks, he is expressing something and you can learn to understand what he is he is trying to say. In this book, author Turid Rugaas, well known for her work on identifying and utilizing canine "calming signals," turns her attention to understanding and managing barking behavior. If you can identify what your dog is expressing when he barks, you can take steps to minimize the negative effects of barking in cases where you find it a problem.

What reviewers are saying...

NORTH SHORE NEWS
"It is just one of a number of means of communications they use, but it can be one of the harder ones for us to understand. Turid Rugaas, dog trainer and behaviorist, has studied canine social language for 30 years and shares that knowledge in this easy-to-follow reference book. Learning to understand your dog's communication signlas will help you build a better relationship with it and allow you to "minimize the negative impact of barking behavior." Rugaas takes you through six common reasons for barking, and explains them from a dog's perspective. In each instance she describes how that particular bark will sound and refers to activities normally involved with that behavior. She goes on to analyze what the dog is trying to communicate and to make suggestions for how you should react to it. There are plenty of training tips to help you adjust the dog's reaction to a given situation and the accompanying photographs illustrate the various scenarios. With a bit of understanding you can distinguish the different types of barking and learn how best to respond to it." Terry Peters

DOGS: NEW SOUTH WALES
"Barking is natural; almost all dogs bark. It is one od th amny ways dogs communicate with each other as well as with humans. In this book, author Turid Rugaas, well known for her work in identifying and utilizing canine 'calming signals' to interpret behavior, turns her attention to understanding and managing barking. By learning to identify what your dog is expressing when he barks, you can take steps to minimize the negative impact of barking behavior. In this book you will learn how to utilize your knowledge of canine body language to help you communicate with dog before barking gets out of hand, barking characteristics of different breeds and groups of dogs, how to recognize six types of barking and their causes, and step-by-step training methods to solve barking problems." Editor

APDT CHRONICLE OF THE DOG
"I was very interested in reading this new little book by Turid Rugaas. Ms. Rugaas is known for her compassionate ability to see things from the perspective of the dog, and for helping humans understand why dogs do many of the things that they do. This book is advertised as a "Dogwise Training Manual" and as such presents as a slim, colorful paperback with a glossy finish to the cover... This presentation makes the book ideal as an aid for clients who are dealing with barking dogs. The author stresses that barking is part of the dog's language; a communication... She then goes on to describe the many ways that dogs are communicating, such as calming signals, body language, and sounds: barking, whining, growling, howling. Ms. Rugaas emphasizes that barking is a "natural way for dogs to express themselves."... Overall, this book is sensitive to understanding why a dog might be barking and gives detailed advice about how to work through these behaviors.