Tryin' to Quit the Yip Yip

Alright, so really Silvie's bark is more of a cross between a high-pitched howl and a dying cat, and I secretly think it's cute and hilarious. However, J seems to think she probably shouldn't do it as much as she does and we probably shouldn't encourage it - which is probably true.

So I started doing some reading about barking (well, actually I found this blog when I was doing research on divorce blogs for work) and I found "Stop Your Dog From Barking" at the Dog Training Corner. I found the following part of the post particularly interesting:

So why do dogs bark? It's not easy to say (it's like trying to answer the question, "Why do humans talk?" in so many words). Let's start off by saying that dogs bark for many different reasons.
A lot of it depends on the breed: some dogs were bred to bark only when a threat is perceived (this is true of guarding breeds in particular, like Rottweilers, Dobermans, and German Shepherds); some were bred to use their voices as a tool of sorts, to assist their owners in pursuit of a common goal (sporting breeds such as Beagles and Bloodhounds, trained to "bay" when they scent the quarry), and some dogs just like to hear themselves talk (take just about any of the toy breeds as an example of a readily-articulate dog!).

However, all breed specificity cast aside, there are some circumstances where just about any dog will give voice:

• She's bored
• She's lonely
• She's hungry, or knows it's time for a meal
• Something is wrong/someone is near the house
• She's inviting you to play
• She sees another animal
• She needs the toilet

At this point, I am not sure what common goal Silvie, J and I share that she is assisting us with, unless she is letting us know that, quite frankly, she thinks we have the WRONG goal, and we should change it to something more agreeable to her liking.

I am also convinced Silvie just likes to hear herself talk. She's a mix breed, so maybe she just decided she'll pick up whatever characteristics she wants and go with 'em. Who knows - maybe she thinks we are just boring all the time.

I promise to get video up of her "adorable bark" soon!