Wikiany

Why do dogs choose to bark at certain individuals and remain silent with others

Saturday, 20/01/2024, 16:08 (GMT+7)

Do you why do dogs sometimes bark at some people but not do the same thing with others? Let's check this out!

Dogs are highly alert animals and have sharper intuition than humans. Therefore, they will always take necessary actions to protect their owners, such as barking to threaten someone who is approaching their range.

However, dogs don't bark at everyone, they only bark at certain people. Let's move on to find the real reason.

Why do dogs choose to bark at certain individuals and remain silent with others 1
Dogs just bark at certain individuals. Image Credit: Getty

The novel feeling

Just like humans, dogs will also have a certain type of reaction when experiencing or encountering something new.

If they are not properly socialized, they will easily become agitated when meeting strangers.

Besides, a series of novel scents, scenes, and behaviors can also become a threat to a dog, causing it to fall into a state of anxiety and insecurity.

Therefore, dogs often bark at people with more unfamiliar characteristics, especially in smell and appearance.

Why do dogs choose to bark at certain individuals and remain silent with others 2
Dogs bark at people if they experience or encounter new things about them. Image Credit: Getty

The ability to recognize threatening

With the diversity of appearance from size, and characteristics to the way humans move, all pose a threat to dogs.

Many things cause feelings of insecurity or anxiety in dogs, the most common being glasses and hats, accessories that interfere with vision, and the ability to recognize faces.

Their tall appearance is also a threatening factor to them, and their loud voice is also one of them.

In addition, some unusual behaviors such as staring at one point also make the dog afraid.

The scent factor also contributes to a dog barking at someone, especially someone with a strong scent.

Why do dogs choose to bark at certain individuals and remain silent with others 3
They also bark if an individual uses sunglasses or a hat that interferes with their vision and recognition ability. Image Credit: Getty

The negative memories

Dogs can remember for a long time, especially negative memories.

They can easily associate bad memories related to someone in the past through scent or some basic identifying characteristics.

In particular, dogs that have been abused in the past will bark at people who remind them of negative memories.

Protect people at the highest level

Dogs have a high alert, so they will always try to protect people from everything, even when it is not necessary.

So, they will bark at a person who is entering their space or engage in behaviors that could be considered threatening to their family such as hiding something behind their back.

Remarkably, dogs will also bark when they feel jealous of others if they have close interactions with their owners.

Why do dogs choose to bark at certain individuals and remain silent with others 4
These furry animals also bark to protect people in every case. Image Credit: Getty

The ability to realize one's true nature

Dogs' intuition is considered to be many times more sensitive than humans.

Studies show that dogs can accurately determine whether a person is good enough or not.

Through some social interactions, dogs can recognize and be alert to people who have bad intentions towards their owners.

They will bark at a person if they smell fear, stress, excitement, and anxiety through hormones secreted from the human body.

Why do dogs choose to bark at certain individuals and remain silent with others 5
Dogs can accurately recognize humans' true nature. Image Credit: Getty

To prevent trouble when a dog constantly barks at people, owners need to teach it properly and appropriately by familiarizing them with many smells, noises, and people to keep them calmer.