why do dogs bark ?

[lavender27]

??????

[Earl Aelfheah]

Because they can't form words and don't have the intelligence for complex speech.

[JohnL]

because that's the word we have assigned to the noise there mouths make.

[KidKruger]

Obviously though, a dog with a hair lip might actually 'mark', rather than 'bark'.

[bob]

Because they are Dog's.

Bob S

[Mick Mac]

A bark is dog speak for "will you ever **** off"

[dbboy]

They are either unhappy, being protective, fearful or want something (food, attention, walk, relieve themselves etc.)

[malumbu]

Because we have domesticated them and most of the attributes that we like are associated with puppies. Therefore unlike Wolves, who quietly creep up on their prey, dogs bark with puppy like excitement. There's some truth behind that.

[jaywalker]

No.

Dogs bark because they are intelligent, have many things to say, and cannot: the anatomy of their vocal chords and palate not having evolved in a way that would afford speech.

Stupid humans then reduce their multiple communicative sensibilities to 'dog'.

It is a sad irony that humans, so limited in so many ways, acquired the power of speech: then found they had nothing to say, so set about killing each other instead.

[TheCat]

Is a dog's bark the same as a tree's bark?

[Mick Mac]

Only a cat would say that.

[stringvest]

My dog used to bark to alert us to something, like the front door, strangers, wanting to go out, other doges etc. He would HOWL endlessly when we left him for any length of time. We found leaving him radio 4 and a jumper helped for company.

NOW MY CAT IS AMAZING, SHE HAS MANY MEOWS for different things. She says "MUM", "ALRIGHT", and "hello!" in a mewy way like she is trying to copy but can't manage! What she cannot say in meows, she uses SIGN LANGUAGE of her own invention, for instance ... "mum" and then touches my mouth with a paw to indicate she wants food. If you are nodding off, she says meow and then touches your eyes with a paw, because she wants you awake. Once I was chatting away on the phone ignoring her meows, so she gave my face a stern slap with a paw! She has a shouty long meow, if she needs help off the fence or getting around! She watches CCTV and television!

[jaywalker]

I have observed the following language from my cat:

distinct Meows:

play with me, feed me (not distinguished by meow but by location and kind of purr)

i am going to be sick

there is another cat in my territory

there is a pigeon in my territory (only pigeons elicit this particular meow for some reason)

accompany me as i patrol my territory

i don't like going to the vets (and other stress situations)

distinct gestures:

sits very close to me (stroke me/brush me according to location)

head butt (wake up it is time to feed me)

pawing carpet (feed me urgently)

pawing me - gesture to elicit milk from mother(feed me NOW)

gift of toy mouse (look what I've gone and hunted for you, feed me again!)

gift of real live mouse from garden (this is fun!)

tail up (hallo)

simulated bite (its ok, its only play m8)

cold shoulder - sitting looking away from me (where have you been, i need you here)

scent marking my foot in the morning (you are part of my pride)

tail expands to a brush (fox or aggressive cat in immediate area)

burying action on food dish (this food is shit, give me something else)

Unlike Stringvest's, my cat is far too intelligent to watch CCTV, and the only TV he likes is David Attenborough (understandably), although I suspect he takes the narrative a little literally judging by the half hour search for the giant shrew that the endoscope showed coming out of its burrow through the television screen a few months ago.

[stringvest]

My cat is toooo intelligent. She watches the CCTV to know what's going on outside that she cannot see! We know because she can sit watching in the front room, spy a cat or bird in the front or back garden and run off to investigate, she knows whats happening and where, she knows its REAL and happening NOW. She too likes all the Planet Earth programmes, particularly big cats, birds, rodents and fish. She knows they are NOT real and therefore will not investigate showing intelligence. She also looks at what you point at and not just at your hand pointing another sign of intelligence. She hates the vets, only going once a year for jabs (hopefully), but we have to hide her little "passport" because if she sees it she hides away. We always leave the basket till last minute else she will hide, but now we have to leave everything "going to the vet related" till after she's in the basket including "passport", money keys and a particular pair of shoes my husband wears, that she appears to think are going to the vet shoes.??????

[JohnL]

stringvest Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> My cat is toooo intelligent. She watches the CCTV

> to know what's going on outside that she cannot

> see! We know because she can sit watching in the

> front room, spy a cat or bird in the front or back

> garden and run off to investigate, she knows whats

> happening and where, she knows its REAL and

> happening NOW. She too likes all the Planet Earth

> programmes, particularly big cats, birds, rodents

> and fish. She knows they are NOT real and

> therefore will not investigate showing

> intelligence. She also looks at what you point at

> and not just at your hand pointing another sign of

> intelligence. She hates the vets, only going once

> a year for jabs (hopefully), but we have to hide

> her little "passport" because if she sees it she

> hides away. We always leave the basket till last

> minute else she will hide, but now we have to

> leave everything "going to the vet related" till

> after she's in the basket including "passport",

> money keys and a particular pair of shoes my

> husband wears, that she appears to think are going

> to the vet shoes.??????

Our cat used to attack it's own reflection.

Stupid it was :)

[karen s]

I can't believe someone can ask such a silly question.

Why do dogs bark? Lol. The same reason we speak. It is a form of communication. SIMPLE

[stringvest]

A cats tail is a very important communicator also. Theres the upright "hello" tail. The downwards depressed or ill tail. The spikey bottlebrush battle ready angry tail. Theres the swishy angry tail. The quivery rattlesnake excited tail. The little flick of the end content tail, like when being told nice things!

[healey]

To get to the other side?

Hang on, I may have got this all mixed up...

[Seabag]

stringvest Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> My dog used to bark to alert us to something, like

> the front door, strangers, wanting to go out,

> other doges etc. He would HOWL endlessly when we

> left him for any length of time. We found leaving

> him radio 4 and a jumper helped for company.

>

> NOW MY CAT IS AMAZING, SHE HAS MANY MEOWS for

> different things. She says "MUM", "ALRIGHT", and

> "hello!" in a mewy way like she is trying to copy

> but can't manage! What she cannot say in meows,

> she uses SIGN LANGUAGE of her own invention, for

> instance ... "mum" and then touches my mouth with

> a paw to indicate she wants food. If you are

> nodding off, she says meow and then touches your

> eyes with a paw, because she wants you awake. Once

> I was chatting away on the phone ignoring her

> meows, so she gave my face a stern slap with a

> paw! She has a shouty long meow, if she needs help

> off the fence or getting around! She watches CCTV

> and television!

We have 2 cats, one of which really doesn't give a fook.

But the other is much as described above. I really didn't want to belive Lady Seabag, as I thought she was a bit cat doolalley. However, when she was pretty tearful one day the cat got up on the dressing table and swatted a pack of tisssues at right her.

I looked on, mouth open wide.