Not only dogs, but deer, monkeys, and birds also bark when they contradict themselves

According to Kathryn Lord, staff of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, biologically, not only dogs but also many other animals bark. However, this evolutionary biologist also added that domesticated dogs have a much clearer bark tone than birds, deer and monkeys and other barking wildlife. She said that the reason is that the history of tens of thousands of dogs lives close to humans.

In the results of the study published in the special issue of Behavioural Processes, Lord and colleagues from the University of Hampshire also provide the first practical and acoustically accurate scientific literature with the first of the barking of this species.

As Lord, the doctor of biological and evolutionary biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst explains: 'We have a hypothesis different from the theory that many biologists still agree with recently when explaining that the barking of an export dog from the central nervous system as in humans and define that barking is a pronunciation activity directed from the inside. " However, from the researchers' point of view, barking is not a special form of communication. 'We want to say that dogs don't have any intentional messages like' I want to play 'or' The house is on fire '.'

In contrast, she and her colleagues believe barking is an auditory signal associated with defense-defense activity during evolution, a reaction that informs the presence of enemies to others. when an individual sees an invader approaching. The dog barks because it feels contradictory in itself, for example, it itself has a voice to urge you to run away, and have a voice to urge you to stay to protect your territory and children.When the whole group gathers, barking is a threat, causing the enemy to turn and flee.

'We think dogs bark because of conflicts inside and for the above reasons. Domestic dogs bark more because they are placed, and put themselves, in conflict situations more often, ' she said.

The reason for this lies in the early days of dogs living next to humans 8,000 to 10,000 years ago . It is very inconvenient if they have to run away every time someone or animal comes close. Lord explained: 'In terms of evolution, dogs choose to stay in place, overcome their fears and receive a reward of a piece of meat or food before another dog fights. That is why they allow people to approach so close. Scared dogs will die, while the more violent ones stay, eat, survive and reproduce. And so, this trend is passed down through generations. '

Why do dogs bark so much? The results of a recent study by Kathryn Lord, an evolutionary biologist and colleagues, point out that the main reason is because of the evolutionary history of a carnivore rather than the desire to communicate with humans. (Photo: Raymond Coppinger)

She explained, 'On the contrary, wild animals like wolves have to go through a long journey. When they hear strange noises, they will run away before you can see them. Meanwhile, domestic dogs stand still, clinging to its territory, and when the invader gets closer, the likelihood of fighting is higher. '

'Another example of how to prove a domestic dog barks more is because of the habitat with humans, not the dog's behavior: the animal firmly stands behind the fence when a stranger comes to the house. Maybe the dog feels too restless or too excited to see a stranger - but in both cases, he does not approach him but does not run away. And this is the contradiction within itself, leading to barking action. '

In the report, the researchers spent several pages explaining the eight indicators of the three groups that need to be met so that a sound emitted is considered a bark, such as music, noise, and height. low, volume, starting point, and tempo.

According to them, barking is not a self-referential communication message, but a loud, short sound, a combination of noise and vocal sounds - very rarely seen in the cries of animals. This definition extends the usefulness of barking as a functional activity in many animals and most commonly in domestic dogs.'According to this definition, even birds bark, and of course many mammals like monkeys, baboons, rodents and deer bark,' Lord explained. 'In general, mammals and birds, the sounds emitted in the case of conflict itself are barks.'

Recognizing barking from such an evolutionary point of view would face the opposition of some pet owners, the researchers noted.'We understand when people say their dogs bark for supper or want to go out and play,' Lords said. 'Dogs are species that are capable of learning very quickly and they will soon understand the causal relationship between barking at 10pm with owners waking up and taking them out. That's true, but in our opinion it's not enough to confirm that this animal is referring to a specific action. Rather, they only see barking as a reasonable action to be answered, just like sitting down or raising one leg to beg.