Somehow I feel that, in modern society, this is a question that so many of us want, and perhaps need, to know.
For the purposes of this post, I’ll discuss dogs who bark inside the house, so when I say “barking”, I’m referring to specifically that.
Despite those people who may claim to know what dogs think, realistically even the most skilled trainer cannot, though we can look at behaviour, environment, and short term consequences, to try to narrow down the cause of barking. To complicate things further, there may be a combination of reasons that motivate any dog to bark.
For me personally, I may see Dogs who bark indoors for the following reasons (though they are not exclusive! I’m sure in future I may have more to add to this list):

• Genetics – historically, it was often beneficial to know if someone was nearby or had entered your property, so there are many breeds of dog who may be more likely to vocalize when something changes around the home environment. Many breeds of dog have had this quality selected for in breeding stock for far longer than Kennel Clubs have existed. The relatively short amount of time that humans have been living in more urban environments could be a mere blip in terms of the time time your dog’s breed or part of their mix have been living with people and acting as a small security system!
• Concern – barking in attempt to warn what is seen or heard away.
• Alert – barking because something has been heard – perhaps concern but possibly communication?
• Demand or frustration – in order to try to make something (likely favorable) happen or because the dog wants something it cannot get to. **from my perspective, this doesn’t include asking to get out to eliminate outdoors**
• Distress due to separation – the dog wants to be with one member or all of the rest of the household and is not. This could apply to staying home alone or simply being separated by a door or a crate.

Often, behaviour problems caused by/motivated by vastly different reasons can be helped(not likely cured, though!) through enrichment. For dogs, enrichment often looks like time exploring the outdoors and/or getting exercise, chewing or licking activities, and working to get food out of a toy or other type of puzzle (training can account for some of this!), enrichment can also include investigating new objects or smells, or surfaces with different textures.
I define successful enrichment as anything that the dog remains engaged with for at least a few minutes.

Further pieces of the training plan

• possibly consulting with a Veterinarian to investigate/rule out any pain, medical conditions, or possibly anxiety.
• counter conditioning and/or desensitization
• training behaviours which help the dog and the owner communicate or help the dog to feel more settled or relaxed.
• Changes to the routine or environment which reduce the occurrence of the problem behaviour.

If you’re struggling to have peace in your home because your dog is barking, reach out to myself, or another evidence and reward based trainer. We can help!

Malli Hutchings is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer located on the Southern End of Vancouver Island, BC, Canada.