Although I usually limit the media stories to the weekly Barking News Roundup, this one couldn't wait...
It seems that researchers have figured out what we have long suspected. And that is the utter and total uselessness of barking.
Hampshire College researchers Raymond Coppinger and Mark Feinstein just spoke at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. And, guess what, these distinguished scientists said that the racket we're subjected to is pointless.
“It is repetitious, meaningless and functionless,” Feinstein said.
So, there you have it. Scientific confirmation. Of course, more research is needed. And I would suggest starting with the harm that uncontrolled barking causes to those who are subjected to it.
i am confused. coppinger/feinstein know why they bark, they even said so in this article.
ReplyDelete"Instead, it may be just an artifact of prehistoric domestication, a result of Darwinian evolution that created a tame, but yapping, juvenile dog."
pedomorphism aka neotony. THAT'S why dogs bark.
I think that most barking IS a result of some sort of stimulus. The problem is, many dogs kick off a barkathon at the most trivial event, and continue that behavior after the event has passed. So, you literally have dogs that bark at nothing, or almost nothing, day and night!
ReplyDeleteIf you recall the letter to my neighbor I stated that their dog was barking as I composed the letter. I was indoors with the windows shut and the blinds drawn, there was no one on the street, the dog owner was not home and the dog was barking continuously: It was literally barking at NOTHING! It was barking at nothing, or almost nothing as it had done hundreds of times in the past.
In any case, I agree with the content of the article: The vast majority of dog barking serves no worthwhile purpose.