Why does my dog bark at me? Is he demand barking for something?

Dogs have a whole complex body language system. They also have a series of vocalizations. Barking can be due to many causes and can indicate excitement, aggression or even fear. I recommend to read and learn about canine body language so that you can recognize what the rest of the body is telling you. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Dogs bark for many different reasons, so without more information I'm afraid it's hard to say why Oscar is barking at you. Puppies may bark when they are anxious, excited, or frustrated; or when they are left alone, or as an attention seeking behavior if they want to play, or need to go outside to potty. Feel free to post another question with more details about what's usually going on when he barks at you, and we will be happy to try and help.

It would be nice to know what California was thinking wouldn't it? It's hard to say what that was about. Most likely she was trying to keep your attention or continue a game. Dogs commonly bark at humans to keep us focused on them. Barking obviously can also be used to alert humans to dangers, some dogs are even trained to detect something like low blood sugar or an oncoming seizure. Pay attention if you see the behavior again and see if you can figure out what the triggers are or what she seems to be wanting. If she does it enough, you will eventually be able to recognize the pattern. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Figure out what he gets out of barking and remove it. Don't give your dog the opportunity to continue the barking behavior. But don't ever shout at your dog to stop barking, because they see that as you 'barking' with them and it does little to discourage them. Ignore your dog's barking for as long as it takes him to stop. That means don't give him attention at all while he's barking. Your attention only rewards him for being noisy. Don't talk to, don't touch, or even look at him. When he finally quiets, even to take a breath, reward him with a treat. To be successful with this method, you must wait as long as it takes for him to stop barking. Yelling at him is the equivalent of barking with him. Teach your dog the ‘quiet’ command. Oddly, the first step is to teach your dog to bark on command. Give your dog the command to "speak," wait for him to bark two or three times, and then stick a tasty treat in front of his nose. When he stops barking to sniff the treat, praise him and give him the treat. Repeat until he starts barking as soon as you say "speak." Once your dog can reliably bark on command, teach him the "quiet" command. In a calm environment with no distractions, tell him to "speak." When he starts barking, say "quiet" and stick a treat in front of his nose. Praise him for being quiet and give him the treat. Make sure your dog is getting sufficient physical and mental exercise every day. A tired dog is a good dog and one who is less likely to bark from boredom or frustration. Depending on his breed, age, and health, your dog may require several long walks as well as a good game of chasing the ball and playing with some interactive toys.

It sounds like Sofi may be barking because she hears something outside - this is a common reason that many dogs bark. You can help by turning on a TV, white noise machine, or something else to help block outdoor sounds. Another good strategy is to call her to you for a treat every time she starts to bark - if you're consistent about this, she will learn to automatically run to you for her treat when she hears a noise, instead of barking.

I suspect that he does have a reason, even if you can't tell what it is :) Dogs have much better hearing than we do, so he may hear something outside that is upsetting him that you aren't able to hear. I would suggest using a white noise machine or something similar to help block any sounds from outside that may be upsetting him.

This isn’t a super common problem, but I have met a few dogs who do this. It can be an attention getting behavior (he doesn’t want the people he loves to stop interacting with him). Or, it can be a little bit of separation anxiety, especially if it seems worse with the people he is closest to. Redirecting him to an appropriate behavior can be helpful. Such as asking him to sit and giving him lots of treats before someone heads out door and then continuing while they leave may help brake this habit.