So many times, people become frustrated with their cute, adorable puppies soon after bringing them home, only because they do not understand the finer points of how puppies communicate. Puppies and dogs in general all have certain means of making information known, and one of those involves loud barking that can get downright obnoxious unless you quickly learn how to communicate with your puppy and to teach him when it is inappropriate to bark. The most important thing to remember from the start is that barking is an instinct. Puppies do not bark in order to make your life miserable: they bark because they need something, or to warn the “pack” of a perceived threat.
All domesticated dogs are descendants of wolves. To better understand your puppy’s language, it might be helpful to know more about wolf communication and signaling. Once you have spent ample time with your puppy, you will start to notice that his barking is for different reasons at different times. He might bark to let you know someone is at the door, or that his water bowl is empty or that he’s hungry. If you haven’t paid him any attention for a while, he will bark because he wants you to spend time with him and to play.
Here is one infographic that sheds light on the reasons dogs bark, to better help you understand your puppy:
