The first question that strikes most of our minds (Collies enthusiast) when the name ‘Rough Collie’ is mentioned is ‘do Rough Collies bark a lot?’.
Well, no one can blame you and I since a lot of myths have been perpetrated concerning this dog’s barking temperament.
So, if you are thinking about getting yourself a Rough Collie, and you are somewhat put back due to its ‘barking potential,’ then read on as this article got you fully covered.
I will provide you with a straightforward answer as to whether Rough Collies engage in excessive barking or not.
I will also walk you through reasons as to why your Collie is barking a lot and things you can do to keep its vocal temperament in check.
And also, if you are wondering whether Rough Collies howl, then be sure to read the full text as I will also be answering this commonly asked question.
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Do Rough Collie Bark A lot?
No, Rough Collies are not excessive barkers and will only resort to this kind of behavior due to an explanatory cause.
Why Do Rough Collies Bark?
Out Of Boredom
Boredom barks sounds more like a continuous, same pitched and prolonged barks.
When your Collie gets bored, it will often result in a naggingly persistent bark.
Out Of Fear Or A Phobia
Collies will bark out of fear or due to a developed phobia towards something. The barks are usually high-pitched and fast in character.
Most often, your dog will bark with its ears positioned in a backward pose and its tail held low.
It will also move in a slow or a fast backward motion as if it is trying to escape from what’s making it get scared.
To Attract Your Attention
Since dogs cannot verbalize words, to get your attention, they will bark as a way of attracting your attention.
This type of barking is referred to as attention-seeking barking.
If you notice your dog is barking due to this reason, try and ensure that you give it the quality time it deserves, but don’t overdo it, as you may end up creating a ‘clingy Rough Collie.’
Excitement
English Collies love barking, especially when they are excited.
This type of excitement barking is usually associated with jumping around, grinning, tongue out, drooling, or full-body shaking.
Pro-tip; Try and calm your dog since an over-excited dog may cause you unintentional harm.
For instance, it may bite you or pull you down which may cause you an injury may, especially if the pull was very forceful.
Experiencing Separation Anxiety
Barking associated with separation anxiety is often manifested by pups or dogs who have not been fully desensitized with their owners leaving them.
Some of the signs that you should look out for that indicate your Collie’s barking behavior is as a result of separation anxiety include;
Coprophagia (your dog eating its or other dogs’ feces), urinating or defecating in undesignated areas despite your dog being fully potty trained, exhibiting aggressive behaviors and portraying a tendency to escape.
What Can I Do To Stop My Rough Collie From Barking?
Eliminate The Barking Triggers
Understanding what’s causing your dog to bark excessively and eliminating all its triggers is actually the most crucial step in making your Collie stop barking.
Know what is bugging it and solve the problem.
Offset Your Dog’s Kennel Doors
This method is only applicable if you have a ‘pack’ of Collies around who live in different Kennels.
Offsetting your dogs’ kennel doors prevents them from directly making eye contact, which stops excessive barking.
This is so as Collie’s may get triggered to bark just by simply seeing another dog.
Keep Your Collie Busy
If your Collie is barking due to boredom, then keep it engaged and busy with different activities.
Consider taking it out for a swim, but be sure to observe all the swimming safety tips.
Play with it in your backyard; make certain that your fence is not a see-through type of fence and that it also doesn’t have any openings that your hound can use to escape.
You can also provide it with different dog-safe toys to chew on.
Use Treats To Reinforce A Non-Barking Behavior
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Using treats to train your dog to do anything, not to just not bark, will always reign supreme.
As soon as your hound stops barking, shower it with treats.
NOTE! Not all dogs love edible treats. Some love to go out for walks, cuddle, play, or just be stroked on their ears, chest, on their tail’s base or shoulders.
Please make an effort to find out what your dog considers a treat and then maximize it to your advantage.
Ignore Or Pretend Not To Hear Your Collie’s barking
Yes! IGNORE your Collie. Don’t look at it! Play deaf! If you can.
Do anything that will show it that you are uninterested in its barking behavior.
But don’t leave the room as you may cause it to escalate its barking voice and demeanor.
Just be sure to give it treats as soon as it stops barking, even if it’s for a second!
Adequately Train Your Dog The ‘Quiet’ Command
Adequately train your dog the quiet command, be sure to do it when it is still a pup. Use a firm yet gentle voice when giving it the command.
Train your dog the quiet command at least 3-4 times a day. Provide breaks in between. Let the sessions last at least 5-10 minutes.
Isolate A barker From The Pack
This method should be used as the last resort when all the methods mentioned above have failed since isolating a barker from a pack can cause it to go into a frustration-induced barking hound.
Isolation is beneficial in that it will help reduce the chances of your excessively barking Collie inciting other dogs around it which may in turn learn this unwanted behavior.
Pro tip; Immediately call in a pro to help you put your dog’s barking behavior after isolation.
Do Rough Collies Howl?
Yes, Rough Collies do howl, but rarely.
A howling sound can be described as a loud and mournful type of cry (more like a prolonged ‘AWOOOO’ sound), which is very similar to a wolf’s howl.
When howling, Collies tend to tilt their necks in a way that their head faces upwards to the sky.
Studies done have suggested that this position helps straighten the dogs’ vocal cords, and allows an unlimited amount of air to enter their chest, thus facilitating them to make the long and uninterrupted crying sound.
Rough Collies may howl as a way of communicating with other Rough Collies around, or just make sure that their presence is noticed.
They may also howl to express both physical and emotional pain.
But most often, these loyal and affectionate dogs howl in response to high-pitched sounds/noises, which act as a trigger to their innate howling behaviors.
Most commonly, Rough Collies will howl in response to musical sounds or sirens made from an ambulance, fire truck, or police car.
What Can I Do To Stop My Rough Collie From Howling?
Training your Rough Collie how not to howl may somewhat be unnecessary as they infrequently engage in this kind of behavior.
The best thing you can do is to find out what is causing your canine companion to howl and eliminate the trigger.
But if your Collie has become a notorious howler to the extent that it incites all of your neighbors’ dogs to howl (those which can howl, of course), then it’s paramount that you halt this behavior.
Consider giving your dog lots of treats as soon as it stops howling.
If this is not working, then I highly recommend that you call in a dog’s behavioral specialist and let them train your long-haired Collie not to howl like a pro.
Achieve A Quieter Kennel or Home! Understand Why Your Rough Collie Is Barking A Lot
Do Rough Collie bark a lot?
No, Rough Collies don’t bark a lot unless there is a causative reason that’s making them engage in this easily reversible behavior.
Collies may back excessively due to boredom, fear, experiencing separation anxiety, and also due to excitement.
You can make your Collie to stop barking a lot by; sighting out its triggers to barking and ultimately eliminating them, training it the quiet command, and using treats as a positive reinforcement for non-barking behavior.
You can also offset your Collie’s kennel doors if you have a pack of these easy-to-love and train in your home.
Rough Collies also do howl, but rarely.
Your Rough Collie may howl as a way of responding to a high-pitched noise or sound or when it wants to express its emotions, both physical and emotional.
However, it is not a must that you train your hound how to stop howling as most of the time, these obedient hounds rarely engage in howling behaviors.
If you cannot keep your Collie barking or howling behavior in check, then please consider hiring a professional dog trainer or an animal behaviorist specialist and let them handle your dog’s ‘vocal’ behavior in a professional manner.
