Dexter's Different Barks

You know how mothers get so in tune with their babies that they know what is going on just by the way the baby cries?  This is the "hungry" cry, or that cry means "I'm wet"?  Well, I am starting to get the same way with Dex.

For the first 2-3 months we had him, he never barked, I mean never ever.  The first time he barked, we laughed, because they were these wimpy little puppy squeak barks.  As time went on, he realized that barking got attention, and helped him communicate with us.  So now, he barks every day.  He as a very specific bark that says "I want attention" and another that is his "I miss mommy bark".

This morning, he was barking, and it sounded different than any other bark he has.  It sounded as though he was trying to make himself sound like a bigger dog.  The barks were resonating from deep in his chest, and they were hearty.  I never knew he could sound like that, and I wondered why he was doing it.  Then, I listened very closely.  A dog was barking outside, and from the sound of that dog, he was pretty big.  I then realized that Dex felt like that dog was threatening us, our home and our family.  And he felt the need to protect us.  So he was putting on a tough guy bark to try to intimidate the other dog.  It kind of warmed my heart that here was this adorable, bumbling, 13 pound weiner dog trying to guard his home and masters.

Thanks for protecting us buddy.