Why even though I give biscuits to street dogs they bark at me?

Question

Everyday in morning I go to one place and on way I meet many dogs I mean street dogs not pets.i generally take 4 biscuit packets with me. I give 1 packet to my own home bucket where my own street dogs eat.then i give another 2 packets to next street dogs but they always bark at me.sometimes i feel that if you go on street in morning early at 4:00 AM then obviously dogs would be sleeping at that time and will bark.but I go everyday.and i feel that at least they should know me.

Why they bark at me even though I give them food?

When I reach that place i give rest of the packets to that place stret dogs. Now these dogs always recognise me and play with me like my street home dogs and never bark at me.

Any specific reason why next street dogs do not recognise me?how can I make them friendly to me so in morning they do not bark at me?

Answer 1

It's important to remember that dogs don't just bark to alarm, just like humans don't just yell in anger. Those dogs might be conveying excitement, they might be letting other members of their pack know that the Biscuit Giver is here, they might be trying to get your attention so they get their biscuit first.

You might educate yourself on dog barking in general. The American Kennel Club suggests that you might be able to train your ear in bark interpretation. In the linked article, they link out to some research indicating that humans can interpret dog barking much better than chance and link to a test for you to practice on.

I am very wary of suggesting that you interact with dogs you don't know, especially given that these dogs might have rough histories and food insecurity/resource guarding patterns.

Given the inherent bite risk in working with strange dogs, I'd let them bark. Trust is slow to build and bites suck. If you are consistent enough in your desensitization work, they may become less reactive over time.

Answer 2

There can be many different reasons why some dogs react a certain way and others don't.

Since these are street dogs, they probably have to defend their territory and food against other dogs. The dogs that live in busy streets may bark more because there are more intruders around, while the dogs living in remote or secluded areas may see fewer intruders.

The dogs living in secluded areas are also more likely to remember every person they see each day. On a busy street the dogs see so many people they may not be sure if you are friendly or not. Also, that early in the morning they may not recognize you. If they wake up from some sound, they may start barking before they even know what caused the noise.

One way to make them recognize you is to give them a signal that is your own. You could simply tell them "good morning" and they will recognize your voice. Or you can make a sound (shuffle your feet in a certain way, rattle your keys, whistle a tune) that is uniquely yours.

And don't forget that dogs can also bark to greet someone. If the dogs make a gurgling sound while barking, they are aggressive and want to warn you off. If they bark in a high pitch or whine in between barks, they are friendly and want to greet you.