Does a Big Defensive Bark Drain a Dog's Energy?

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter houlahound
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Energy
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around whether a big defensive bark drains a dog's energy. Participants explore the relationship between the sound produced by barking and the energy expenditure involved, considering both theoretical and observational approaches.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that measuring sound level and distance could provide a basis for estimating the energy used in barking, proposing a back-of-the-envelope calculation.
  • Another participant challenges the feasibility of this approach, noting the various muscles involved in producing a bark and their energy expenditure.
  • A participant emphasizes the need for a rough, averaged calculation rather than precise measurements.
  • There is a question raised about whether the quality of sound affects energy expenditure, referencing a comparison with male lions and their vocalizations.
  • One participant argues that quantifying energy output may not be necessary or useful, suggesting that the physics of barking may not serve a significant purpose in understanding the behavior.
  • Another participant counters that physics does have relevance in biological contexts, citing examples from medical imaging and cancer treatment.
  • One participant proposes an observational study comparing the behavior of dogs after performing a "huge defensive bark" versus a regular bark, suggesting that energy expenditure may not be the only factor influencing fatigue.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relevance and feasibility of quantifying energy expenditure related to barking. There is no consensus on whether the physics of barking is significant or how to approach the investigation of energy use.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge that factors such as muscle development and fitness may influence how tired a dog becomes after barking, indicating that energy output alone may not determine fatigue.

houlahound
Messages
907
Reaction score
223
I train dogs for civil and other work.

We train a big defensive bark to intimidate an aggressor to hopefully cease an escalation of force.The big barkers are either staccato or rhythmic.

I contend the huge defensive barking saps a dogs energy.

Simple to measure the sound level, measure distance etc...can I use that info to get a scope of the energy used via a back of the envelope calculation??
 
Physics news on Phys.org
houlahound said:
Simple to measure the sound level, measure distance etc...can I use that info to get a scope of the energy used via a back of the envelope calculation??

probably not
consider the many muscles throughout the dog that expend energy creating that bark
 
Very true but that's my point, trying to think of an averaged out, ball park, rule of thumb sort of calculation.
 
Is it just 'loudness' or wouldn't quality of sound count?
I remember a TV programme that showed the way the throat of male lions has special muscles that pull the 'voice box' (or the equivalent) down into the chest to make it sound that the lion is bigger than it really is. They do a lot of roaring and shouting at each other, apparently. (A bit like PF members?)
 
Quality of sound is everything.This is not even a physics question really, serves no real purpose to quantify.
 
Rather proved my point. :smile:

I don't think one can argue that Physics has no place in Biology.
 
Except maybe entire cancer radiation therapy wards and medical imaging facilities like PET, CAT, MRI...
 
I would not take the approach of quantifying the energy output. Depending on the mode of energy output, animals can get tired from putting out a small amount of energy (pull ups) and not tired from putting out a much greater amount of energy (biking). How tired they get depends on many other factors than energy output - e.g. how developed/fit for the task certain muscles are.

Instead, just approach it observationally. Take many dogs, randomize them, have some do the "huge defensive bark" and some not, and observe their behavior afterwards. You could also consider many single dogs and their behavior post big bark as opposed to post regular bark.
 
Last edited: