Twilight bark

Twilight bark (sometimes, twilight barking) refers to the often-noted behavior in domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) of exchanging barks or howls across long distances, typically in the quiet hours of early evening.

Long distance contact calls are common in Canidae, typically in the form of either barks (termed "pulse trains") or howls (termed "long acoustic streams").[1][2] The long-distance howls of wolves[3] and coyotes[4][5][6] is how dogs communicate.

The term 'twilight bark' was coined by author Dodie Smith for her 1956 children's book, The Hundred and One Dalmatians,[7] and the phenomenon figures prominently as a plot device in the book and in the 1961 animated Disney movie. The original usage is:

Many people must have noticed how dogs like to bark in the early evening. Indeed, twilight has sometimes been called "Dogs' Barking Time." Busy town dogs bark less than country dogs, but all dogs know all about the Twilight Barking. It is their way of keeping in touch with distant friends, passing on important news, enjoying a good gossip.
—Dodie Smith, The Hundred and One Dalmatians

References

  1. ↑ Robert L. Robbins, "Vocal Communication in Free-Ranging African Wild Dogs", Behavior, vol. 137, No. 10 (Oct. 2000), pp. 1271-1298.
  2. ↑ J.A. Cohen and M.W. Fox, "Vocalizations in Wild Canids and Possible Effects of Domestication," Behavioural Processes, vol. 1 (1976), pp. 77-92.
  3. ↑ John B. Theberge and J. Bruce Falls, "Howling as a Means of Communication in Timber Wolves," American Zoologist, vol. 7, no. 2 (May 1967), pp. 331-338.
  4. ↑ P.N. Lehner, "Coyote vocalizations: a lexicon and comparisons with other canids," Animal Behavior, vol. 26 (1978) pp. 712-722.
  5. ↑ H. McCarley, "Long distance vocalization of coyotes (Canis latrans)," J. Mamm., vol. 56 (1975), pp. 847-856.
  6. ↑ Charles Fergus, "Probing Question: Why do coyotes howl?" Penn State News (January 15, 2007).
  7. ↑ Dodie Smith, The Hundred and One Dalmatians, New York: Viking Press (1956)