ELI5: why do dogs bark when separated, but when face to face go quiet?

r/

i’m aware this doesn’t apply to every dog but i see videos online of dogs barking through a fence, but when face to face go quiet and act like nothing happened.

Comments

  1. Ashne405 Avatar

    I just thought its the same way people on the internet can talk all the shit online but if someone squared up to them irl they would be pretty quiet, the lack of repercussion gives a lot of confidence, through a fence they can just go back a few steps and its safe.

  2. CameoShadowness Avatar

    In some cases it isn’t an aggression thing, dogs have a limited way of communicating and sometimes they try to call out to others to come closer to smell.

    I had to be very careful with my dogs because once they get a good smell, that’s when they’d get to decide if it’s time to fight or not… D:>

  3. Corey307 Avatar

    It depends on how the dogs are behaving. If they’re just barking, they may be communicating and what we perceive as aggression is them just acknowledging each other. Dogs bark, snarl and show teeth because they are posturing for dominance. In the situation you described, neither dog actually wants to fight, and when given the opportunity to both of them back down. It’s like when two men get in each other’s face faces and talk shit, but then don’t throw punches, it’s just a primitive dominance display.

  4. tmntnyc Avatar

    I assume its the same reason why humans will scream the most heinous things at eachother when there’s a few feet of space and a couple inches of metal between them. But if you bump into someone in an elevator, generally you don’t scream “F***K YOUR MOTHER!!!”.

  5. Bennnnetttt Avatar

    Same reason people online talk shit hut in person are quiet. Real life consequences.

  6. DrunkenRube Avatar

    Tell me how you really feel behind a social media gate🫣