European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 12, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Dogs an unsolved by Donald j. Frederick National geographic oof Woof Woof there it goes again your neighbor s loudmouthed dog. It s enough to drive you crazy. Well you May As Well Stop complaining because nobody has figured out a foolproof Way to keep a raucous dog quiet. In fact scientists can t even agree on Why most dogs bark. Quot dogs bark because they re immature characters like teen agers. Very hard to train Quot says dog expert Raymond Coppinger a biologist at Hampshire College in Amherst mass. Unlike their wild Wolf relatives which Stop Barking As they mature dogs develop into noisemakers because of domestication Coppinger theorizes. Instead of achieving Quot a Rich adult repertoire of Wolf like guttural growls and snarls Quot he says Quot they became perpetual adolescents and come out with something we affectionately Call the  almost anything can set off a canine Barking jag. Quot dogs can bark at the Moon the wind or the rustling of Trees says Mark Feinstein a professor of cognitive science at Hampshire. Quot sometimes they bark when there appears to be nothing happening at All. There seem to be an astounding number of reasons and it s unusual in the animal kingdom where most creatures tend to vocalize for a few specifics such As defending territories or finding mates dogs that sound off because they have nothing better to do Are called Quot boredom barkers says Bonnie v. Beaver chief of Small animal Medicine and surgery at Texas a amp a University. Quot dogs Are social. Keeping a pet shut up in the Back Yard without any human interaction in t realistic. They re going to do something. They la dig bark jump Over the Fence or run in circles. That s basically All they can do. You be got to look for what s driving the animal to a particular  the secret of dogs communication lies in the pitch and frequency of their Barking says Stanley Coren a psychologist at the University of British Columbia who has studied canine intelligence. Quot a higher pitched bark can mean a dog s frightened and a lower tone can National geographic sounding a warning or expressing boredom a dog barks at a Painter. Convey a threat Quot he says. Quot a Quick burst of four or five barks the kind you hear when someone comes to the door Means come Over Here someone s invading our territory then there s the bark with a stutter to it that s an invitation to  some owners inadvertently turn Bowser into a Loudmouth. The pet starts howling in the Yard about Midnight. A dogs bark because they re immature characters like teenagers very hard to  a Raymond Coppinger dog expert Quot shut up you stupid Mutt a someone  the dog gets rewarded with a voice response so it barks even More Quot a Beaver explains Quot and eventually it gets to come inside. That dog is training its owners very  seeking instant cures some dog owners have gone to such lengths As noise activated devices that Emit offensive doors or squirt water on offenders. Typical anti bark collars produce unpleasant sounds or mild electric shocks. Most such contraptions have one thing in common the experts say they Don t work. Quot almost nothing will keep terriers from Barking it s in their genes Quot Coren says. Quot everybody who owns a Little terrier will Tell you that its favorite game of Alt time is imaginary burglar. And it s always played Between 2 or 3 in the morning when in fact the dog is announcing that a Leaf has fallen against the Wall of the  but Coren is also convinced that canine heroes have saved Many human lives with their clamor. Quot i tend to believe that Barking dogs Are often calling for help or alerting people whom they consider members of their pack that something is going on a he says. How do you silence a noisy dog Coren has a soothing solution Quot no Yelling you Don t say a word. Instead you just stroke the dog sort of run your hands along his head Down along the Side of his Chest and maybe a bit along the Back. The dog will interpret that As meaning All s Well there must not be anything to bark about Quot you Hope. To your health cyclists and helmets pierced ear lobes by Modena Wilson and Alain Joffe the Baltimore Sun my 10-year-old loves to ride his bicycle but he does no to want to Wear a helmet in the summer when its hot. Does he really need it he Only rides on the sidewalk and is a very Good rider. Your son should Wear his helmet whenever he rides. The helmet should be an approved bicycle helmet fit snugly and be strapped on firmly. We recommend that you make no compromises when such an important safety Issue is involved. The fact that your son is a Good rider and rides often increases rather than decreases his risk. The More time he spends on a Bike the More Opportunity there is for a fall. A Bike helmet not Only helps to protect the head in a crash Between a bicycle and a car it also absorbs much of the Force when a child a head strikes a hard surface like Concrete during a simple fall from a Bike. Imagine How damaging it might be for your songs brain if he and his Bike fall on a sidewalk or curb. Bike helmets have proved their Worth. Children and adults wearing them Are much less Likely to injure their brains while biking. We suggest you make it a hard and fast year round Rule a no helmet no Bike Riding a a my 16-year-old had her ears pierced three times on each Side and now wants the upper lobe pierced As Well. In a concerned because the skin looks thin and i think its unsafe but she wont take no for an answer. Can you help while we appreciate your concerns about your daughters health we can to think of any medical reason that would argue against acceding to her wishes. If her ears Are pierced by a knowledgeable individual who uses clean instruments and your daughter takes proper care until the skin heals there should not be any ensuing difficulty. Some individuals have noted that it is a bit More painful to get the upper lobe of the ear pierced but this is a highly individual  times teen agers make choices with which parents disagree. Such decisions May have to do with style of dress sleep habits hair styles or color food selection or Choice of friends. Parents May feel that they Are bad choices and our instinct is to protect the teenager by refusing to Honor his or her decision. However As teen agers mature it is increasingly important for them to exercise their judgment even if we View it As faulty and then live with the consequences of their decisions. Otherwise they will never develop the adult capacity to assess a series of options and choose the one that is Best for him or her. Or. Modena Wilson is director of general paediatrics and or. Alain Joffe is director of adolescent Medicine at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore my. Tuesday july 12,1994 the stars and stripes 15