Alongside the raw number of barks, the app sorts your dog's day into one of six barking bands so you can see at a glance whether today was typical for them. Here's what each band means.
Where to see it
- Open Activity & stats.
- Look at the Barking card (described as "Times barked"), or tap it to open the barking detail screen.
The detail screen is broken into Barking today, Barking trends and Avg. barks, and you can switch the view between Today, This week, Past 7 days and Past month.
Please note: Barking is measured by your dog's tracker and is shown only for pets whose species is set to Dog. It's hidden completely for other pets. There is no daily goal to set for barking.
The six bands
Bands are based on your dog's total barks for the day, not on any single hour.
| Band | Barks in a day | Badge |
|---|---|---|
| Silent | 0 | ✓ Normal range |
| Quiet | 1–24 | ✓ Normal range |
| Normal | 25–120 | ✓ Normal range |
| Chatty | 121–180 | Above normal |
| Vocal | 181–300 | Above normal |
| Alarm dog | Over 300 | Above normal |
Silent, Quiet and Normal together make up the normal range. "Above normal" isn't a diagnosis — it simply means the day sits above the typical range.
What the app tells you
Each band comes with a short explanation on the card. For example:
| Band | What the card says |
|---|---|
| Normal | "This is a typical barking range for many dogs. Barking is a natural way dogs communicate, alert their family, or express excitement." |
| Chatty | "Your dog has been quite vocal today. Increased barking can happen with stimulation, visitors, outdoor noises, or nearby animals." |
| Vocal | "Higher barking levels detected today. Persistent barking may suggest boredom, stress, anxiety, or environmental stimulation." |
| Alarm dog | "High barking activity detected. Frequent barking may indicate stress, territorial alerting, separation anxiety, or repeated triggers in the environment." |
Vet tips
Tap the ⓘ button on the barking card to open a Vet tip for the band your dog is in, then Close when you're done. For the highest band:
Alarm dog: "Sustained high barking is worth discussing with your vet, especially alongside restlessness or appetite changes."
Why today's number climbs in steps
The collar sends its bark count in hourly buckets, so today's figure fills in roughly once an hour rather than ticking up live. A number that hasn't moved for a while usually just means the next hourly report hasn't landed yet.
Bands are not the same as your alert threshold
The bands above describe the whole day. Barking alerts use a completely separate setting — a number of barks inside a short cycle. That means you can be in the Normal band all day and still receive bark alerts, or land in Vocal without a single alert if the barking was spread out.
Things to keep in mind
- Barking has no goal. There's no target to set and no progress ring on the calendar for it — a quiet day isn't a "failed" day.
- A day with no barking data shows as Silent with a count of 0. The app doesn't show an empty state for barking, so a run of zeros can equally mean "a quiet week" or "no barking data has come through from the collar". If you suspect the latter, check the collar is worn, charged and reporting.
Important: Bands describe a trend, not a medical result. The Ask A Vet tracker is not a medical device — if something about your dog's barking worries you, speak to a vet. As the Alarm dog tip says, sustained high barking is worth discussing with your vet.
Related articles - What is bark monitoring on your Ask A Vet tracker? - How to set up barking alerts (threshold and schedule) - How to see your pet's barking, activity and sleep data