Our dog is losing her hearing....so now, she barks more....it seems to be her way of talking to us and being reassured we know what she wants. She usually barks when she wants something.
Ours went stone deaf and I have not heard her bark in probably a year.
My dog is 14 and has been losing his hearing also. Sometimes, not a lot, he just stands out in the yard and barks at nothing. My theory is that his bark is something he can really hear, so it comforts him. But who knows.
our australian shepherd mix would lift his upper lip like a smile. hilarious. if you want to know why dogs bark, consider how domestic dogs communicate with each other, then compare that with communication for human hearing. My daughter-in-law’s beagle barks a LOT. My rat terrier hurts my ears. Loved my husky/wolf cause she didn’t bark menacingly unless it was a threat to someone she didn’t like. Only twice in her lifetime. She whined in greeting and howled, of course. Boy do I miss her.