Bark At Your Dog Challenge: Why is this TikTok trend dangerous? Know what experts say
TikTok reaches a billion users every month, and a large portion of those people have dogs. So, there is no doubt in accepting the huge amount of dog-centric videos on the platform. The latest one is quite self-explanatory, “Bark At Your Dog Challenge”. The title says it all- users bark at their dogs on camera to capture the dog’s reaction.
Many TikTok challenges can be fun and harmless, but some can be extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. In this case, animal behaviourists and veterinarians are expressing their concerns over the 'bark at your dog' challenge, which involves TikTok users getting up close to their pets and barking in their faces.
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Why is this trend dangerous?
With around 159 million tags, it's safe to say the #barkatyourdog trend is incredibly popular. The task entails interaction that can be extremely unpleasant or upsetting for dogs, despite the fact that the videos may receive a lot of attention.
While some dogs will tolerate this behavior, others understandably may react out of fear or discomfort by barking, lunging, snapping, or even biting out of fear/discomfort. A user wrote, "Bark at your dog challenge..take 1".
Any of these challenges that involve getting physically close to a dog and then trying to startle or scare them beyond being unkind can cause you potential harm with an increased risk of the dog biting back.
The challenge could also set off a "bite attack"
All dogs react differently to this challenge, with some barking back, others hiding behind objects and some even baring their teeth. With various viral videos getting millions of views, animal experts are concerned. Veterinarian Jo Woodnutt told Petsrador that in this trend, people are barking at their dogs without regard to their body language or tone, and there’s a risk this could be misinterpreted. She said, “When dogs bark, they can mean different things – the tone and body language can mean anything from ‘play’ to ‘I’m worried’ and even to defensive ‘stay away'.
Animal behaviourist Katie Scott-Dyer told Mirror, "Please don't do the 'bark at your dog' challenge, no matter how gentle your dog might normally be. It is dangerous because dogs know we are not dogs and that we don't normally make these kinds of sounds, let alone in their personal space". Katie explains that your dog will likely be extremely confused and curious, but it could also set off a "bite attack".