Sound

Sounds

Animal sounds have particular meanings that other members of species understand.

There are four important dimensions helpful to determine meanings of sounds a dog makes:

1. Type of sound: bark, growl, whine, yip...

2. Pitch of the sound: lower tones such as dog's growl usually mean warning, threat, anger and possible aggression, but can also mean excitement and a call for play.

3. Duration of the sound: the longer the sound the more persistent dog's intension or feelings are.

4. Frequency of the sound: sounds that are repeated often and fast give away certain level of excitement or urgency. Sounds that are not as frequent or are not repeated usually mean lower level of excitement.

Silence

If sounds are not or are not anymore useful as signals to one that might be listening to them - a dog will stop making them. If a dog is growling as a threat and his target is not stepping away, growling can stop indeed. It can mean that a dog understands that its threat is not recognized and that it will attack.
On the other hand, a dog that is running away, in order to save itself from danger, does it as quickly, hushed and quiet as possible.