If you’ve ever had a dog that barks excessively, then you know just how upsetting it can be wondering if your poor dog is distressed. So why do some dogs bark so much, anyway? Is it a cause for concern? And what can you do about it?
Your Dog is Experiencing Separation Anxiety
The number one reason for excessive dog barking is separation anxiety. Your dog loves you so much – you’re the head of the pack! Your dog wants to be near you all the time – he feels safe and loved in your presence! So when you leave, he feels scared and alone. Especially if you’ve spent a lot of time with your dog previously and it’s become the norm for him. For example, maybe you worked from home during the Covid crisis, or maybe you spent a lot of time at home in general, and now you’re out and about a lot more. Your poor doggo, who is used to you being around all the time, suddenly misses you terribly whenever you go out. Aww!
So what can you do about it? How can you ease your dogs distress and still be able to leave the house?! According to the ASPCA, the goal is to get your doggo to enjoy being alone! Like kids whose parents go out for the evening and eat ice cream for dinner and watch TV all night. But first, he needs to not feel so anxious when you’re gone.
In humans, anxiety is treated using exposure therapy. If someone is afraid of spiders, they are exposed first to photographs of spiders, and when that is no longer anxiety provoking, they can be in the same room as a caged spider, and when that becomes manageable, they can move closer and closer to the spider, all the while alleviating their anxiety. Doing the same thing for your dog involves pairing the distressing situation, i.e. you being gone, with pleasurable things your dog does not have access to when you’re around. A puzzle treat mat that takes time for your dog to solve, a special scent sprayed on a favourite doggy bed that only comes out when you’re gone, special toys that only come out when you’re gone, some nice doggy TV playing on the TV – you get the idea!
If your dog is too anxious for this treatment, you can try desensitisation. If you’ve ever watched one of those shows on TV with the dog experts you’ll recall that the expert will get the owners to leave for five minutes, then come back, and do that repeatedly until their dog is ok. Over time, the owners continue this process, as slowly as the dog needs to feel good, until one day they find they can use the above methods to make their dog feel good when they’re out. Of course, there are other steps to this process – it can get quite complicated! Consult with an animal behaviourist or buy a specialist book on the subject if you need to know more.
Your dog is bored
Maybe you have a tiny little yard. Maybe your dog is all alone a lot of the time. Maybe you’re too busy to play with her – hey, I get it; work needs to be done, chores need to be done, and you need your down time. But your dog is restless and wants something to do, and sometimes there isn’t a lot to keep her occupied.
The solution to this is actually quite simple: provide your dog with enrichment.
Think puzzles that include food that take your dog time to solve. Think taking your dog to the dog park, the dog beach, etc. Think taking your dog to cafes where she can sit with you and out to other places where she can socialise with other dogs. Think turning on the TV so your dog can watch doggy Youtube videos (or the Law and Order theme song – hey, it works for some dogs, check it out). How about hiring a dog walker to walk your dog when you’re too busy? How about setting up doggy playdates?! How fun! Play fetch with her, teach her a new trick or two, take her for a run while you ride your bike (get all that restless energy out). How about buying some bubbles? How about hiding some doggy treats around the room or the backyard? How about making a doggy fort out of blankets, furniture and sheets?
You can search the internet for many ideas on how to make your dog’s life more interesting. The sky is the limit!
Your dog is defending its territory – and you!
You are the apple of your dog’s eye – and when he hears someone coming close to the yard or the house, or he hears a strange noise – it’s his job to alert you to it!
Of course, in a perfect world, you would reward him and he would feel pride and continue to bark – the problem is if he’s barking at everything. It can quickly get annoying.
The answer to this one is firstly to stop rewarding him for the barking behaviour. This can be tricky – if you hear your dog barking and you go outside to speak to him, you are, in fact, reinforcing his behaviour. He knows now that when he barks, he gets your attention, which is great! You are seeing what a great job he is doing protecting your territory!
What you need to do is distract him so that he stops barking, and then, when he stops barking, reward him, thus reinforcing the idea that when he is not barking, he gets attention and rewards.
This kind of behavioural training is much, much more effective if you are consistent. Doing it for three days in a row and then letting your dog bark for two days in a row is not going to reinforce the new behaviours in his mind. He needs for you to do this with him whenever he is outside until he stops the excessive barking. There is no point being inconsistent and letting him bark then trying to train him then letting him bark etc. It won’t produce the desired results. If your dog gets the point at all, it will take that much longer if you don’t stick at it consistently. And of course, the younger the dog, the easier it is to train him to stop barking excessively.
Your dog is really scared
If your dog is barking because she’s afraid, it’s best to try to remove the stimuli that is scaring her. Shut the blinds or pull the curtains across, stop her from seeing people walking past or cars driving by. If you leave the house, leave her inside where she feels safe. If there is thunder or lightning, put your dog in a dark room.
You can try to desensitise your dog to certain things if they are the kinds of things that you wouldn’t ordinarily associate a dog being afraid of – vacuum cleaners, for example, can cause a lot of fear in animals. If you introduce the animal to the appliance when it’s switched off, and then move the parts until the dog is no longer afraid, then make the noise of the vacuum cleaner yourself – “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM” (I know, it sounds weird – but it helps, and they know what it is) and then have them in the same house when you use it, then the same area/room, etc. Just gently try to get them used to what they’re afraid of – more exposure therapy.
As above, you can reward your dog when they endure their fear and try not to reinforce fear-based behaviours. Again, this can be quite a complicated process, so consulting with a professional who is trained in this area is ideal, or else watching some informative videos on the topic or reading a book.
Alternative Methods and their Effectiveness
Shock Collars
Some people resort to collars that deliver electric shocks to their dog whenever it vocalises. You can already see a problem with this though, right? Apart from it being painful for the dog, sometimes dogs should be barking. They have every right to express themselves – this method will stop them from barking altogether.
The other problem is that it can create aggression and fear – more behavioural problems.
Crate Training
Dogs are much more anxious when left to roam then when they are in a secure area like a crate. Many other animals feel the same way – cats prefer to be in amongst the bushes, birds prefer to be in trees. It is natural for an animal to find a small, enclosed space to relax and feel safe in.
This is the basic idea behind crate training. According to the RSPCA, crate training for an hour or two a day gives a puppy a safe place she can go to when she feels tired or stressed. She will always feel happy in this place.
It’s best to crate train dogs as puppies as older dogs will not associate a crate with safety and peace. They will more than likely see it as a punishment and will not enjoy the confinement.
Crate training your puppy could help her if she is overly anxious and stimulated and this is leading to excessive barking.
Anti Bark “Tone” Devices and Dog Whistles
The trouble with playing a frequency or tone to stop a dog from barking is that it varies greatly in effectiveness. Some dogs will respond to a frequency immediately, then over time become habituated to it, and others will never respond to any tone at all. Other animals can become irritated by the tone – neighbourhood cats, birds, and other wildlife will be effected. You will have to either manually blow the whistle when the dog barks or buy a device to put in your yard that will sense when your dog is barking and play the frequency. How well these devices are able to isolate barking is anyone’s guess – but if you’re desperate and want to try it, there are plenty of these on Amazon.
Be aware the animal behaviourists will advise against this approach as it is akin to punishment, and the way of thinking these days is to only use positive reinforcement when trying to achieve behavioural changes.
Excessive Barking
Excessive barking, while bothering you, can really bother your poor neighbours, too! If you are becoming accustomed to your dog’s excessive barking, that’s all very well and good, but please, spare a thought for the other people who live next to you! They have no control over your dog’s barking – its volume, its frequency, the times of day, etc. And that kind of helplessness is really unbearable for some people. People can do all sorts of things – complain to council, scream back at you, kick your fence, etc. So please, be mindful of the noise your pet makes and how it affects others! Being a considerate, conscientious pet owner is the decent thing to do.
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