BEHAVIOUR

How to Stop Your Dog from Barking: 6 Common Causes & Solutions

Struggling with excessive dog barking? Dog expert Yashaswi explores six reasons why dogs bark & provides practical solutions to stop dog barking, once and for all.
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Have you ever been woken up by your dog barking or howling? Or had neighbours complain about the noise coming from your home? If so, you’re in the right place to discover why this happens and how to stop your dog from barking excessively.
Dogs bark to communicate, so it's important to understand why they're barking to address the issue effectively. They may often bark for more reasons than one.

Let’s first look at common reasons why dogs bark excessively and their consequent solutions. It can be tricky to tell what each bark means, but paying attention to your dog's body language and the context of their barking can help you understand why they're barking. To learn how to stop dog barking, it’s essential to identify these cues and address the underlying causes. Knowing how to prevent your dog from barking involves recognizing these signs and implementing appropriate strategies to stop dog barking effectively.
dog barking from window
"Paw-se and identify yourself, stranger!*

1. Alert Barking

The Watch-dog bark or Alert Barking occurs when your dog identifies an unfamiliar presence near their territory. The scene of the barking is usually near your window, terrace, balcony or front door when the doorbell rings, and sometimes even your car.
Alert barking is loud, persistent, and designed to get attention, specifically directed towards the object of interest, usually a new visitor in or around your house. Their body language often includes upright or forward-facing ears, a raised tail, a stiff posture, and an intense gaze.

This type of barking can occur due to multiple reasons including breed dispositions, lack of socialisation, and territorial behaviours due to general temperament. To address it, work with a canine professional to desensitise your dog to visitors, passing dogs, doorbells, or whatever the trigger may be. Instead of simply yelling a “no” or “quiet” command, redirecting your dog’s energies towards incompatible behaviours such as a place command, sniffing at a busy box, or holding a toy might be more productive.

2.Excitement Barking

Excitement barking occurs when a dog is overwhelmed with enthusiasm, typically triggered by the presence of other dogs, people or even their favourite treats. This behaviour may be accompanied by jumping or leash pulling, too. They will exhibit a relaxed body language defined by their loose, tail wags, bouncy posture, and frequent shaking off due to heightened excitement.
Excitement barking may come from a happy place- when your dog is excited about something, but it can be difficult to manage. To stop dog barking arising out of excitement, focus on the root cause- the anticipation of the trigger. For young puppies, socialising them to these common triggers is ideal. Practising basic commands like "place," "settle," and "down" before encountering triggers can lessen their reactions. Let your dog interact with guests or other dogs only when calm so they learn calm behaviour is rewarded. You can also use calming activities like scatter-feeding and sniffing games before and during an interaction to help them relax. For severe cases of excitement barking, consult a canine behaviourist or trainer to address the root cause and desensitise your dog to the trigger.
dog staring at owner
"I see you're busy, but have you considered petting me?"

3. Attention-seeking Barking

Have you ever noticed your dog start barking as soon as you get busy with something? If you have a keen eye, you may even notice the quick pauses they take in between their annoying barks to see if their efforts are bearing fruit. It may be followed by some pawing or licking at you if the barking does not work.
The attention-seeker’s barks are designed to do just that- reward them with your attention. This means that scolding or any form of negative attention still provides the dog with the engagement they desire. So instead, wait for your dog to stop barking for a few seconds and reward them with treats or gentle praise. You may have to consistently practise rewarding calm behaviour over several days or weeks to stop the dog barking. Another way to address attention-seeking barking is by teaching them the “Bark” and “Quiet” commands. Once your dog masters them, you can do a couple of rounds of “Bark” followed by a “Quiet” before ending the exercise with the “Quiet” command every time they start barking for attention.

And don’t worry, attention-seeking behaviour is seldom done by attention-starved dogs. It’s usually dogs who are used to always having constant access to their pet parents. It is important to address your dog’s attention-seeking behaviour with the help of a canine behaviourist to stop the barking.

4. Stress Barking

When your dog experiences stress, whether it is anxiety or fear, they may communicate these emotions through whiny or high-pitched barking. The barking will be accompanied by worried body language- a tucked tail, pinned-back ears, crouched and stiff body, with a lot of facial tension.
A stress bark can be set off by many triggers, common ones being the presence of an unfamiliar person or a dog, separation anxiety, loud noises, or being in a new environment. It may intensify as the trigger moves closer and subside as it moves away. Regardless, to stop dog barking arising from stress or fear, it is crucial to work with a canine behaviourist to help your dog overcome their triggers and build their overall confidence.
*Can you share your Netflix password at the very least?*

5. Boredom Barking

When their basic needs for both mental and physical exercise aren’t met, dogs may release their pent-up energy in a symphony of high-pitched barks. The usual culprits are clever, working dog breeds that may require more mental stimulation than we may think.
These dogs will exhibit a very relaxed posture and you may find them sitting and staring into space while barking their hearts out. These high-pitched monotonous barks can continue for hours and may give them a barker's high instead of hurting their vocal cords. Often, they may stuff their face in bedding or against you when they bark.

For boredom barkers, make sure that along with physical exercise, they are receiving sufficient mental exercise, too. Switching your daily walking routes is an easy way to provide mental enrichment by allowing your dog to explore their surroundings using different senses. Mealtimes can also be used to engage their minds through slow-feeder bowls, puzzle toys, or using their kibble to practise obedience training. Sniffing games are another excellent way to provide mental stimulation and promote calmness. Click here to learn five, simple sniffing games you can make at home. If you are short on time, you can consider enlisting the help of pet sitters, dog walkers, or dog trainers to offer additional engagement for your dog.

6. Frustration Barking

Frustration barking in dogs is a common behaviour often triggered by unmet needs or desires. The common instances are when you prevent your dog from interacting with a human, animal, or their favourite toy or confine them in a space.
The frustrated barking will be accompanied by a tense body posture and direct staring at the object of desire. They may often show signs of agitation such as jumping, whining or trying to escape if they are confined. The barking will be high-pitched and persistent, indicating their levels of frustration.
To address this, identify and remove the source of frustration if possible. Provide regular mental and physical stimulation through toys, exercise, and training in their daily lives. To stop the dog barking, teach them alternative behaviours like the "quiet" command and redirect their focus with treats or activities. Gradual desensitisation to triggers and consistent positive reinforcement help dogs cope with frustration calmly.


If barking has become a habit for your dogs, consistent reinforcement of better behaviours is essential to address it. Remember, barking is your dog’s way of communicating, often signalling discomfort. As pet parents, it’s crucial to pause and pay attention, not only to curb excessive barking but to ensure our dogs enjoy a good quality of life.

Happy Pet Parenting!
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