Barking in Dogs

Is barking a normal dog behavior?

Barking is a normal and natural behavior for dogs. Dogs bark to communicate with other dogs, other animals, and people. Barking can mean your dog is happy, frustrated, bored, anxious, excited, fearful, alarmed, territorial, and more. Dogs may also bark if they experience pain or physical illness.

"Understanding why your dog is barking is the first step in changing barking behavior."

There are strategies available that can help reduce the frequency of barking behaviors. Understanding why your dog is barking is the first step in changing barking behavior.

What should I do if my dog is barking?

First, objectively describe your dog’s barking. The following signs could reflect an underlying behavioral or physical illness. If your dog shows any of these signs, consult with your veterinarian. Your pet may need medical treatment or may benefit from a consultation with a skilled behavioral professional who can provide expert coaching for your family.

• Prolonged or plaintive barking when left alone
• Barking at night when you and your dog usually go to sleep
• Staring into space or acting disoriented when barking
• Barking directed at people or other animals that is difficult to interrupt, including persistent barking through a window or fence
• Barking that appears menacing, such that you are concerned your dog could escalate to a bite

Is there any way to prevent barking?

First, make sure your dog’s basic needs are met. Provide access to a quiet place to rest, plenty of daily mental and physical exercise, plenty of daily social attention from the family, and positive-reinforcement-based training.

Socialize your dog so they are comfortable with a wide variety of sights, sounds, locations, animals, people, and experiences.

Avoid leaving your dog alone in a yard for long periods. Barking that results in movement is rewarding to most dogs; when dogs are unattended, they may bark at people and dogs passing by their home, and when these people or dogs move, it reinforces the barking behavior. You can help prevent this reward cycle, and prevent unwanted barking, by putting up visual barriers such as fencing, curtains, blinds, or privacy film on windows.

Always focus on prevention when dealing with barking behaviors. Once a behavior is established and has been repeated, it will take longer to reverse that behavior in the future.

How can I train my dog to change its barking behavior?

Dogs, like any animal, do what works. They will repeat behaviors that have a favorable or meaningful result. When we are working to change or improve a dog’s behavior, we need to consider what the behavior accomplishes from the dog’s point of view – and how we can modify that event so the dog’s behavior will change for the better.

You can use the A-B-C method to consider why the dog is barking and how to change the barking.

A = Antecedent. What happens immediately before the barking?

B = Behavior. Barking is the behavior in question, but it is probably accompanied by other behaviors, too!

C = Consequence. What happens during or immediately after the barking? This is the “result” from the dog’s point of view.

Creating a training plan means identifying A, B, and C and considering how to change A and C so B will change. Each training plan will be unique to the dog and the family, but most barking can be prevented or reversed using a positive reinforcement-based training approach.

Example: Barking at the mail carrier

Remember, your dog can only see the world through the window or gate. He cannot understand that the mail carrier is only visiting for a moment and will then move on to another house. Consider the A-B-Cs for barking at the mail carrier.

A = The mail carrier appears.

B = The dog barks.

C = The mail carrier disappears.

In this example, from the dog’s perspective, barking is an effective way to get the mail carrier to move away. Barking is one way dogs ask for space or try to move another person or animal away from their space. Changing barking at the mail carrier can often be as simple as placing a privacy film on the windows or closing blinds when the mail carrier is scheduled to pass by. This changes both the A and the C of A-B-C, so the B (barking) will probably change, too.

How can I use the ABC method to prevent my dog from barking in certain situations?

Dogs are most likely to bark at things they find exciting, unfamiliar, overstimulating, or that provoke feelings of fear or anxiety. Prevention starts with a plan for positive exposure to common causes of barking, and positive reinforcement to show the dog what you would like them to do instead of barking.

Example 1: Doorbell rings

The ABCs of behavior you want to see:

A = Doorbell sound.

B = Come and sit or go to their mat.

C = Treats and calm, happy praise.

Sample training plan:

Decide what you want the dog to do instead of barking (e.g., come sit near you or go to their mat and wait). Teach your dog to do this behavior if they do not already know how. Use plenty of treats and praise, and work in an environment away from distractions, at first. Introduce the doorbell gradually. Using a phone app or recording, it is easy to play a doorbell sound very quietly at first – then louder and louder as the dog is ready for it.

• Play the doorbell sound quietly.
• Prompt the behavior you want, such as sitting near you or going to the mat. Provide plenty of treats and calm, happy praise!
• Repeat a few times per day, gradually increasing the intensity of the doorbell.
• Move the doorbell sound closer to the door of your home.
• Once the dog is proficient at coming and sitting when they hear the doorbell sound, have a friend help by standing outside to ring your doorbell so you can practice opening the door to let in a guest.
• Remember to provide plenty of rewards and attention for doing the wanted behavior of coming and sitting or going to their mat.

What if your dog makes a mistake and begins barking? That’s okay – calmly redirect the dog to the behavior you want and try again at an easier level of the exercise next time.

What if the real doorbell rings and your dog has a barking episode? Calmly remove your dog to another room before opening the door. Consider placing a notecard near the doorbell telling guests to wait patiently while you put the dog away, or to text or call rather than ringing the doorbell.

Example 2: Seeing a stranger on a walk

The ABCs of behavior you want to see:

A = Stranger appears/is visible.

B = Look at handler quietly/pass by quietly (advanced).

C = Treats and calm, happy praise.

Sample training plan:

First, make sure your dog knows how to look at you. Call his name in a calm, happy voice and quickly feed 2-3 high-value treats. Move away a few steps, call his name, and quickly feed 2–3 treats. Repeat this exercise, moving in different directions until your dog reliably turns to look at you when you say his name.

• On a walk, when you see a stranger, call your dog’s name in a calm, happy voice.
• When he turns to you, deliver 2–3 treats.
• If he looks back at the stranger, simply call his name quietly again and reward each time he looks away from the stranger.
• As he becomes good at this, your dog will start automatically checking in with you when a stranger appears. Always reward this right behavior!
• While you are passing by a stranger, speak calmly to your dog and offer praise and rewards for staying close to you and quiet.
• Resist the urge to allow your dog to run up to other dogs and people while on walks, even if your dog is friendly. Doing so can lead to frustration later, when your dog cannot greet every person, creating a barking problem.

Example 3: Barking at you for attention

Unwanted A-B-C:

A = You are present but distracted and your dog wants attention.

B = Dog barks.

C = You look at or interact with your dog, even if it is to tell him to stop barking.

From the dog’s point of view, this behavior is effective because the barking results in attention. To prevent this situation, avoid responding altogether. This can be tricky at times, and not always practical, but whenever possible, be mindful about accidentally rewarding barking related to attention-seeking.

Instead, if your dog is barking for attention, look away, lean away, and walk away, if possible. As soon as your dog is quiet, provide calm, quiet attention and special praise for good behavior. If your dog barks at you repeatedly, make sure his needs have been met - that he has had plenty of exercise and attention, food, water, and access to a potty area. He might be trying to tell you something important!

Desired A-B-C:

A = You are present but distracted, and your dog wants attention.

B = Dog “asks” politely. Examples might include come and sit, sit and look at you, lie down, or go get a toy. You can choose the behavior you want.

C = You provide attention.

It is important to notice when dogs behave correctly so that we can respond and reinforce  desired behaviors. 

Sometimes, this means rewarding dogs for “doing nothing,” such as walking near us quietly or lying on a dog bed. When calm behaviors are rewarded, they will happen more and more often. Always be on the lookout for wanted behaviors and try to find at least 50 times a day to interact with and reward your dog for wanted behaviors. Watch for times your dog comes up to you and sits, lays down, or brings a toy. Respond by rewarding with attention, petting, calm praise, or toy play.

How can I reverse problem barking?

Reversing problem barking means figuring out the antecedent (A: what happened right before the barking) and the consequence (C: what function does this behavior serve, from the dog’s point of view). Getting attention? Declaring territory? Getting more space from something scary?

"Until training has been completed, you might need to prevent exposure or have a short-term management plan for specific situations."

Your dog might need training on how to respond to the antecedent (A) without barking. Until training has been completed, you might need to prevent exposure or have a short-term management plan for specific situations. Otherwise, the consequence (C) may continue to maintain the barking. Does barking result in attention? Does your dog gain faster access to another dog by barking and pulling? Changing the As and Cs will change the Bs (behavior)! Take barking off the B list.

Sometimes, problem barking is really challenging to reverse. If you are having trouble finding the A-B-Cs, if the barking is long-standing or quite intense, or if you are feeling frustrated, reach out for help from your veterinary team. They can work with you or refer you to a helpful professional coach.

Can I use technology to deter barking?

There are many gadgets available to address unwanted barking: shock collars, spray collars, vibration collars, ultrasonic noise emitters, loud noisemakers, muzzles to hold the dog’s mouth shut, and more. These tools all rely on punishment and should be avoided because they can have negative emotional fallout for the dog.

• The shock, sound, or spray needs to be so unpleasant it will stop the dog’s behavior, which can present ethical concerns.
• Punishment can lead to an increase in anxiety and aggression in some dogs.
• Products can malfunction and punish the dog at the wrong time or fail to work when the dog barks. Many anti-bark devices can be set off by a loud noise or even by the bark of another dog in the room.

Fortunately, there are also products that use positive reinforcement to help reduce barking. Some products, such as the Pet Tutor, come with a sound sensor and an app to program based on your dog’s barking behavior. The sensor listens for progressively longer periods of quiet and rewards your dog for remaining quiet, even when you’re not there. Video surveillance systems with built-in treat dispensers allow you to observe your dog and dispense treats, even when you are outside the home.

Can surgery stop problem barking?

De-barking or de-vocalization is a surgery to make a dog’s bark quieter or silent. De-vocalization is a major surgery and can have serious side effects, both short-term and long-term. Most of these side effects make it difficult for the dog to breathe. In addition, some patients begin to bark again within months of surgery. For these reasons, many professional organizations and governments have declared this surgery unethical and, in some locations, it is unlawful.