Barking is a natural part of communication in dogs. However, sudden, excessive and uncontrolled barking can quickly become a stress test for humans and animals.
In this article you will find out what causes barking for no apparent reason and what you have to pay attention to in order to stop your four-legged friend from barking again.
Dog suddenly barks for no reason: possible causes
First of all, we should distinguish how a causeless, sudden bark manifests itself.
Does your dog always bark suddenly and for no apparent reason, or has it been a quiet fellow who has recently gotten used to barking?
When it comes to dogs that are always barking suddenly for no apparent reason, the cause is usually one lack of or wrong upbringing or socialization.
Beginners in particular let their puppies get away with a lot, including the sweet barking. It is all the more difficult to get the dog to stop barking, which has meanwhile become annoying.
Good to know:
Rewards given at the wrong time can also encourage barking. For example, it is wrong to give your dog a treat to stop it barking.
He’s learning, he just has to make himself known loud enough to get a reward.
If your dog tends to be quiet and barks suddenly for no reason, you should pay attention to the environment and situation to identify the causes of the barking.
In many cases you can Cause of the barking on the sound recognize. The sound forms even give the current mood of your four-legged friend again:
- Joy: Ringing or tonal barking
- resentment or threat: noisy and atonal barking; The dog often growls and barks at the same time.
- overload: monotonous continuous barking
1. Insecurity and fear
Especially dogs that were insufficiently socialized as puppies react insecurity and fearby barking at other dogs or people.
He then often barks constantly at noises such as the lawnmower, vacuum cleaner or passing ambulance.
He often barks at night when he is frightened or hears unfamiliar noises in the dark.
2. Boredom
Excessive barking can also be a sign that he is physically and mentally underutilized finds or the environment does not stimulate him.
3. The senior
If an old dog starts barking suddenly and uncontrollably, it can hearing problems or an imminent one dementia have to do.
4. Arousal
is a dog upset or overexcited, barking is an expression of their excitement. That can too Joy be.
Some dog breeds, such as the terriertend to “over-rev” very quickly, resulting in loud barking.
5. The Follower
Even the quietest dog can become a constant barker when a second dog moves into the apartment that is all the more willing to bark.
This effect is often observed in animal shelters. If a dog starts to bark, most of them follow suit and join in the dog choir.
Does my own behavior influence barking?
Dogs are very trainable and quickly realize that they only have to bark long enough to achieve their goal. Eventually the owner gives up and gives them what they want.
consequence in your own behavior is therefore very important in order not to encourage your four-legged friend to bark.
Even when it comes to fear and insecurity, the dog’s socialization is not everything. There is one on the way safe and consistent demeanor its human important to give the dog an extra sense of security admit.
He doesn’t have to protect a safe and sovereign dog handler with his barking either.
How can I stop my dog from barking?
To get straight to the point: Even if sudden or constant barking seems to you for no reason, your dog has a reason for it.
It is therefore important to recognize these reasons in order to be able to specifically wean him from barking.
First you should your own behavior and appearance as well as the Vicinity check over. Anything that makes the dog nervous, anxious, or dominant can cause the dog to bark.
The next step is about catch up on missed lessons in parenting and socialization. Here it is important to small successes to put and the dog not under pressure to put.
Curing your dog from barking in one day isn’t going to work. Your upbringing will only be crowned with success later if this steadily and consistently continued becomes.
Stop barking with these 7 tips
1. Stay Calm: If your dog suddenly starts barking for no apparent reason, keep calm and don’t start scolding him. At worst, this will make him feel empowered by you.
2. Reward positive behavior: Your dog, like everyone else, loves to learn! Especially when you use positive reinforcement and rewards for correct behavior, he remembers it and repeats it.
Teach him the command «quiet» or «look at me». If he looks at you carefully, you reward him!
3. Distract: Doesn’t it work with the commands either? Try to distract him from the situation with his favorite toy by dropping it.
4. Keep the dog busy & busy: Is your dog a real bundle of energy and just barking out of boredom? Then make sure your fur nose gets enough exercise and mental workload.
Toys that mentally challenge your dog, such as a kong or a snuffle mat, can be used here.
5. Provide calm and protection: It’s possible that your home is very busy and your dog gets nervous and restless at every little thing. Make sure that your dog has a place of retreat where nobody can disturb him and where the background noise is limited.
6. Catch the right moment: In dog training, it’s important to be quick and timely to reward right behavior and discourage wrong. Sometimes it’s not that easy! A clicker can be used here, for example.
7. Get help: If you just can’t get your dog’s barking under control, it’s a good idea to seek professional help.
In our Big dog training book we have dedicated a separate chapter to the topic of «breaking the habit of barking». You can test the eBook risk-free for 60 days. Click here for the e-book.
Does a dog school or a trainer make sense?
A dog school or a dog trainer makes perfect sense so that the training does not degenerate into an unwanted power struggle between dog and owner or further errors occur in the training.
Another advantage here is that your dog is exposed to other dogs under professional supervision, which is good for socialization.
It is also important to consistently implement what you have learned at home and on the go.
Our e-book «The Great Dog Training Book» does not replace a dog school, but it will certainly help you to implement everything important at home and save a little money for training hours.
Conclusion
Even if sudden barking seems to us for no reason, there is a reason for your dog. Often the owner himself is responsible for uncontrolled barking.
Weaning your dog from barking is only possible if you get to the bottom of the causes and counteract them consistently through change or training.
Perhaps you too can contribute something to this topic? We look forward to your comment.