Many nights of good dreams and quality sleep are disrupted by the sudden barking of dogs at night. Once a single dog starts to bark, neighboring dogs will give in to the urge to bark along, causing a lot of noise outside your window. This is stressful for the dog owners, but it is more frustrating to the neighbors, especially those who don’t even own a pet dog.
It is not always clear why dogs go wild with barking in the middle of the night. However, having an idea of the possibilities could help you address the issue and train your dog to keep from barking at night.
Dogs Have Incredible Hearing
Compared to humans, dogs can hear sounds up to four times further away. More often than not, owners do not exactly know what causes their dogs to bark. Because of this, it can be easy to assume that they are barking for no particular reason. The reality is that most dogs do not understand all the sounds or noises they’re hearing, and the stillness of the night makes them react more loudly to these sounds.
Dogs have the inclination to bark at sounds that make them feel nervous, threatened, or excited. One of the main reasons they bark is that they sense unfamiliar animals like squirrels, raccoons, or even another pet that happened to walk nearby. A passing car, as well as people walking by, can also set off their barking. Sometimes even the sound of tree leaves rustling due to the wind can make them feel uneasy. Lastly, it could be that you recently moved into another house or neighborhood, which your dog is still getting used to.
How to Address Your Dog’s Barking
Observing your pet’s behavior before executing dog obedience training is an essential first step. Even if you are not bothered by their barking, it is your responsibility as a pet owner to consider your neighbors when it comes to the noise your dog is making. Knowing how to prevent your dog from barking leads to many peaceful nights for everyone.
To prevent your dog’s barking, let your dog sleep in a room without windows to the street or the backyard. This way, your dog won’t be tempted to bark when it sees or hears something outside your house. Restrict your dog to an area where they cannot move around incessantly once alerted by outside noises. You want your dog to be as calm as possible at night, so a quiet room as far away from the noise as possible is the best option for you.
One neat way to trick your dog’s hearing is using a white noise machine. This helps many dogs sleep deeply at night. If these solutions still don’t work, you can try using a dog whistle to condition and reinforce them not to bark unprompted.
Conclusion
Dogs’ loud barking is often caused by excitement or alertness from the various sounds they hear. Some dogs need to get accustomed to their surroundings before they stop barking at night. For this, you should expose your dog to whatever can cause barking.
Human intervention through obedience training is a big help not just for nearby people but also for dogs to remain calm at night. Training can also mitigate stress over simple things. Achieving this can give everyone a peaceful night’s sleep.
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