If you have a dog that excessively barks, you may be asking yourself, do dogs get tired of barking? The answer to that question is yes, they do get tired of barking, but that doesn’t mean they will stop.
Why Dogs Bark
Dogs bark for many different reasons and many of those reasons humans don’t understand. The reason humans don’t understand is that dogs don’t have all of the knowledge that humans have about situations and environments. Let’s explore this more as we uncover the reasons dogs bark so much.
Threat
When dogs sense a threat, such as someone walking by the house, they immediately think that person is going to do harm or cross over the territory line. While a human may know that it’s just the mail person, a dog has no idea. The dog thinks the person is a threat and will sound off to let the person know he/she isn’t wanted.
Separation Anxiety
If your loved ones leave the house to go to work, you know that the person will be back later. Some dogs don’t understand that, especially if they suffer from separation anxiety. It’s just like a person who fears something will happen to their loved one if they leave the house. Dogs with separation anxiety believe their owner isn’t coming back after leaving, so they bark to express their sorrow.
Excitement
Dogs also bark when they are very happy. It’s the equivalent of a person jumping up and down screaming because of excitement over seeing someone after a long time.
Hurt
When dogs are hurt, some will complain about barking. They may look at their owners and bark incessantly to communicate something is wrong. The problem is that the owner doesn’t know exactly what is causing the barking, so it can be hard to know if a vet visit is in order.
How to Stop Excessive Barking
The best way to stop excessive barking is with training. If you have a new dog, the dog will eventually understand that when you leave the house, you will come home. But you can help the situation by leaving and coming back for shorter periods of time so that your dog starts to associate leaving with coming back.
Whenever your dog barks, provide comfort and reassurance that everything will be okay. Your dog goes off your energy and actions, so when you get upset because of the barking, it just tells the dog there really is something wrong.
If all else fails, contact your veterinarian to make sure there isn’t anything wrong with your pup. Your dog may be trying to communicate not feeling well or being hurt.
With a little patience and compassion, you can start to understand why your dog is barking so much and reduce the barking. This way you and your neighbors will be much happier along with your pup.
