Does your dog bark at the neighbors and you feel embarrassed for your canine friend’s act? If yes, then let me tell you that you aren’t the sole pet parent who comes into contact with that situation. There are significant canine parents who get the drift alike you.
When it comes to stopping a barking dog whenever it has eye contact with your neighbors, you should root out the cause that forces your dog to bark and afterward apply out-of-the-box strategies to put a stop to barking whenever it sees the neighbors.
Before jumping into how to stop dogs from barking at neighbors, let’s dig into why dogs bark at neighbors.
7 Reasons Why Do Dogs Bark at Neighbors
It’s as clear as the sky is blue that barking is nothing but one of the ways that a dog brings into the equation when it comes to communicating with other dogs or the rest of the world including living souls, for instance, humans, cats, and counting.
Although each and every dog barks to communicate or tell something important to you, when you pay close attention to its barking you will find multiple types of barking. If your dog doesn’t bark at regular intervals and the intensity of the barking is low, then there’s no need to worry. But when it barks excessively and in a loud voice for a prolonged duration, then it’s a matter of concern that needs to be fixed ASAP.
Pinpoint the exact reason behind the dog’s barking at neighbors or what a dog tries to say via barking requires blood, sweat, and tears. But it’s not a distant dream when it comes to pinpointing what common causes force a dog to bark.
Here are the 7 reasons that force your canine friend to bark nonstop at your neighbors.
Reason #1. To protect their area
Would you allow any trespasser when he enters the yard where your children play or allow anyone to swim in your swimming pool? Definitely not.
The same scenario you can expect when any of your neighbors sets foot on your property that the dog assumes as its property or premises where your tyke plays or takes a rest. As your canine companion treats the yard or the house as its own property, whenever the neighbor encroaches on the property, it feels that the neighbor is threatening or challenging its property in some way. There’s a strong, and loud barking with the intention that let you know. Furthermore, if the trespasser does not leave the place in the blink of your dog’s eye, it’s highly likely that the dog’s barking volume will potentially increase to a degree.
Reason #2. Fear
Whenever one of your neighbors tries to enter the territory secretly, or suddenly appears before the dog, then it’s natural that a dog will bark. The main culprits behind this type of barking are fear and anxiety that your dog feels your neighbors.
Reason #3. Greet a neighbor
Whenever your dog barks at neighbors, it does not necessarily mean that there’s a negative emotion or fear, or anxiety. Maybe your dog is excited or happy once it receives a warm welcome from the neighbor’s side, and tries to reply to your neighbor and wants to say hello via barking. If your dog likes your neighbor, you will witness that it will greet your neighbor whenever it watches them and will invite your neighbor to play with your neighbor in the yard.
Reason #4. Attract the canine parent’s attention
When there’s a mailman on your doorstep, or a neighbor enters through the gate, your barking friend barks to attract your attention where it wants to convey a message that someone is coming into your territory. Other than that if you go for a walk with your dog either in the morning or in the evening, it wants to tell you that it’s time to go outside.
Reason #5. Maybe your dog suffers from Separation Anxiety
A significant canine parent population has a common complaint that their four-legged friend starts barking whenever they interact and talk for an extended period of time with the neighbors. If you have witnessed that scenario then it’s a clear indication that your barking friend is suffering from separation anxiety. The prime reason behind the barking is it seeks your attention and affection and when it finds that you’re spending with your neighbor for a prolonged duration in the yard or in the surrounding of your premises it treats the neighbors as its competitors when it comes to getting your affection.
Reason #6. They feel loneliness and boredom
Before socializing with your neighbors, if you haven’t played with your furry friend in the yard, or haven’t spent any time, you will notice that they start barking. This is because, like humans, or other pets, dogs are social animals that do not prefer to be left alone for an extended period of time. If you have entered your home after long working hours, and without interacting and spending time with your tyke you greet the neighbors or relatives, it’s highly likely that your pup will bark since it is upset, or feels lonely.
Reason #7. Your dog may be angry or dissatisfied
When your neighbors have a dog or a cat or other pet and they play in their yard with their pets then it’s highly likely that your dog is interested in playing outside with you. When they see that their wish is not fulfilled then they finish in act up in multiple ways including barking, jumping, and many more. By hearing the loud bark of your dog, if you spot that your neighbor is playing with its pets, then it’s a clear indication that your dog wants to tell you to play with him.
How to Stop Dogs from Barking at Neighbors
As a caring canine parent, YOU and only YOU should be blamed, not your hound when they bark at your neighbors who could be affected or bothered when your dog barks in a loud voice time and time again.
When it comes to finding the out-of-the-box strategies that will bring favorable outcomes and your pup won’t bark whenever it sees the neighbors requires blood, sweat, and tears.
It’s not a good idea to punish your dog whenever it barks by installing shock collars as they feel pain and that’s illegal too.
Instead of punishing them, here are the 7 strategies you should apply when you’re hunting high and low for an answer for how to stop your dog from barking at the neighbors.
Strategy #1. Ignore the barking
Although stopping the barking of your canine friend is your pressing priority, but if you give the barking more attention while your dog barks, being an intelligent one, your dog may assume that you’re paying attention whenever it barks, which in turn results in your four-legged friend barks whenever it needs your attention or something else.
Instead, when you hear the barking, first ignore the barking and do your current tasks. When your barking friend stops barking, throw a treat or interactive toys, and on top of that give attention. In this way, you can give your dog a message that when it does not bark at the neighbors it will be rewarded.
Strategy #2. Socialize your Barking Friend
If your neighbours and you are friends or have a good relationship, then you are free to tell your neighbor that you have adopted a canine friend. After that, invite your neighbors to come to your house for dinner.
Once they enter the premises or in the dining room, introduce your dog in a low, calm voice. Once they have met each other, request your guest to drop some pieces of dry kibble on the ground. If your dog comfortably consumes the treat without a complaint, it’s a clear indication that your canine won’t treat your neighbor as a potential threat, and its highly likely that whenever it makes eye contact with your neighbor, be on your premises or in the yard, it won’t bark as it knows your neighbor as a friend, not a foe.
Strategy #3. Bring the Reinforcement Theory of Motivation into the equation
The dog training strategy was brought into existence back in the 1940s by psychologist B.F Skinner where proper training could change the behavior in dogs and even in homo sapiens. Instead of punishing your dog when it barks, throw mouth-watering treats or toys or something else as an appraisal whenever it does not bark at other dogs, or neighbors, and counting.
No matter what is the cause behind the barking, when your dog stops barking, give it a treat that bears a message that he is being rewarded for his behavior of not barking. When you exercise the technique day in and day out, your tyke won’t bark as it knows if it does not bark it will get a reward in exchange.
Strategy #4. Make your dog tired
When you and your family members play with your fido in the yard that involves lots of physical activities, including Agility, Flying disc, and Flyball, in the garden or in the nearby park, then it will get tired. Once the game is finished, it is highly likely that it will sleep and relax instead of barking at the neighbors.
Strategy #5. Distract your dog from barking
Although your dog spends an extended period of time with your neighbor, there are multiple instances where it may bark at your neighbor. No matter what is the reason, the best way to stop barking is to shift your fido to another room and shift your fido’s attention to somewhere else. You can offer interactive dog toys, chew toys, or appetizing meals to distract it.
When you try to distract it, don’t shout at your dog or get angry. In case, your dog is scared or receives any action from your neighbor as a threat, if you shout at it, it’s highly likely that your canine companion’s barking intensity will increase by leaps and bounds which makes the situation worse.
Strategy #6. Put a ‘Quiet’ command in the application
All of your efforts will go in vain if you apply the ‘stop’ command excessively for instance stop digging, stop chewing, stop jumping, stop scratching, and stop stealing, and there’s a good chance that your dog may be confused. Instead, if you apply the ‘quite’ command you can expect favorable outcomes when it comes to putting a stop to the dog’s barking as whenever you give the ‘quite’ command, your dog assumes that it is asked to stop barking and keep his mouth shut.
To stop barking via a ‘quite’ command you can put delicious treats into action where you toss mouth-watering treats into the ground. When you apply the tactics multiple times, you will find that your dog stops barking whenever you give a ‘quiet’ command and looks at you if you have offered the treats or not. In this way, you can train your dog not to start barking whenever it comes in contact with your neighbor.
Strategy #7. Block your Bowwow’s vision
If your canine friend starts barking whenever it sees any passerby in the street, then the simplest way to put a stop to his barking is to install a fence with the intention that it won’t see either the neighbor or the passerby.
In case you have found that your pup does not like any specific neighbor and starts barking whenever it makes a contact via a window then it’s a good idea to shift your dog into another room where your dog can’t see the neighbor who is the main culprit behind the barking.
If budget isn’t your prime concern, then it’s a good idea to install window films or a white noise generator that winds down the outside noise to a degree with the aim that your dog won’t hear the sound of the neighbor.
Final Thoughts
Putting a stop to loud barking requires strenuous effort. Once you have figured out what are the reasons that force your four-legged friend to bark, then by putting multiple training techniques into the service you can expect fruitful results.
If you’re at sea when it comes to where to start, then let me tell you that there are multiple dog trainers that will train your dog with the intention that it behaves like rational humans. For instance, when you subscribe to the dog training course that is offered by Adrienne Farricelli, you will find that the certified dog trainer brings 21 fun and simple games into the equation with the aim that will turn your barking friend from brainless to a brilliant one.
- Read also: How To Get Your Dog To Stop Barking At Cats
- Read also: How to Stop Dogs from Barking at Night
Hope this article has helped you to discover why your dog barks at your neighbors and how to get dogs to stop barking at neighbors.
Have I missed any out-of-the-box training tactics that you have applied to reap the benefits? Please share your experience by making a comment which will save millions of canine parent’s day who are conducting a fishing expedition for how to stop dogs from barking at neighbors.
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